Research Team: Kaleigh Spadaro, Danna Maceta, Rachel Peris, Nicole
Vertiz, Kate Tscherne
Critical Insights for Activists
The Help-Seeking Gap:: Even when aware of personal distress, the automatic, unconscious "implicit stigma" young adults hold often predicts they will not seek care.
Institutional Stigma in the Military:: Perceived stigma from unit leaders regarding mental health treatment is a primary risk factor for suicide among male service members.
Short-Term vs. Long-Term Impacts:: Most "anti-stigma" campaigns change attitudes in the short term, but there is little evidence they result in long-term, sustained help-seeking behavior.
Digital Sanctuary:: Marginalized youth often rely on social media and anonymous chat services as a "first line" of help because these spaces feel safer than traditional medical systems.
Urgent Research Gaps
Inclusivity of Marginalized Voices:: Research consistently excludes undocumented individuals and religious minorities; we need to understand how these groups describe stigma (e.g., as "family shame").
Institutional Producers of Stigma:: Very few studies examine how workplaces or discriminatory policies actively create the stigma that individuals eventually internalize.
Academic References (APA)
Blais, R. K., et al. (2025). Fears of stigma perceived from unit leaders for seeking psychological services\... associated with suicide risk among male service members. *Stigma and Health*, 10(3).
Hazell, C. M., et al. (2022). Is it time to change the approach of mental health stigma campaigns? *PLOS One*, 17(8).
Pretorius, C., et al. (2019). Young people\'s online help-seeking and mental health difficulties: Systematic narrative review. *Journal of Medical Internet Research*, 21(11).