Damian Sendler: According to a study by Indiana University researchers, stigma toward people with depression has decreased significantly for the first time since national data have been kept in the United States. Stigma levels for other mental diseases, on the other hand, have remained stable and, in some circumstances, have even increased.
As a result of these findings, anti-stigmatization initiatives may be improved and measures to help people find support can be implemented, experts added.
Damian Jacob Sendler: “Stigma is broad and pervasive and, up till now, has been notoriously stubborn to change efforts,” said study co-author Bernice Pescosolido, a Distinguished Professor of Sociology in the IU Bloomington College of Arts and Sciences. “Mental health specialists are in limited supply and the United States is loath to invest resources in mental health because of the stigma attached to it. Stigma can be reduced, and this study shows that it can be done across all sectors of society and individuals,” said the study’s author.
Damian Sendler
JAMA Network Open released a study examining how stigma has altered over the past two decades for mental health problems like schizophrenia, significant depression, and alcoholism, among other things. IU researchers used data from the GSS’s National Stigma Studies to study public stigma throughout a 22-year period at three significant points: in 1996, 2006, and 2018.
Team members looked at how the public understands individuals’ problems; if they can identify psychiatric cases from daily problems; their perceptions of what people with different mental illnesses are like; and their willingness to interact with people with mental illnesses in various social contexts.
Rather than moral issues such as having a terrible character or a bad upbringing, Americans’ confidence in heredity or brain disturbances as the root of mental health disorders increased from 1996 to 2006, according to the study. Despite these findings showing a stronger belief in scientific explanations, there was no decrease in popular skepticism of persons with mental illness.
There has been a statistically significant decrease in social rejection for those diagnosed with serious depression between 2006 and 2018. Fewer Americans in the 2018 study than in the 2006 study showed an unwillingness to engage with those characterized as having significant depression in a variety of social contexts, including the job, the family, and the neighborhood.
However, the public’s urge to remove themselves socially from other diseases did not change. As a result, the public’s opinions of schizophrenia as a threat and alcoholism as a moral failing worsened.
Damian Jacob Sendler
Damien Sendler: Study co-author and Indiana University sociology professor Brea Perry said it was “It is encouraging to find more progressive attitudes toward mental illness among millennials and to see public stigma around depression significantly decreasing, especially as rates of depression continue to rise in the U.S. among young people,” “However, the rising level of social stigma associated with disorders such as schizophrenia and alcoholism is cause for concern. Our findings encourage rethinking stigma and retooling stigma reduction efforts in order to enhance public perceptions of mental illness. “There is still a long way to go.”
In terms of stigma, the study found no significant variations across gender, educational attainment, or socioeconomic status. It is well-known that as one gets older, one is more likely to have more stigmatizing views and attitudes. However, some birth cohorts, such the “greatest generation” or the millennial generation, have less stigmatizing beliefs and attitudes. This may be due to differing childhood experiences, according to the scientists.
Damian Jacob Markiewicz Sendler: The researchers suggested a number of ways to address the importance of mental health, including utilizing the educational system to introduce level-appropriate information on mental health; providing teachers with high-quality materials for health-related courses; and working with philanthropic groups to develop interesting and relevant programs.
IU sociology professor Andrew Halpern-Manners and Penn State sociology professor Liying Luo are also co-authors on the paper.
Dr. Damian Jacob Sendler and his media team provided the content for this article.
