STIGMA AND MENTAL ILLNESS
Stigma can be defined as “the co-occurrence of labeling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination”. Studies suggests that stigma associated with mental illness represents a significant public health concern. The negative effects can undermine the person experiencing mental illness, amplifying a person’s feelings of rejection and isolation, and ultimately, impact the person’s quality of life. There are several things we need to do as a society to change this, one of which is to provide children with the necessary tools to freely express themselves when experiencing emotional problems. As with physical health, children should feel comfortable with mental health vocabulary and concepts which will allow better understanding of warning signs, identify healthy and unhealthy emotions and behaviours and to acquire the knowledge to increase their confidence in talking to a trusted adult or ask for help if something feels not quite right; ultimately reducing stigma.