Several themes describe misconceptions about mental illness and corresponding stigmatizing attitudes. Media analyses of film and print have identified three: people with mental illness are homicidal maniacs who need to be feared; they have childlike perceptions of the world that should be marveled; or they are responsible for their illness because they have weak character (29-32)."

World Psychiatry. 2002 Feb; 1(1): 16–20.
PMCID: PMC1489832
Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness
PATRICK W CORRIGAN and AMY C WATSON

Results of two independent factor analyses of the survey responses of more than 2000 English and American citizens parallel these findings (19,33):
- fear and exclusion: persons with severe mental illness should be feared and, therefore, be kept out of most communities;
- authoritarianism: persons with severe mental illness are irresponsible, so life decisions should be made by others;
- benevolence: persons with severe mental illness are childlike and need to be cared for."

World Psychiatry. 2002 Feb; 1(1): 16–20.
PMCID: PMC1489832
Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness
PATRICK W CORRIGAN and AMY C WATSON

Public stigma
Stereotype Negative belief about a group (e.g., dangerousness, incompetence, character weakness)

Prejudice Agreement with belief and/or negative emotional reaction (e.g., anger, fear)

Discrimination Behavior response to prejudice (e.g., avoidance, withhold employment and housing opportunities, withhold help)

Self-stigma
Stereotype Negative belief about the self (e.g., character weakness, incompetence)

Prejudice Agreement with belief, negative emotional reaction (e.g., low self-esteem, low self-efficacy)

Discrimination Behavior response to prejudice (e.g., fails to pursue work and housing opportunities)

Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness. World Psychiatry. Feb 2002; 1(1): 16–20.
PMCID: PMC1489832

The stigma of mental illness is first and foremost a social justice issue!

I had people saying 'it's all in your head'. Do you honestly think I want to feel this way?

Stigmas speak to the idea of difference and how difference shames us and those we know.