RMY05: Stigma
| Duration | 10 minutes |
| Learning Objectives | To understand the impact that stigma has on mental health, help seeking behaviour and recovery from mental illness. |
| Tools/materials for the Presenter | Rural Minds Youth PowerPoint – Stigma Rural Minds video – Stigma |
| Lesson Components | Play the video How can you make sure you are not stigmatising mental health? Don’t label people by their diagnosis eg. ‘That schizophrenic’ rather ‘that person with schizophrenia.’ Discussion point: Can you think of any other topics or issues in society that currently experience the effect of stigma? Or even better that historically did and now do not? Sexual preference Drink driving Stillbirths Domestic violence Divorce Quite often stigma is a result of people not having the knowledge and understanding of the topic. So educate people about mental health and have conversations to develop understanding. |
| Key messages | Addressing the stigma around mental health is everyone’s responsibility. Stigma is one of the main barriers to anyone seeking help for their mental illness. Stigma makes recovery from a mental illness harder. |
| Reflection | What can we each do to try and address the issue of stigma in society? A: Call out people who are stigmatising mental illness. |