Family Views of Stigma

The views of 487 members of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) concerning stigma were surveyed in 20 different States. Almost all identified stigma as a problem for their mentally ill relatives and for families in general. The most frequently cited effects of stigma on ill relatives were damage to self-esteem, difficulty making and keeping friends, difficulty finding a job, and reluctance to admit mental illness. The most frequently cited effects on families were lowered self-esteem and damaged family relationships. NAMI respondents identified popular movies about mentally ill killers, news coverage of tragedies caused by mentally ill people, casual use of terms like "crazy" and "psycho," and jokes about mental illness as prominent sources of stigma. The things families reportedly found most helpful in dealing with stigma were factual information about mental illness, interaction with other families with mentally ill relatives, support within the family, and research findings that establish a biological basis for mental illness. Mental health professionals received mixed reviews from family members. While not generally viewed as contributing to stigma, mental health professionals were seen as least helpful in dealing with stigma. Overall, survey results indicate that considerable concern about stigma exists among families with mentally ill relatives and that substantial numbers of family members experience the stigma of mental illness in one form or another and perceive that their ill relatives experience it as well.