Combating Stigma & Discrimination

This poster is available for distribution! Read information below on how to get copies.An estimated 50 million Americans experience a mental disorder in a given year, yet people with mental illness would rather tell their employers they have committed a petty crime and were in jail than admit to being in a psychiatric hospital.  Why?  Because of the stigma that is associated with mental illnesses.

Stigma results in fear, mistrust, and violence against people living with mental illnesses.  Stigma prevents people from receiving needed mental health services.  Stigma is a barrier and discourages individuals and their families from getting the help they need due to fear of being discriminated against.

source: SAMHSA

To learn more about combating stigma click on one of the links in the menu to the left of this text or one of the links below:

Posters Available: If you are looking for material to distribute at your local Campaign for Mental Health Recovery support events or other mental health related events, you may be interested to know that SAMHSA’s National Mental Health Information Center (NMHIC), has free anti-stigma reduction posters available for ordering (poster is displayed on this page). To order copies of the poster, you may call NMHIC at 1-800-789-2647 and request the poster using inventory code OEL99-0001. You can order larger quantities of the poster if so desired.