In my opinion, there is so much stigma surrounding mental illness because people are uneducated about mental health and the influence it has on a persons total wellness. People who stereotype mental illness as “incompetent” or that they are not “normal” are those who do not have experience with individuals who have mental health disorders. Personally, I have a cousin who has a very rare mental disorder, so I have been surrounded by mental health for the majority of my life. People will ask me “what’s wrong with her” and at first I would take offense to that question because I would think “there’s nothing wrong with her.” I have come to realize that those who ask questions such as that have little experience with individuals with mental disorders and I have the opportunity to give them at least some insight as to why there is nothing “wrong” with her. The importance of normalizing mental health has become more important recently especially due to the shared trauma of the pandemic. So, hopefully those who stigmatize mentall illness will open their eyes to mental health and its importance.

When the stigma of mental illness reaches the individuals who have mental health issues, they can truly start to believe the stereotypes surrounding their mental illness. Factors that contribute to self-stigma include environment, support systems and the media. If an individual with a mental illness is not surrounded by a supportive environment, they will feel that they are defined by their mental illness, and they aren’t their own person anymore. The media as well as movies and TV shows portray mental illness and treatment of mental illness as scary and dark. A person with a mental illness will see this and not want to seek treatment because they do not want to experience what the media portrays. When an individual is surrounded by  supporting, loving and inclusive family and friends, they are far more likely to avoid self-stigmatizing.