Parents' Stigmatizing Attitudes Toward Psychiatric Labels for ADHD and Depression

Objective: There is concern that diagnostic labels for psychiatric disorders may invoke damaging stigma, especially for children. This study compared parents' stigma toward children with the symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or depression versus the same symptoms plus a psychiatric label. Methods: Parents (N=225) rated their stereotypes, prejudice, and social distance toward vignettes of children with a developmentally typical range of behaviors, symptoms that met DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD or depression, and the same symptoms plus a label of ADHD or depression. Results: Children described as having symptoms only were more stigmatized than children with typical behaviors (d=.97-2.69). Adding a diagnostic label resulted in significant but small increases in stigma (d=.12-.23). Conclusions: Parents highly stigmatized children with psychiatric problems, but adding a diagnostic label made only a small contribution to worsening the stigma. The benefits of seeking psychiatric services accessing treatment and providing validation may outweigh fears of labeling.