Strangers and Townsfolk: Facing Self-Stigma Together by R.J. Barna (April 2023)

Strangers and Townsfolk: Facing Self-Stigma Together by R.J. Barna (April 2023)

Stigma is a harmful disconnection caused by prejudging others: thinking, speaking, and acting on what we “know” before taking the time to learn the truth. We’ve all experienced it, prejudging others and being prejudged to varying degrees and for various reasons. It can be intentional or unintentional. It may be rooted in rumor, past experience, or even partial fact. It could be well-intentioned (“Oh, you’re X? My cousin is too, and they just needed Y.”), but even then, it’s still harmful. 

Stigma occupies the space where people might be received and truly known. When prejudgment of another overshadows that person’s value, it makes genuine connection between the perceiver and the perceived impossible. Stigma keeps us strangers. And if you start to believe the stigma, you can even become a stranger to yourself.

Stigma and Medication-Assisted Treatment in Corrections by Jennifer Brown (November 2022)

Stigma and Medication-Assisted Treatment in Corrections by Jennifer Brown (November 2022)

As the opioid epidemic has continued to rage on, many strides have been made in the effort to preserve life and facilitate recovery. Part of that effort has been expanded access to FDA-approved medications to treat opioid use disorder, such as buprenorphine, methadone, and naltrexone, commonly referred to as MAT: Medication-Assisted Treatment. According to SAMHSA, MAT is “the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies to provide a ‘whole-patient’ approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. MAT has proved to be clinically effective and to significantly reduce the need for inpatient detoxification services.” (SAMHSA, 2022)

Stigma, Sex Work, and Criminalization by Nina Ovian (Autumn 2020)

Stigma, Sex Work, and Criminalization by Nina Ovian (Autumn 2020)

“The loss of resources associated with criminal charges, poor health outcomes from disrupted care due to repeated short incarcerations, and other impacts on the targeted group only further fuel stigma. By trapping people in a cycle of poverty, they are more likely to be vulnerable to disease and more likely to be pushed into other survival crimes, thus linking illness and crime without the nuanced understanding of how stigma and criminalization created those circumstances initially.”

The Power of the Media: How News and Entertainment Affect Mental Health Stigma by Lydia Aimone (Summer 2019)

The Power of the Media: How News and Entertainment Affect Mental Health Stigma  by Lydia Aimone (Summer 2019)

If you are or know someone with lived experience, that informs your knowledge and view of mental health consumers. People without direct contact with someone with a mental illness are reliant on other avenues to learn the facts about behavioral health. According to one source, “research has shown that many people get their information about mental illness from the mass media” greatly impacting how people think about this topic. Depending on the source, the accuracy of that information can vary greatly. Some news and entertainment make an effort to discuss and depict mental illness in a well-informed way that gives full context to these experiences, while others perpetuate stigma by negatively portraying characters or individuals, or by leaving out relevant information that fully humanizes those that experience mental illness.

CELEBRITY ADVOCATES: DOES BEING FAMOUS HELP FIGHT STIGMA? by Margaret Everett (Winter 2019)

CELEBRITY ADVOCATES: DOES BEING FAMOUS HELP FIGHT STIGMA?  by Margaret Everett (Winter 2019)

Celebrity endorsements help bring the stigma conversation to the table, but do they really impact the “nearly one in five U.S. adults” who live with mental illness and addiction every day? An article in Psychology Today found that, “Stigma research has shown that the telling of positive stories about living with mental illness significantly reduces the myths of mental illness” and that when the general public learns about “a person who lives with a clinical disorder, manages it well, and experiences a rewarding life, stigma is reduced.” The research shows that celebrities can be influential and the general public can be deeply impacted by their stories.


Famous people like actor Ryan Reynolds, football player Brandon Marshall, TV personality Howie Mandel, and Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps are speaking out about their experiences and have demonstrated that all layers of social strata, even Hollywood actors and football stars, can struggle with mental illness and addiction. Ranging from OCD and anxiety to substance abuse and depression, the experiences of these celebrities can be eye-opening. Actress Kristen Bell believes that, “anyone can be affected, despite their level of success or their place on the food chain.”

Stigma by Association: Parents and Families of Individuals with Behavioral Health Conditions by Casey Saylor (Summer 2018)

Stigma by Association: Parents and Families of Individuals with Behavioral Health Conditions by Casey Saylor (Summer 2018)

In response to National Parents Day on July 22nd, the Distorted Perceptions Campaign decided to focus July’s Topic of the Month on behavioral health experiences through the lens of parents and families. We set out to explore the following questions: How does an individual’s behavioral health experience affect their family? How does stigma impact family members specifically? Can the stigma that family members receive cause them to stigmatize others? And what can families do to minimize the effects of internal and external stigma?

April’s Topic of the Month: Children's Mental Health by Casey Saylor (Spring 2018)

April’s Topic of the Month: Children's Mental Health by Casey Saylor (Spring 2018)

In acknowledgement of National Child Abuse Prevention Month and National Love Our Children Day, April’s Topic of the Month looks at behavioral health through the lens of childhood experiences. How prevalent are mental health issues in school-aged children? What do children’s behavioral health experiences look like? And how does stigma interact with these experiences? To pique your interest, we’ll lay out some of the information we found. But please know that the videos, articles, and websites are much more powerful when you experience them yourself, so be sure to check out our online post!

“Are you Seeing Clearly:” Discovering Our Distorted Perceptions by Jennifer Brown & Michelle Livshin (Autumn 2017)

“Are you Seeing Clearly:” Discovering Our Distorted Perceptions  by Jennifer Brown & Michelle Livshin (Autumn 2017)

“Does knowing someone has a mental health or substance use issue change the way you see them?” Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. Maybe it does on Monday and doesn’t on Tuesday. Maybe it does with Mary but not with Steve. But the answer to that question may influence what I say, how I say it, what I do, and how I do it.

The Distorted Perceptions campaign encourages individuals to fact-check their assumptions, and offers tools to help them do that. We designed an array of educational materials, online resources, and in-person presentations to help people uncover their biases, challenge their assumptions, and connect in meaningful ways. Our series of postcards, fact sheets, eyeglass cleaning cloths, magnifiers, lapel pins, stickers, and t-shirts all prompt the same self-reflective process, and provide resource information for those who would like to find out more. The message is striking a chord, and we continue to hear that our mission is important, relatable, relevant, and that the campaign is unique, interesting, and helpful.

The Connection Between Suicide and Stigma by Tamara VanNewKirk (Autumn 2016)

The Connection Between Suicide and Stigma by Tamara VanNewKirk (Autumn 2016)

Tamara VanNewkirk is a clinical social worker in Baltimore and has been a member of the Anti-Stigma Project workgroup since 2015.

Suicide is a serious and preventable public health issue. It affects people of all ages, socioeconomic groups, ethnicities, cultures and religions. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the 2nd leading cause of death for youth ages 15-24. It is estimated that 5 million people in this country have been directly affected by a suicide. In 2015, 9.8 million American adults had serious thoughts of suicide. It is widely accepted that most people who are suicidal do not want to die; they want to end the pain they are experiencing.

Distorted Perceptions A Campaign to Challenge Myths and Misperceptions about Mental Illness and Addictions by Michelle Livshin (Summer 2016)

Distorted Perceptions A Campaign to Challenge Myths and Misperceptions about Mental Illness and Addictions by Michelle Livshin (Summer 2016)

“It’s been a year and half since the Anti-Stigma Project’s Distorted Perceptions campaign was launched, and since its creation, the campaign has really taken flight.”

Written in Summer 2016 by Michelle Livshin, who is still with On Our Own of Maryland, inc. as our current Director of Network and Peer Services!!