Stigma refers to negative or discriminatory attitudes towards another individual, a group, or one’s self due to a particular characteristic or condition. A large body of research indicates that stigma relating to substance use disorder and mental illness is widespread. In this context, stigmatizing attitudes are often rooted in the belief that struggling with substance use disorder or mental illness is a personal choice or moral failing. Evidence consistently demonstrates that this stigma leads to lowered quality of care and worsened health outcomes among individuals with substance use disorder and/or mental illness.

Addiction/Substance Use: 

• State Without StigMA | Mass.gov
• Stigma of Addiction | Johns Hopkins Medicine
• National Institute on Drug Abuse: Terms to Use and Avoid When Talking About Addiction
• The Language of Recovery (Southeast ATTC)

 Mental Illness: 

• Psychiatry.org – Stigma, Prejudice and Discrimination Against People with Mental Illness.
• Pledge to Be StigmaFree | NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness
• Suicide Stigma