Remove the stigma
New Zealanders have improved our attitude towards mental health issues over the past decade. But people with mental health issues still experience stigma and discrimination.
Stigma is a negative stereotype.
Stereotypes or negative attitudes that we have about mental health problems are often created from things we see in movies, on the news, on social media, experiences we have, or the way we were brought up.
Discrimination can then happen if we treat people unfairly because of this stigma. This is not right because we all go through tough times!
The good news is, we can change this.
Stigma thrives on misunderstanding and myths that we believe about mental illness – so let’s change that by learning myth-busters!
Reducing stigma encourages help-seeking.