Mental Health Stigma

About this module

If mental health conditions are so common, and so treatable, why do most people in India never seek help? The single biggest answer is stigma. This module explains what stigma is and how it operates on three levels: public, self and institutional. It looks at how stigma is multiplied by gender, class and geography, how it harms people inside the healthcare system, and how the media feeds it. Most importantly, it gives you the evidence-based tools to dismantle stigma: language, social contact, education and advocacy, together with a practical plan you can start using tomorrow.

What you will learn

• Define mental health stigma and explain its role in India's treatment gap
• Distinguish public stigma, self-stigma and institutional (structural) stigma
• Explain how gender, class and geography intensify stigma
• Describe diagnostic overshadowing and the media's role in perpetuating stigma
• Apply person-first language and four strategies to reduce stigma in everyday life

Syllabus

1. 1

   Understanding Stigma

   What stigma is and why it matters so much.

   • Mental Health StigmaVideo, 4 min
   • The Invisible BarrierReading, 3 min
2. 2

   Three Levels of Stigma

   Public, self and institutional stigma.

   • Public, Self and Institutional StigmaReading, 4 min
   • Practice Quiz: Recognising StigmaPractice quiz, 6 min
3. 3

   Hidden Layers of Stigma

   Intersectionality, healthcare and the media.

   • When Stigma MultipliesReading, 3 min
   • The Media and StigmaReading, 2 min
4. 4

   Dismantling Stigma

   Language, contact, education, advocacy, and an action plan.

   • Four Ways to Dismantle StigmaReading, 3 min
   • Amit's Story and Your Action PlanReading, 2 min
   • Module SummaryReading, 1 min
   • Graded Quiz: Mental Health StigmaGraded quiz, 12 min

Earn your certificate

Pass the graded quiz in each of the twelve modules and the final assessment to receive a verifiable Certificate in Mental Health Literacy.

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