This page provides information about mental health stigma and discrimination, including information about how you can get involved to help tackle it, helpful resources, and further reading.
What is mental health stigma and discrimination?
Mental health problems can be challenging for people, but it can be made worse by having to deal with stigma and discrimination from others, or from ourselves.
Stigma is “a social process that involves the damaging labelling, stereotyping, and exclusion of individuals or groups based on
perceived differences that deviate from dominant social norms”.
Discrimination is “a key part of stigma. It is the inequitable or prejudicial treatment of individuals or groups based on their
stigmatised identities. It can be intentional (explicit prejudice) and unintentional (underlying in organisations and systems)”.
Why is mental health stigma and discrimination an issue we should focus on?
According to research by See Me, Scotland’s national anti-stigma programme:
- More than two-thirds (71%) of people with mental health problems in Scotland experience stigma and discrimination
- More than nine in 10 people with experience of a mental illness say that they have faced stigma in relationships with family and friends
- 1 in 3 young people in every classroom will experience a mental health problem, and 3 in 4 say that they fear the reaction of their friends.
The impact of stigma and discrimination can be wide-ranging, including making someone’s mental health problems worse and stopping them from getting support. That’s why it’s so important we all play our part to challenge stigma and discrimination.
How you can get involved to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination
Join See Me’s movement
There are lots of ways that you can get involved to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination. You can join thousands of people across Scotland by taking part in See Me’s movement for change. Visit See Me’s website to get all the tools and resources you might need to take action – we have listed some of them below in the ‘Resources’ section too.
Get inspired by participants in our Anti-Stigma Fund
You could also get inspiration from others who are doing great work in this area. For several years, the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Healthy Minds Network ran an Anti-Stigma Fund, inviting creative bids from organisations to help address some of the issues surrounding mental health stigma and discrimination. To find out more about some of the projects that received funding, you can read our Glasgow City-Based Case Study, or have a look through some of the other projects detailed below:
Youth Inspired – Mental Health Stigma Amongst Young People
This video was funded by the Healthy Minds Network’s Anti-Stigma Fund. It was co-produced by a group of young people who worked with Youth Inspired, formerly Youth Interventions, and a professional videographer to show the mental health stigma that they have faced.
Mental Health Stigma and Chronic Conditions
The animation below was funded by the Healthy Minds Network’s Anti-Stigma Fund. It was developed by the Teapot Trust and a group of young people with chronic physical conditions to show what it’s like to have a chronic physical health condition, and how it can impact someone’s mental health.
Helpful Resources
We have listed below a range of resources that will help you tackle mental health stigma and discrimination across the life course:
General
- Healthy Minds Awareness-Raising Resource: An awareness-raising session offering an introduction to mental health stigma and discrimination that is free to download and can be used by anyone (session number 15).
- Experiencing Stigma and Discrimination and How To Challenge it: Guidance from See Me about how to challenge stigma and discrimination, including through social contact, education, and protesting.
Workplace
- “Let’s Chat” tool: A tool from See Me that provides guidance, tips, and scenarios for line managers and supervisors to start open and honest conversations about mental health in the workplace.
Perinatal and Infant
- Perinatal and Infant Good Practice Guide: A resource to support Health Care Workers, Third Sector Partners, and any community organisations that are in contact with, supporting and/or working with new and expectant parents. It is underpinned by the nine protected characteristics as set out in the Equality Act (2010).
Young people
- “What’s on your Mind?”: A pack to support teachers and young people to learn about mental health and develop the skills and confidence to tackle stigma and discrimination in school and the wider community.
- FeelsFM: An emoji jukebox that can be used to host conversations with young people, to get their views on mental health and how to tackle stigma.
Further Reading
We have gathered a range of different papers and reports which will provide you with helpful background reading into Anti-stigma and discrimination.
- See Me in work e-Learning Portal: An online programme to help you understand more about mental health stigma and discrimination in work.
- The Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Study (2022): Shares the findings from a survey with adults in Scotland who identified as living with severe, complex and/or enduring mental illness where they described the ways in which they experienced stigma and discrimination in the last 12 months.
- Disabled People’s Mental Health Matters Report: A report produced by The Glasgow Disability Alliance, following receipt of funding through our Anti-stigma Fund, which shares their findings from research into disabled people’s mental health.
Please email the team at ggc.mhead@nhs.scot* with any questions about Anti-stigma and Discrimination.
*Please note that this is a generic admin inbox and not monitored immediately. If you, or someone you know are in distress and need an immediate response call the emergency services on 999 or NHS 24 on 111.
