Changing societal attitudes toward persons with severe mental illness

Persons with severe mental illness are often stigmatized as a result of their psychiatric condition, which likely contributes to their difficulties in interpersonal relations, occupational functioning, and self-esteem. Given the pervasive effects of stigma on the adjustment of persons with severe mental illness, it is necessary to identify potential strategies for reducing barriers that interfere with their acceptance into the community. In this article, we briefly review research on the stigma of severe mental illness, followed by suggestions on how mental health professionals might best approach the problem of reducing the stigma associated with severe mental illness. Potential strategies of stigma reduction include education about severe mental illness, promoting contact between the community and persons with severe mental illness, and "value self-confrontation," a technique used to reduce prejudice toward persons in ethnic minorities. The article concludes with a discussion of future directions for research in this area.