Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness
 
More than half of people with mental illness don't receive help for their disorders. Often, people avoid or delay seeking treatment due to concerns about being treated differently or fears of losing their jobs and livelihood. That's because stigma, prejudice and discrimination against people with mental illness is still very much a problem.
Stigma, prejudice and discrimination against people with mental illness can be subtle or it can be obvious—but no matter the magnitude, it can lead to harm. People with mental illness are marginalized and discriminated against in various ways, but understanding what that looks like and how to address and eradicate it can help.

Stigma often comes from lack of understanding or fear. Inaccurate or misleading media representations of mental illness contribute to both those factors. A review of studies on stigma shows that while the public may accept the medical or genetic nature of a mental health disorder and the need for treatment, many people still have a negative view of those with mental illness.
https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Pledge-to-Be-StigmaFree/

Researchers identify different types of stigma:
Public stigma involves the negative or discriminatory attitudes that others have about mental illness.

Self-stigma refers to the negative attitudes, including internalized shame, that people with mental illness have about their own condition.

Institutional stigma, is more systemic, involving policies of government and private organizations that intentionally or unintentionally limit opportunities for people with mental illness. Examples include lower funding for mental illness research or fewer mental health services relative to other health care.
Stigma not only directly affects individuals with mental illness but also the loved ones who support them, often including their family members.
 

Breaking the Stigma

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers some suggestions about what we can do as individuals to help reduce the stigma of mental illness:

Talk openly about mental health, such as sharing on social media.

Educate yourself and others – respond to misperceptions or negative comments by sharing facts and experiences.

Be conscious of language – remind people that words matter.

Encourage equality between physical and mental illness – draw comparisons to how they would treat someone with cancer or diabetes.

Show compassion for those with mental illness.

Be honest about treatment – normalize mental health treatment, just like other health care treatment.

Let the media know when they are using stigmatizing language presenting stories of mental illness in a stigmatizing way.

Choose empowerment over shame - "I fight stigma by choosing to live an empowered life. To me, that means owning my life and my story and refusing to allow others to dictate how I view myself or how I feel about myself." – Val Fletcher, responding on Facebook to the question, How do you fight stigma?