If mental illness is a type of disease, then why is it so much more embarrassing to have bipolar than diabetes? What’s the deal with that, and how I can change it?

Facts:

• Stigma spreads fear and misinformation, labels individuals, and perpetuates stereotypes.
• More than 60 per cent of people with mental health problems and mental illness won't seek the help they need. Stigma is one of the main reasons.
• Some 20 per cent of Canada’s population lives with a mental illness. That’s about seven million of us.
• But despite how common it is, mental illness continues to be met with widespread stigma: in hospitals, workplaces, schools, rural and urban communities and even among close friends and families.
• It occurs around the world, not confined within national boundaries or cultural groups.

Watch this video to hear other youth talk about the stigmatization of mental illness:

View the video here.

What can you do to stop the stigmatization of mental illness? Post your comments below.