Editorial: Mental health and internalized stigma in people with severe mental illness

Abstract

The stigma of mental illness, similarly to the stigma of other severe general medical conditions (e.g., epilepsy, obesity, cancer, infectious diseases), is a transcultural and widespread public health problem. Evidence suggests that severe mental illness frequently correlates to discrimination, negative assumptions, and attitudes despite country, culture, and education. More recently, self-stigma, also known as internalized stigma, gained more attention in both clinical and research fields. It refers to the internalization of ideas and the reaction of those affected by a particular form of stigma and is characterized by a subjective perception of devaluation, marginalization, shame, and withdrawal. The prejudicial treatment of people with severe mental illness has been related to poor health outcomes, personal functioning, and quality of life. Indeed, self-discrimination may frustrate people from participating in significant areas of life, such as work, social life, education, and relationships. Highlighting the linking relation between discrimination, prejudice and the negative consequences of self-stigma for people with mental illness is essential to adequately manage emerging techniques and interventions that have been developed to help a person reduce self-stigma.