Recognizing and Challenging Stigma Around Substance Use and Mental Illness

Substance use, mental illness, and other behavioral health disorders are the most highly stigmatized health conditions. Stigma is a condition or status that is subject to prejudice, based on stereotyping that assigns undesirable labels, qualities, and behaviors to a person with that status. Labeled individuals are then socially devalued, which leads to inequality and discrimination, both on individual and systemic levels. Research suggests that stigma can manifest in subtle and largely unintended ways, and none of us are immune to negative stereotyping.