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The impact of Stigma on people




Stigma is when we blame, judge, prejudice and discriminate people because of characteristics that they have or situations that they are going through. People are often stigmatised for situations that they already find challenging to deal with and sometimes it is situations they cannot change or have temporarily lost control over (i.e. mental health diagnosis like depression, diagnosis of HIV and people living with disabilities). So when we stigmatise people we place an extra burden on their already difficult journey. The following points highlight the impact of stigma on people.

1. Impact on mental health 
Stigma results in feelings of isolation, rejection and guilt for people and it can contribute to the development or worsening of mental health challenges like depression and anxiety.

2. Obstacle in help-seeking 
When we stigmatise people, it becomes more challenging for them to openly seek help because they fear judgement. As a result they either do not seek help at all or in time, which delays their healing and effective coping, resulting in complications and worsening of their situations. 

3. Loss of social support 
Social support involves having people who are willing to listen, understand, provide courage and care as one walks through their challenging journey. When people experience stigma they are often reluctant to access otherwise available social support because of fear of being judged again. This results in experiences of loneliness, with no shoulders to lean on, which makes coping with their situations even more challenging. 

4. Stigma is also reflection of one’s character 
When we stigmatise people, we also expose our judgemental, insensitive and ignorant self. Stigma also exposes one’s inclination to self-righteousness, lack of empathy and unwillingness to support and encourage people through difficult moments in their lives. 

In our next article we discuss how we stigmatise people through language and actions....



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