HOW CAN WE OVERCOME SELF STIGMA

What is self- stigma?
Self- stigma is when you think that you are not good enough which is the outcome of the belief that
these vulnerabilities that stem out of a mental illness are a sign of personality weaknesses, and not
symptoms of the illness itself.This usually happens when you internalize the negative notions held by
people towards those suffering from a mental illness.

It is extremely important to equip ourselves with ways that help us in overcoming this issue as it often
becomes the core reason for discouraging the sufferers from seeking help.
Don’t equate yourself with the mental illness. A person is not just a sufferer struggling through a
mental illness. There are many facets of an individual’s personality; interests, passions, capabilities,
habits, which might take a temporary toll because of the mental illness , but yet they are an integral part
of him.

Educate yourself about the mental Illness. Educating yourself also plays a pivotal role is curbing out
self-stigma. Once a person has a grasp of his condition, he feels self-assured and less ambiguous, that
can assist him to overcome the early hiccups faced in the process of coming forward and informing
those around him of his condition.

Don’t make your diagnosis a dilemma. Once a sufferer is diagnosed, the flux of information can make
him feel overwhelmed as a person is in a vulnerable state and can easily exaggerate the situation,
resulting in discontinuing treatment and isolating again. This is a sensitive phase in which family and
friends should be educated on how to deal with the patient ,so that the diagnosis doesn’t become a
dilemma but a door to recovery.

Coming out and speaking about it socially. Once a person is aware of his condition, he should try not to
hide and speak about it among his family and other social circles, as talking about social stigma and
sharing his personal struggle can motivate him to curb out self-stigma.

Support Groups. Knowing that there are other people like the sufferer himself who are trying to get
through the hardships resulting from mental illness, can itself make him feel like a part of a community,
which discourages isolation and self- doubt. Support groups and other mental health awareness
channels can help make a sufferer feel less intimidated by the mental illness and he can learn ways to
equip himself to overcome self-stigma from others experiences as well.

One might rise and fall in the process of overcoming self-stigma as it can’t be uprooted completely at
once as it is a process through which a person has to go, step by step. But the realization that it is a
hindrance in the recovery process which if not worked on, elongates it and puts blockades in the way of
personal development, should motivate the sufferer to solve and then move ahead it.