Mental illness as well as mental health are two topics that tend to be more difficult for people to understand and discuss. There are many stigmas surrounding mental illness, I think there is so much stigma because of many different factors. The awareness of mental illness and mental health are newer topics of discussion, which I believe contributes to the stigma. Since these topics are more recent, less people are comfortable talking about them. I also think another factor that contributes to stigma is that mental illness is not something someone can see all the time. Most illnesses and diseases present in physical appearances, such as rashes on the skin. Mental illness some of the time cannot be seen which makes it much harder for an individual to understand. The factors that contribute to my self-stigma are not fully understanding about mental illnesses and accidentally stereotyping myself and others with mental illness. Another factor that contributes to my self-stigma is categorizing a person based on their mental illness, such as using the phrase “she is bipolar” rather than “she has bipolar.” These factors contribute to my self-stigma. 

I think someone’s culture and religiousness does impact their response to mental illness. Being part of a religious/spiritual group can be a positive and a negative when understanding mental health and illness. When someone is part of a group, such as a religious group, they have a sense of belonging and a way to cope with hard times. However, religious/spiritual groups can also impact mental illness more negatively too. When someone has a set of rules to live by, such as the 10 Commandments, they can become anxious or upset when they break one of those rules or sin. This anxiety can create worse symptoms of mental illness and hurt someone’s mental wellness.