Stigma

Stigma is real. If you ever took Introduction to Psychology during your uni days (I think most people do?), you would know the definition of the word stigma. Stigma is defined as a mark of shame or discredit. In other words, it is putting a label on a person who has characteristics that are different from others, different compared to the social norm. For example, a person who has been to jail will be automatically labeled as "criminal", even if he/she is no longer one, he/she will always be treated differently. Or, someone with mental illness, will be labeled as "crazy", happens all the time in a Chinese community, “神经病”/ “精神病” is always used to describe people with mental illness. In Chinese, we would somehow describe stigma as "looking at or judging someone while wearing a pair of colored glasses"( 戴着有色眼睛看人).

Even as a psychology student, a mental health advocate, stigmas and the fear of stigmas still happens once in a while. Here's a pretty simple example. Let me introduce you to Person A, who has the characteristics listed below. She seems like a normal person, nothing special.

But what if I tell you she is suffering from schizophrenia or bipolar disorder? Or maybe just depression in general?

Labels start coming in. People will not be looking at him/her the same way. When Person A is being stigmatized, does all his/her other traits still matter? Do people still care if she is friendly and helpful? It is very hard to say so. People with mental health suffered a lot from being stigmatized by society. Fear of being stigmatized is one of the reasons why most people would not want to reach out for help. Fear of being judged, fear of being labeled crazy, fear of being seen as incapable or weak, and most importantly, fear of being treated differently. Ask yourself this question, will you be treating someone else differently just because they have high cholesterol or diabetes? The same goes to people with mental health illnesses.


I personally think that one of the reasons why mental health stigmas exist in society is because the lack of knowledge. I wrote a paper once, for one of my writing classes in university, the title was "Low Mental Health Knowledge in Malaysia: What is causing it and why?". After tons of readings and research, I summarized a few main points.

1. Cultural Backgrounds
2. Religious Impacts
3. Fear of Stigmas
4. Fear of Side Effects

First of all, we were never taught about mental health when we were young. We were told how to behave, what behavior is right, and what is wrong. In general, most people grew up with the mindset thinking "negative emotions are wrong". No, negative emotions are not wrong, negative emotions are normal.

Second, Religious Impacts. I come from a religious Buddhist family, but I'm glad my family still understands mental health and the importance of it. When you don't see mental health as an illness, you don't seek help from professionals. So what happens when someone is behaving differently? Traditional Religious Methods will always be their solution.

Fear of side effects. My fellow Asian friends out there, I think most of us hear this when we grow up: "Don't eat too much of the prescribed medicine, they can cause a lot of side effects, try this natural method that I found on WhatsApp/Google or heard from my friend instead". Congratulations you graduated from WhatsApp 2020, end of discussion.

Of course, there are more reasons of why mental health is not being taken seriously by society and this is just my point of view. Even as someone who is trying so hard to share the importance of mental health, I personally have the fear of being stigmatized, it took me a long time to consider reaching out for help, it took me a long time to consider if I should share. I then come to the conclusion that if we are always afraid of stigmas, this will just be a never-ending cycle, someone has to speak up and make way for people who need help. My words or my writing may not have a big impact but I do hope it helps even if it's just that one person who is reading this. If you are not feeling good, if you think you need help, Please remember that it is normal to feel this way. Would you seek help from a professional if you're having a fever or a cold? It is the same for your mental health, it matters too! Seek help. If you have someone you know suffering from mental illness, reach out to them, they might be one of the people who are afraid to seek help due to the fear of stigmas.
I hope you feel great today, don't forget that your mental health matters too, good luck!