Mental Health Stigma: What Causes It and How Does It Affect Youth?
We have all struggled with our mental health at some point in our lives. From life
events, relationships, jobs, school, etc, almost anything and everything can affect our
mental functioning. In recent years, there has been an increase in suicides and mental
suffering among several age groups, specifically today’s youth. A big reason for this incline
is the stigma surrounding mental health. As defined by the American Psychology
Association: “A stigma implies social disapproval and can lead unfairly to discrimination
against and exclusion of the individual” (American Psychology Association). Mental health
is a complicated subject covering several different illnesses and conditions. It’s often
sensitive and uncomfortable for today’s youth to disclose, therefore youth choose to keep
silent even if they are struggling. What in particular causes the stigma towards today’s
youth? How badly does stigma affect them? What is being done to combat this issue?
Bipartisan Policy Center. "Share of U.S. Adults Who Felt The Stigma Associated with Seeking
Treatment for Mental Health And/or Substance Use Was a Barrier to Receiving
Treatment as of 2021, by Age Group." Statista, Statista Inc., 2 May 2021,
[Link]
respondents-perceiving-stigma-as-obstacle-to-receive-mental-health-and-
substance-use-treatment-by-age/. Accessed February 2024.
Caption: This graph provided by the Bipartisan Policy Center depicts the percentage
of people in varying age groups who have experienced stigma in seeking treatment for
mental health and substance use struggles. At least 30% of each age group reported some
kind of stigma, with the highest percentage of respondents (43%) coming from those aged
18-34 (young adults). The graph uses logos, pathos, and ethos to illustrate the prevalence
of stigma surrounding mental health and substance use. Logos is present through the
display of statistics within the graph itself. Pathos is conveyed through the results of the
survey and how it shows that stigma hinders many people from getting the assistance they
need. Lastly, ethos is used through the absence of leading questions and surveying several
groups of people on the issue. The data collected from this graph shows that no matter your
age, what you’re going through, and who you are, society groups you into one category
when it comes to mental health. This information can be especially useful to adolescents in
that it shows that they aren’t the only people struggling. It may open up a window for them
to be more comfortable with seeking aid from those older than them or the same age.
Bulanda, Jeffrey J., et al. “Addressing Mental Health Stigma among Young Adolescents:
Evaluation of a Youth-Led Approach.” Health & Social Work, vol. 39, no. 2, May 2014,
pp. 73–80. EBSCOhost, [Link]
Accessed February 2024.
This article, written by Jeffrey Bulanda, discusses the growing stigma surrounding
mental health. The adolescents of today face this stigma the most, preventing them from
getting the assistance they require. The author explores how a group of individuals,
particularly high school students, are creating an environment where youth can share their
struggles without judgment. This article uses logos, pathos, and ethos to show the
importance of mental health education to today’s youth. Logos is used through the
inclusion of several statistics behind the study. Pathos is present through the wording of
the article to show how serious the topic is. Lastly, ethos is used through the author’s use of
several sources and opinions. I feel that many disregard the mental health of those who are
still considered children. The older generation believes that they’ll grow out of their
feelings of distress, which is certainly not true. This creates a scenario where adults’
opinions are the stigma themselves. I agree with the article that one way to combat this is
to present resources that will make adolescents more open, or rather, more people closer
to their age to whom they can receive assistance: “Youths are in a position to provide fresh,
creative perspectives that adults may overlook if interventions are driven by an “adultist”
agenda” (Bulanda). Having peers who have experienced something similar to you will
provide better treatment. Programs like S.P.E.A.K. are sharing their knowledge and
empathy to the youth who need it the most.
Chung, Richard J., and Frances Allen. "Should All Teens Be Screened for Depression?" Wall
Street Journal, 04/11 2016. ProQuest; SIRS Issues Researcher,
[Link]
cher/document/2265920243?accountid=28671. Accessed February 2024.
This article was written by Richard Chung and describes the potential idea of
routine depression screening for teenagers. Some argue that this will allow more teens to
be diagnosed earlier, but others say that it could lead to more problems than necessary.
Chung uses logos, pathos, and ethos to show the benefits and downsides of required mental
health checks. Chung includes logos through statistics and facts, pathos through specific
scenarios that teenagers are faced with, and ethos through the inclusion of several
opinions. Many attribute feelings of depression as a regular part of teenagehood. This
mindset often overlooks the severity of such symptoms and a more serious issue at hand.
This simple idea generates stigma and leaves many teenagers to suffer alone as their
emotions are labeled as hormones. As mentioned in the article, this is why healthcare
professionals are pushing for routine mental health checks: “Eliminating screening won't
address the fact that many with clinical depression remain undiagnosed and out of
treatment. The right response is improving the systems and processes of care within which
we are screening” (Chung). Another side argued in this article is that we shouldn’t screen
for depression as it puts unnecessary labels on individuals, creating stigma unintentionally.
Having regular emotions from life events being called major depression through an
inaccurate diagnosis can prevent people from sharing their feelings. I believe that we have
to analyze how and when to diagnose depression so that stigma in all aspects of mental
health is eliminated, which will benefit adolescents significantly.
Giordano, Rita. "Many Parents Whose Teens Have Thought About Suicide Don't
Know It, CHOP/Penn Study Finds." TCA Regional News, 01/14 2019. ProQuest; SIRS
Issues Researcher,
[Link]
cher/document/2264375087?accountid=28671. Accessed February 2024.
This article written by Rita Giordano explores the alarming number of today’s youth who
have thought about death and suicide at least once and how uninformed parents are of
such feelings. The author uses logos, pathos, and ethos to persuade their audience to look
out for signs of suicide and to normalize asking for help. Logos is used through statistics,
pathos through wording, and ethos through the use of several different perspectives. Many
parents, when faced with hearing that their child has thought/is thinking about dying, deny
it. This leads to a destructive barrier in an adolescent’s life: “Parents are usually the
gatekeepers for their children's access to health care [...] so if parents are unaware of their
adolescents' suicidal thoughts, these thoughts may go unassessed and could manifest into
self-harm” (Giordano). Many adults invalidate the feelings of youth for several reasons,
including lack of understanding, generational differences, and life events. Stigma is
produced from such behavior, where several adolescents believe no one will understand,
leading them to keep their problems to themselves. Adults make their children feel inferior,
shameful, and embarrassed for having such feelings. Over time, youth are less inclined to
share what is going on behind closed doors and will eventually pass this behavior on to
their children who will do the same thing. It creates an endless cycle of stigma and
emotional tolls for adolescents that will last a lifetime.
Mulfinger, Nadine, et al. “Secrecy versus Disclosure of Mental Illness among Adolescents: I.
The Perspective of Adolescents with Mental Illness.” Journal of Mental Health, vol.
28, no. 3, June 2019, pp. 296–303. EBSCOhost,
[Link] Accessed
February 2024.
This article written by Nadine Mulfinger goes into depth on why many adolescents
decide to keep their struggles to themselves. They debate between the risk of being
discriminated against or having their mental condition deteriorate over time. Mulfinger
uses logos, pathos, and ethos to explain the thoughts behind today’s adolescents when it
comes to mental health and stigma. Logos is used through the conduction of a study with
several reliable sources to go upon, pathos through the inclusion of real feelings from
adolescents, and ethos through exploring several perspectives on the topic. I agree with
one of the main perspectives mentioned in the article: “In general, adolescents – more so
than adults – have to deal with age-related concerns, peer acceptance, and search for
identity, which makes them a vulnerable group” (Mulfinger). This is a major cause of stigma
in today’s society surrounding mental health. The adolescents in the study listed several
other reasons why they chose to stay silent. One reason was because those around them
(often adults) have too big of an age difference to understand their struggles.
Circumstances don’t align, and adolescents are often seen as exaggerating or ungrateful
when it comes to things like eating disorders. Peers of adolescents can be immature and
uneducated due to many school systems’ lack of focus on the topic. Unfortunately, even
adults can display this behavior as mentioned in the article. Several factors can go into
adolescents seeking help for their struggles, and many of them are barriers.
From eating disorders to anxiety disorders to depression, it’s safe to say that mental
health in itself is complex and incredibly hard to deal with. Today’s youth struggle the most
with these conditions and yet are the worst at seeking help for themselves. From parents
not understanding to peers being cruel, it can seem easier to stay silent. Stigma is a massive
barrier to one’s mental health, leaving many to succumb to their suffering. Several groups
of people including health care professionals and youth themselves are trying to combat
this crisis. Ideas such as youth-led programs and increased screening for depression are in
the works, hoping to decrease the stigma put into place by society. The day that society
envelopes empathy and leaves behind smaller trails of pain is slowly becoming a reality.
Works Cited
APA Dictionary of Psychology. [Link]/stigma. Accessed February 2024.
Bipartisan Policy Center. "Share of U.S. Adults Who Felt The Stigma Associated with
Seeking Treatment for Mental Health And/or Substance Use Was a Barrier to
Receiving Treatment as of 2021, by Age Group." Statista, Statista Inc., 2 May 2021,
[Link]
respondents-perceiving-stigma-as-obstacle-to-receive-mental-health-and-
substance-use-treatment-by-age/. Accessed February 2024.
Bulanda, Jeffrey J., et al. “Addressing Mental Health Stigma among Young
Adolescents: Evaluation of a Youth-Led Approach.” Health & Social Work, vol. 39, no.
2, May 2014, pp. 73–80. EBSCOhost,
[Link] Accessed February 2024.
Chung, Richard J., and Frances Allen. "Should All Teens Be Screened for Depression?"
Wall Street Journal, 04/11 2016. ProQuest; SIRS Issues Researcher,
[Link]
cher/document/2265920243?accountid=28671. Accessed February 2024.
Giordano, Rita. "Many Parents Whose Teens Have Thought About Suicide Don't
Know It, CHOP/Penn Study Finds." TCA Regional News, 01/14 2019. ProQuest; SIRS
Issues Researcher,
[Link]
cher/document/2264375087?accountid=28671. Accessed February 2024.
Mulfinger, Nadine, et al. “Secrecy versus Disclosure of Mental Illness among
Adolescents: I. The Perspective of Adolescents with Mental Illness.” Journal of
Mental Health, vol. 28, no. 3, June 2019, pp. 296–303. EBSCOhost, [Link]
[Link]/10.1080/09638237.2018.1487535. Accessed February 2024.