Meaning of Stigma
Stigma may mean different things to different individuals. Based on the dictionary definition, stigma is the disgrace or shame attached to an individual due to being socially unacceptable ( Major et al., 2018). Therefore, stigma involves discrimination and attitudes against a person grounded on distinctive traits such as health status, mental illness, or be disabled. On the other hand, social stigma can be related to characters such as gender, race, sexuality, culture, and religion. However, the stigma surrounding mental illness is a common phenomenon among most people. Although stigma is not constrained to mental health, discrimination towards mental conditions tends to be more adverse than social stigma or medical conditions ( Bharadwaj et al., 2017) . Studies have indicated that stigma is a major risk factor the results in poor mental health. For instance, stigma may result in delayed treatment and reduce the chance that a person with mental conditions will get the best, adequate, and appropriate care.
Normally stigma is associated with mental illnesses; social and self-perceived stigma are the two types of stigma associated with mental illnesses. Social stigma involves the prejudgment attituded toward people with mental conditions. Normally, people with mental health are perceived to be dangerous, making it easier to discriminate against people with mental conditions, resulting in social distancing, isolation, and exclusion. Self-perceived stigma involves an assumed shame that a person with a mental condition suffers from. Studies have revealed that due to internalized shame, people with self-perceived stigma suffers from poorer treatment outcomes. Research on the public stigma of mental conditions depicts that stigma is still widespread, despite the public being aware of the nature of the various mental illnesses ( Major et al., 2018) . Even though people might accept the genetic or medical nature of psychiatric conditions and the need for urgent treatment, many people still hold an adverse view of those people with mental health conditions.
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Sources of Stigma
Stigma normally comes from prejudice, discrimination, and stereotyping. People normally perceive that individuals suffering from mental health issues are dangerous and often feel afraid of them. Typically, prejudice occurs when persons hold an opinion without adequate knowledge of the facts ( Bharadwaj et al., 2017) . People with mental issues often face prejudice in their daily lives, either at work, hospitals, or in public, negatively affecting them. Some of the impact and experience of prejudices include; failing to apply for a job because of fear of disclosing their mental health conditions, difficulties in the workplace, low self-esteem coming from stereotypes related to mental illness, and avoid to seek help due to shame or perception of failure.
Also, discrimination occurs when people don't want to be associated with or relate to an individual suffering from mental health conditions. Therefore, a person is treated less appropriately or positively than others based on their mental illness. Some of the stigma due to discrimination include been denied a job due to mental health issue disclosure, exclusion from public projects, and being denied accommodation after disclosing their mental health issues. Therefore, the stigma associated with mental health conditions usually comes from misguided stereotypes that they are different from others. For instance, some people may believe that mental health issues are caused by spiritual or demonic possession that results in fear and discrimination ( Major et al., 2018) . Medial has also played a big role in mental health stigmas; media usually link people with mental illness with violence or associated them with crimes, evils, or dangerous behaviors.
Negotiation of Stigma
There are several ways that people can negotiate stigma. First, people need to be aware that many people experience mental illness. People who have a mental illness should remember that they are not alone; in fact, research affirms that one in four individuals has a mental health issue of some kind. Another way to negotiate stigma is through finding support. Therefore, he should seek support and stay connected to other people suffering from mental health discrimination or look for support from professionals. For instance, institutions such as the national alliance on mental illness (NAMI) provide supportive resources and education for individuals and their families impacted by mental health conditions ( Bharadwaj et al., 2017) . Through such an institution, people can experience decreased symptoms and a better quality of life. People should also speak out: people should educate each other about the realities of mental health issues include actively speaking out against stigma and how common it is. Moreover, people should disregard myths about mental health conditions, such as individuals with schizophrenia who are normally violent. Therefore, if a person makes a disparaging remark concerning people with a mental illness, educate them, and have a no-tolerance policy.
Change of Stigmatized Behavior
People who are stigmatized use self-control to manage a devalued personality. This needs a flexible application of emotion regulation tactics in the short term. However, over a long time, the effort needed to cope with stigma depletes an individuals' psychological resources and the capability to adaptively control these feelings, which can negatively impact individuals' mental and physical health. Research has indicated that people who experience stigma are often involved in maladaptive emotion control strategies such as suppression and rumination, which result in psychological distress ( Link & Hatzenbuehler 2016) . Moreover, studies indicate that stigmatized people are more like to practice maladaptive coping behavior such as drinking and smoking. For example, people who watch movies that stigmatize overweight individuals are more likely to consume a significant number of calories afterward compared to individuals who watch a neutral movie.
References
Bharadwaj, P., Pai, M. M., & Suziedelyte, A. (2017). Mental health stigma. Economics Letters , 159 , 57-60.
Link, B., & Hatzenbuehler, M. L. (2016). Stigma as an unrecognized determinant of population health: Research and policy implications. Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law , 41 (4), 653-673.
Major, B., Dovidio, J. F., & Link, B. G. (Eds.). (2018). The Oxford handbook of stigma, discrimination, and health . Oxford University Press.
