The State of Stigma

The current atmosphere of healthcare discussion spans a wide spectrum of different attitudes and beliefs with regards to the idea of mental illness. As raising awareness for mental health issues has become an venture of utmost importance, Sandhu et. al expressed interest in delineating the ongoing trends of mental health stigma.

An in-depth analysis was undertaken by McMaster University researchers to distinguish the types of stigma held towards mental illness by a variety of populations. Additional variables of interest were explored - ones that hoped to outline potential differences due to level of education and exposure to mental illness.

The participants, consisting of undergraduate students, medical students, and psychiatrists completed a web-based survey known as the “Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers” (OMS-HC), which has been established to reflect levels of explicit stigma. The well-known Implicit Association Test (IAT) was also completed, which conversely measures levels of implicit stigma.

In what may sound like a predictable outcome, the psychiatrists displayed much lower stigma in both explicit and implicit forms in comparison to the student populations. In addition, findings showed that when one has been diagnosed with mental illness or currently in a relationship with someone experiencing such difficulties, they also displayed lower stigma in explicit forms. Another eye opening result was that disclosure/help-seeking attitudes were characterized with higher levels of stigma.

It is evident that the more we educate the public about mental health, alongside increased interaction and exposure to those experiencing mental health difficulties, there will be a strong effect in resolving issues revolving around stigma.

Initiatives such as #BellLetsTalk is a fond example of what we can accomplish when we promote exposure and discussion.

With these results in mind, we can put in work towards the necessity of exposure, and also ensuring that attitudes revolving around disclosure & help-seeking will draw in appropriate levels of attention, and make it a mandate to empower individuals to become more comfortable with doing so.

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Source:

• Sandhu, H. S., Arora, A., Brasch, J., & Streiner, D. L. (2018). Mental Health Stigma: Explicit and Implicit Attitudes of Canadian Undergraduate Students, Medical School Students, and Psychiatrists. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 0706743718792193.