Key areas for action
Address stigma > issues
Stigma has been found to be potentially more debilitating to health than the disease itself, leading to low self-esteem, social isolation and non-compliance with medication.1
- Stigma against mental ill-health is prevalent amongst all of society, including people with severe mental illness, their families and professionals.
- Stigma contributes to social exclusion, self-denial and poor access to treatment, resulting in ill-health and relapse.
- Stigma may act as a barrier to policy reform.
- One of the most critical steps in combating stigma is to address the self-stigmatisation of people with mental ill-health and their carers in what the WHO calls ‘Stop Exclusion, Dare to Care'.2
- Efforts to tackle stigma have been shown to achieve significant results.3