Stigma surrounding self-help prevents millions of people from seeking help. Understanding, challenging, and dismantling this stigma is essential for public mental health.
Two Types of Self-Help Stigma
Social stigma: Negative attitudes and discrimination from others toward people with self-help
Self-stigma: Internalized shame and negative self-perception due to experiencing self-help
Both forms cause harm — self-stigma often delays help-seeking more than social stigma.
Where Self-Help Stigma Comes From
- Historical misunderstanding of mental health conditions as moral failures
- Media portrayals that misrepresent self-help
- Cultural and community norms that discourage emotional acknowledgment
- Fear: people distance themselves from self-help to manage their own fears about vulnerability
Overcoming Self-Help Stigma
Contact theory shows that personal stories reduce stigma. Sharing your own experience — when safe to do so — is one of the most powerful anti-stigma actions available.
Don't Let Stigma Stop You Getting Help for Self-Help
The cost of avoiding help due to stigma is far greater than any social cost of seeking it. Most people who seek support for self-help report that the decision was one of the best they made.