For many people living with a mental illness, the stigma faced is one of the greatest barriers to living a “normal” life. These individuals not only struggle with the symptoms and disabilities of their illness, but also are challenged by the misconceptions and negative attitudes displayed toward them by society (Corrigan & Watson, 2002). Researcher Barczyk (2015) outlined four components of stigma that the mentally ill face on a daily basis. These components consist of labeling their differences, associating their differences as undesirable and deviant, separating the mentally ill from society, and the overall loss of social status (Barczyk, 2015). These misunderstandings of the mentally ill have caused them to be seen as irresponsible individuals
