Title: How the Stigma Around Mental Illness Medication Prevents People from Seeking Help | Shape
Headings: The Stigma Around Psychiatric Medication Is Forcing People to Suffer In Silence
The Stigma Around Psychiatric Medication Is Forcing People to Suffer In Silence
The Origin of the Stigma
An Early Look at Mental Health
Survival of the Fitt...ing In
Systemic Stigma
Threat of Discrimination
Racial Barriers
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Social Stigma
The Silent Treatment
Guilt By Association
American Culture
The "Label" Problem
Medication Doesn't Tell the Whole Story
Medical Concerns
Fear of Addiction and Medical Double Standards
Fear of Side Effects
Misinformation About "Natural" Approaches
What Does "Natural" Mean?
You Don't Have to Choose Between Natural and Pharmaceutical
Sometimes Both Is Better
How to Overcome the Stigma
Talk About It
Vocabulary Is Important
Educate Yourself and Others
Take Care of Yourself

Content: With Adderall especially [for my ADHD], I had some friends accuse me of drug abuse — I confided in them, and their misinformation and thoughts on Adderall being a 'recreational drug' led them to pass judgment on me," she says. Kevin Gilliland, Psy. D., a clinical psychologist in Dallas, believes some of this shame and misinformation exists because "not all diagnoses are equal." There's a hierarchy of sorts when it comes to how we look at different conditions. " People are more than willing to talk about their high blood pressure, but a lot less willing to talk about their STD; similarly, people have become more willing to talk about anxiety or mood issues but less likely to talk about addiction issues. That has to do with perception, bias, fear, experience, and at some level, stigma." This stigma not only prevents people from seeking the mental health care and treatment they need in the first place, but also stops them from talking to their doctor about (or even considering) prescription meds, keeps them from filling that prescription, and stops them from taking it continually as prescribed. There's more than just anecdotal evidence, either: Surveys (shared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Psychological Association (APA) and published in The Mental Health Clinician — just to cite a few) find the majority of people have witnessed biased and negative views regarding mental health-related issues, or feel that way themselves.