Stigma can be defined, studied, and measured. When stigma is promoted through the organizations and systems that govern daily life, it is called structural stigma. Stigma itself is a powerful social ...

Using appropriate language to describe mental illness and addiction can help to reduce stigma and improve how people with these conditions are treated in health care settings and throughout society.

There still seems to be a stigma associated with mental illness. According to Webster’s Dictionary, a stigma is “a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people has about ...