LIVE GR: The Stigma of Struggling (17th of February 7:30PM AEST)
One in five Australians aged from 16 to 85 experience a mental health issue in any given year. While support seeking is growing, with around half of people seeking treatment, we still have a long way to go.
It's hard enough trying to get through the day when we're not feeling our best. But a lot of us have had to deal with stigma too.
Anyone can perpetuate stigma. You might hear a negative comment about people who are struggling by a passerby, be told something condescending by a medical professional or your parents might be critical of you for seeking help. It's not difficult to see why stigma can be so damaging, but it is something that is so widespread in society that it can be hard to avoid.
We are often bombarded with messages about the importance of help-seeking, but sadly, many of us struggle to find support and validation. It can be a challenge to raise your voice when it feels as through the rest of the world is saying, 'Don't make a sound'.
This Wednesday, the 17th of February at 7:30pm AEST, join us for a much-needed chat about the challenges resulting from stigma, and ways that we can combat and cope with it.
See you all then!
- What is stigma? What kind of struggles are often stigmatised? Are there groups of people who are more likely to face stigma (e.g. based on their identity, what they do, etc.)?
Stigma is the negative associations and assumptions attached to people with characteristics that people view as abnormal. Struggles of mental health, with academics, medical conditions and drug/alcohol abuse. Vulnerable populations or minorities are more like to be stigmatised. - How can stigma negatively impact on those who are already struggling (e.g. barriers to help seeking)? Who is most vulnerable to the harmful effects of stigma? Are there any protective factors against stigma?Barrier for getting help for sure. Also can make people that are stigmatised to feel isolated and ashamed.
- Have you (or someone close to you) ever encountered stigma because you (or they) were struggling? How did it affect you? What did you do?Yes, i have and someone close to me did as well. This made us feel ashamed and embarrassed. It made me isolated myself and share less.
- How can people get help or help others who are facing stigma? Has anything ever helped you or someone you know deal with stigma around struggling?
I think finding people going through similar things to talk to because are more likely to understand. For me finding this and Facebook groups helped me a lot, to find people to connect with that understood and accepting that not everyone will understand. - What brings about stigma? What kind of emotions does it generate both in society and in those that fall into stigmatised groups? How does the cycle of stigma keep going?Lack of education and fear can cause people to listen to stereotypes and stigmatise. It can generate emotions of sadness and anger. The cycle keeps going because society can be stubborn at times and not want to listen to the truth or to be educated even with new information coming out.
- How can we break the cycle of stigma (both at an individual and societal level)? What are we currently doing and is it enough? Have you ever challenged stigma and did it work? What would a society with less stigma around struggling look like?
Stigma cycle can be broken through continuous education and the break down of stereotypes that support or cause stigma. Currently, we are educating people and increasing awareness of various issues that are stigmatised. If stigma no longer existed this would help people to feel isolated, make it easier to feel less embarrassed to get help and people would feel safer.
Just tagging some peeps who might be interested 🙂
@Bingo1234@hunginc@Tiny_leaf@WheresMySquishy@Hozzles @A_Friend @celestialdreamer @featuringme @nixh @Ladybug @GioDes @Saltwaterdreamtime @ferdie22 @Anonymous @xXLexi_Lou122Xx @Eden1717
We'll be starting the chat in about 15 mins!! 😄
Hey everyone, thanks for coming to tonight's LIVE GR! 😄 How are you all going?
Tonight we'll be chatting about the stigma of struggling which I reckon is such an important topic!
-------------- Important note ------------------
If at all you find this conversation distressing or you feel like you need to talk to someone, about an issue then it's time to get some help! You can call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 or use their webchat and email services found on their respective sites. The links can be found here. If you are new here then welcome! Have a quick peek at our community guidelines you can find them here!
-----------------
So excited to break down those walls of stigma with you guys! 😄
Welcome to tonight's GR!
Here's our first question:
What is stigma? What kind of struggles are often stigmatised? Are there groups of people who are more likely to face stigma (e.g. based on their identity, what they do, etc.)?
Ahh sorry, I have to go for a bit! Hopefully I'll be able to come back later 
What is stigma? What kind of struggles are often stigmatised? Are there groups of people who are more likely to face stigma (e.g. based on their identity, what they do, etc.)?
Per the American Psychological Association, stigma is "negative social attitude attached to a characteristic of an individual that may be regarded as a mental, physical, or social deficiency"
Mental health struggles are often stigmatised e.g. depression, complex mental health conditions etc.
Vulnerable populations e.g. low socioeconomic status, racial and ethnic minorities, homelessness, veterans, rufugees and migrants, victims of abuse are more likely to face stigma
What is stigma? What kind of struggles are often stigmatised? Are there groups of people who are more likely to face stigma (e.g. based on their identity, what they do, etc.)?
Stigma can sometimes be very obvious and sometimes it's more insidious? I think it's like a negative stereotype of certain characteristics that can influence how people possessing those characteristics are treated but also how these characteristics are portrayed. It can lead to discrimination or people feeling excluded or ashamed about who they are or what they're experiencing. It's a misrepresentation that can have a bad impact on people's lives. Hmm people more likely to face stigma, I think there's a lot of stigma for men right, that they should hide their emotions and 'man up' or whatever. Like.. that's not right. Maybe also like people who work in certain careers are expected to not show signs of struggling. I think it's important we realise that struggling does NOT equal weakness
@Lost_Space_Explorer5 Your point about men being expected to hide their emotions and 'man up' is so true. I think that society often sees men as being providers, workers, etc., while women are seen as being more family-orientated. I was just thinking today about how male carers and the challenges they can face are often not recognised and they can receive less support as a result.
Urgh medical gaslighting...
But I think that is important to note actually, that even medical professionals aren't immune from stigma.
People in stigmatised groups are so unfairly misrepresented. Like people can be portrayed as lazy if they're experiencing financial hardship when that's not the case at all, and people can be working so hard just to survive. Victims of abuse can be stigmatised through victim blaming or be portrayed as fragile. I like how there's the trend to call them survivors instead, to challenge some of that stigma.
Also people who have survived suicide attempts can face the stigma of being attention seeking or weak 😞 Or families who've lost someone to suicide can face all this blame that they should have done more, when really it wasn't their fault
@Lost_Space_Explorer5 Bipolar is definitely one. As someone who is diagnosed Bipolar I with psychotic features, I still experience stigma about my diagnosis.
How can stigma negatively impact on those who are already struggling (e.g. barriers to help seeking)? Who is most vulnerable to the harmful effects of stigma? Are there any protective factors against stigma?
How can stigma negatively impact on those who are already struggling (e.g. barriers to help seeking)? Who is most vulnerable to the harmful effects of stigma? Are there any protective factors against stigma?
Stigma invalidates the experiences people are going through, and it can make the struggle even harder. Stigma can also put the blame on the person, for example, people with mental illnesses are told to "get over it". This treats mental illness as a short-lived phase that can be easily controlled, when this couldn't be further from the truth. Yet, this stigma can make the person feel shameful for "not being able to get over it", worsening their condition. I think marginalised groups are most vulnerable to the harmful effects of stigma, as they already have to face discrimination and prejudice, and may not get appropriate access to resources as a result.
I've had people refuse to treat me because of my autism. I've also been told I'm too psychotic for one organisation but not enough for another.
It's also changed how I talk to people around me. I've found out that I can mention mild anxiety, but if I mention anything about hallucinations people freak out a bit.
It's also made it harder for me to seek help for physical issues, because my old doctor's first assumption was that it was my mental illnesses (turned out to be a connective tissue disorder)
Stigma can affect everyone, but I think like @Lost_Space_Explorer5 said, it can be worse for people with certain disorders.
People with psychosis, personality disorders and addictions are more likely to be discriminated against by medical professionals.
People who are marginalised in other ways are more likely to face stigma for any mental illnesses they do have.
So true @Tiny_leaf! I feel medical professionals can be expected to be healthy, smart, not make mistakes, be career focused, etc.
How can stigma negatively impact on those who are already struggling (e.g. barriers to help seeking)? Who is most vulnerable to the harmful effects of stigma? Are there any protective factors against stigma?
It can certainly stop people from asking for help, and can lead people to sort of internalise the stigma and start disliking themselves or believing negative things about themselves. I reckon people are most vulnerable if they have more than one characteristic that's stigmatised, as it all can sort of add up. For instance, someone might struggle with mental health, be in a more marginalised group, struggle with finances, etc. It all adds up. But also if they've had a history of experiencing stigma that can make it worse because it makes it more likely they'll internalise what they've heard? A protective factor would be social support. Those who are isolated are more likely to feel excluded and feel worse about themselves I think
e.g. This can happen with people who self-diagnose too, and it should be important to be understanding because some people genuinely don't have access to medical care or don't have a diagnosis yet and still need support.
or like someone might not be affected 'enough' to receive support
or like people that belong to the same broader stigmatised/marginalised group may clash because they belong to different smaller groups?
@Lost_Space_Explorer5 yeah, I've noticed some LGBTIQ+ spaces tend to exclude trans autistic people because there are assumptions that we don't know our own identity.
I've seen other disabled people excluded from various marginalised communities, or people with more stigmatised mental illnesses be excluded by people with more socially acceptable ones...
Next question!
Have you (or someone close to you) ever encountered stigma because you (or they) were struggling? How did it affect you? What did you do?
