ABSTRACT
Challenges posed by mental illness are not limited to distress and disability, but also include the community’s reaction to these disabilities and the prejudice and discrimination directed against people who are mentally ill. For example, employers might not employ people with serious mental illness, nor might landlords not rent property to them, and healthcare providers may offer a lower standard of care to people with serious mental illness, all because of stigmatizing attitudes. This chapter examines the intersection of stigma and populations by first reviewing the underutilization of mental health services by populations in need, reviewing meaningful distinctions in definitions of stigma, and proffering a social cognitive model to explain these differences. We then consider strategies meant to decrease stigmatizing attitudes and discriminatory behaviors and suggest areas for future research in the field.
