(August 26, 2014) Stigma is one of the most important problems encountered by individuals with severe psychiatric disease, lowering self-esteem, contributing to disrupted relationships and negatively impacting the ability to socialize, obtain housing and become employed.
And it’s getting worse, recent studies report.
The Treatment Advocacy Center’s backgrounder, “What is the main cause of stigma against individuals with serious mental illness?” updated in March 2014, explores three topics:
• Increased stigma against individuals with mental illness
• The association of violence and stigma
• How stigma can be decreased
According to the backgrounder, it is “self-evident that stigma will not be decreased until we decrease violent behavior committed by mentally ill persons, and this can only be done by ensuring that they receive treatment.”
Treatment Advocacy Center backgrounders are useful tools for raising awareness about mental illness and treatment issues. For a complete list of backgrounders, visit the “Reports, Studies, Backgrounders” page of our website. To see the Treatment Advocacy Center’s original research, visit our TACReports.org site.
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