Living with a mental illness is a continuous, often scary struggle: symptoms make self care, interaction, and other processes significantly more difficult than with the non-mentally ill. Further challenge is presented in stigma: a mark of disgrace that leads to prejudice and stereotyping. (“What is stigma?”) Attitudes and behaviors associated with stigma are not limited to mental illness, but are very prevalent in modern society. Stigma against mental illness presents itself in fear of the mentally ill, belief and spread of myths and dangerous stereotypes of an illness, exclusion in social groups, and other discriminatory practices. (Corrigan & Watson, 2002) In addition, people with mental illnesses often have stigma against themselves: loss
