Stigma And The Public Factsheet

Stigma And The Public

Why is it important to tackle stigma and discrimination?

• 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem at some time in our lives, and three quarters of us know someone with a mental health problem.
• The stigma of mental ill-health has been called ‘the last taboo’. People with mental health problems often say that negative reactions from family, friends, neighbours, work colleagues and employers is harder to deal with than the illness itself.
• Stigma and discrimination can range from being ignored and excluded to verbal and physical harassment and abuse.
• 81% of people with lived experience of mental ill-health told ‘see me’ that they had experienced stigma, and yet nearly half of the general public thinks that people with mental health problems have the same rights as anyone else.

What do people think about mental health problems?

The Scottish Government has commissioned a Public Attitudes Survey every two years since 2002 to find out what people think about mental health. The results indicate some clear shifts in people’s attitudes.

Who do people tell if they have a mental health problem?

The Public Attitudes Survey includes a sub-sample of those who say that they have had a mental health problem (28% of respondents in 2006). They are asked: “Have you told anyone about your mental health problem, apart from your doctor or any other health professionals?” The graph below shows that people are most likely to confine to those closest to them in everyday life.

In the Hear Me survey that ‘see me’ carried out in 2006, people with lived experience of mental health problems told that they had experienced most stigma from those people that they are most likely to tell about their experience of mental health problems. Follow up omnibus survey and focus groups that ‘see me’ conducted tell us that in many cases people do not intentionally want to stigmatise, but they do not necessarily know what to say or do.

Different diagnoses, different level of stigma

The Hear Me survey also indicated that people with different diagnoses of mental health problems experience varying levels of stigma. This suggests that the general public is more tolerant of certain types of mental health problems, and hold worse attitudes towards other types.

Where do people experience stigma?

In the Hear Me survey that ‘see me’ carried out in 2006, people with lived experience of mental health problems told that they had experienced most stigma from those people that they are most likely to tell about their experience of mental health problems. Follow up omnibus survey and focus groups that ‘see me’ conducted tell us that in many cases people do not intentionally want to stigmatise, but they do not necessarily know what to say or do.

Different diagnoses, different level of stigma

The Hear Me survey also indicated that people with different diagnoses of mental health problems experience varying levels of stigma. This suggests that the general public is more tolerant of certain types of mental health problems, and hold worse attitudes towards other types.