Mental Health Stigma - What you need to know

Even though mental health is slowly becoming more acceptable to talk about in society and awareness is increasing, in 2024 the NHS reported over £300 billion was spent on mental health in England alone, suggesting people are still struggling from mental health.

Despite incredible success in raising awareness of mental health, mental health stigma is still prevalent. Mind reported over 51% of UK adults believe there is still a "great deal" or "fair amount" of shame associated with mental health conditions. Mind also found that 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem at some point each year.

Yet despite the prevalence of mental health concerns, data also suggests that we’re feeling lonelier, which is costing the nation £300 billion a year in England alone.

One of the many things this tells us, is that the mental health stigma is very much alive. Mental health stigma is a term used to describe negative attitudes towards poor mental health. This can often lead to discrimination, isolation and misunderstandings – further exacerbating the issue.

Mental health stigma at work can be especially problematic. In this article, we’ll explore how mental health stigma has changed over time, how it affects people’s mental health, how to address mental illness stigma and how an employee assistance program can help address many of the issues associated with it.

What is stigma?

Stigma refers to a negative association with a subject (like mental health). This is often the result of poor portrayal, schemas, social stereotypes, and misleading media information, which unfortunately feeds an unfair narrative. It can even come from wider society, employers and even those closest to us. It’s also possible to internalise stigma by believing negative messages and stereotypes about oneself.

In addition to mental health, there are other characteristics that are often stigmatised:

• Physical appearance – such as weight, height and tattoos
• Race
• Sexual orientation
• Social class – such as working class, middle class etc
• Gender

Types of stigma

As we have learnt through this article so far, stigma has a big impact on an individuals ability to recover. There are 3 main stigmas in society – public, internalised and stigma by association. Below, we have broken these down further to understand what the different types of stigma look like;

• Public stigma – stigma that pops up in wider society because of mass media and the way in which the public perceives the group of people

• Self-stigma - also known as internalised stigma, this is when public stigma is believed in oneself and causes feelings of shame and negativity

• Perceived stigma – this is where you believe others will judge you negatively for having a certain trait that is often stigmatised

• Label avoidance – distancing oneself from a stigmatised group, and may even reject the idea of seeking support for an issue that is stigmatised

• Structural stigma – when a system in an organisation puts policies in place that inadvertently (on purpose or otherwise), puts you at a disadvantage

• Health practitioner stigma – when a health practitioner such as a counsellor or GP believes race, gender or other stereotype will interfere with providing proper care

• Associative stigma – or “stigma by proxy”, is being connected to someone with a stigmatised trait, and receiving criticism for it in some way

How does stigma affect mental health?

Stigma affects our mental health due to the connotations it involves; it can make people feel ashamed of who they are, what they are feeling or for not meeting societal norms. This often leads to individuals feeling unsupported, isolated, and misunderstood especially if they do not have a caring support network around them.
These feelings can worsen over time and lead to issues such as:

• Discrimination – from friends, family and in the workplace
• Fear – of trusting others or being bullied
• Self-stigma – which can lead to worsening mental health over time
• Self-isolation
• Low self-esteem and low confidence
  

People tend to mask their mental health conditions due to the stigmas attached. This can make it hard to talk about what is going on for them and to understand where they can get the help they need, preventing people from feeling heard and knowing there are multiple ways to receive help.

How has mental health stigma changed over time?

The understanding of mental health and its importance has changed over time. Alongside breaking societal taboo’s and creating more awareness, individuals have become more welcoming and aware of mental health.

One of the UK’s most prolific anti-stigma mental health campaigns go back to 2007, when the Time to Change campaign launched, which consisted of blogs, TV adverts and other forms of media which raised awareness.

The UK government has made several commitments to reducing the mental health stigma. For example, its "No Health Without Mental Health" strategy, published in 2011, set out to mainstream mental health in society. This looked at areas such as talking therapies (including their impact on equality and assessments) and delivering better mental health outcomes.

In addition, a number of MPs in 2012 spoke up about their personal experiences with mental health problems. This led MP Gavin Barwell to "remove the last significant form of discrimination in law in our society". This was in reference to The Private Member's Bill, a repealed discriminatory legislation that prevented people with mental health problems from sitting on a jury, being a company director or being an MP.

The Bill passed through the Commons and Lords with Government and Opposition support, and received Royal Assent on 28 February 2013.

Mental health destigmatisation in the UK today

Within school/education systems mental health is being taught to increase awareness. In 2025, mental health education in schools continued to evolve with the introduction of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in over 10,000 education settings across England. However, unfortunately mental health stigma is still prevalent. In 2025, 88% of people living with severe mental illness reported that discrimination is still widespread in the UK, this is similar to recordings in 2021.

A campaign launched by Rethink Mental Illness uncovered over a third (38%) of UK adults would not feel comfortable in the presence of someone they believe is experiencing severe mental illness. They also found that 3 in 5 UK adults wouldn't feel comfortable sharing a diagnosis of severe mental illness with colleagues

Due to these findings and more, Rethink released a free downloadable guide as part of their campaign to help educate and increase mental health awareness and help those who experience mental health stigma.

Stigma is shrinking – but more can be done

Research led by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London and commissioned by Mind found that for the first time in 10 years, negative attitudes towards mental health are declining. A recent study showed public acceptance of people with depression and schizophrenia has increased. The willingness to live near or with someone with the mental health conditions had raised from 66% in 2019 to 75% in 2024. However, there are still areas of concern.

When asked if people with mental health problems could fully recover, 59% of people agreed, down from 67% in 2019. In addition, only 60% agreed to knowing how to give advice to a friend to get professional help – down from 66%.

Steps to overcoming stigma of mental illness

Although mental health stigma is still prevalent there are ways you can reduce mental health stigma in and outside of the workplace. One of the best ways to destigmatise mental health is to build a culture of openness and support and to actively reduce judgement of others. Below are some other ways you can actively work on reducing mental health stigma:

Do Your Research

If you’re an organisational eader, you have a duty of care to your people. Taking time to understand mental illness, including those that may be disclosed by your staff, is one of the first steps to destigmatising it in your workplace.

Educate Yourself and Others

Society shapes and influences our way of thinking. Prejudice and stigma often evolves due to the impact of media, our support network and our upbringing. It is important to educate ourselves and those around us with an open mind and values to be able to reduce judgmental thinking and poor attitudes. It is important to ask questions and understand how someone is feeling without making presumptions. Mental health is similar to physical health, everyone experiences it differently and not everyone feels the same, even if they have similar or the same conditions.

Encourage Advocacy

Many of us experience poor mental health at some point, and some may have a chronic condition which requires additional support. Whether you’re in a leadership position or not, by advocating for those who need support, you can destigmatise mental illness around you. This can be as simple as calling out poor behaviour in a calm and professional way when it arises in conversations.

Get an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

An EAP can support you and your people who may be dealing with poor mental health. It also shows you’re an employer that truly cares and encourages a supportive working culture. An EAP can offer 24/7 support which can make all the difference, it provides individuals with a place to talk and offload in a confidential environment.

Related article: How does an EAP work?

Empower Your people

Everyone has their own unique strengths. It is important to nurture these and see how you can adapt an individual’s working pattern to suit. This can be providing a flexible working mode, additional time to get to work, regular meetings – there’s a lot you can do to ensure they feel accommodated, valued and heard. Ask the question and offer solutions to help them feel empowered to make choices that will help them.

How an Employee Assistance Programme can help

HA | Wisdom Wellbeing's Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) has helped millions of people across the UK with their mental health both in and out of work. With trained, fully qualified and BACP or NCPS accredited counsellors, individuals can receive support with their mental health 24/7, 365 days a year.

Our counsellors can help tackle time management issues, improve work-life balance, and provide both short and long-term treatment plans. Everyone’s struggles are different, which is why all clients are proposed a treatment plan on a case-by-case basis.

Want to provide mental health support in your organisation? Contact us to find out more about how we can support your staff’s mental health and wellbeing.

Conclusion

Changing the way people view mental health and beating negative mental health stigma is how we, as a society, can change the way mental health is seen. Mental health is just as important, and impactful as physical health.

Try to be open and welcoming to conversations around mental health and don't be afraid to ask people what they may be needing in times of mental health dropping. If people feel they cannot turn to someone for support, the stigma only grows and the mental health is likely to increase. It is important to be the change, allow your people space to have regular contact with someone, continued support and an open culture is the key to ensuring mental health stigma is no longer commonplace.