Stigma hurts everyone living with mental illness, along with their families, friends, colleagues, and the communities in which they live. It is a primary barrier to the achievement of wellness, and recovery, as well as full social integration, and appears as distrust, fear, stereotyping, and discrimination. The prevalence of mental health stigma seriously undermines an individual's ability to get the help they need because of their fear that their confidentiality will be breached.

Discrimination that is associated with mental health stigma presents a myriad of challenges for those living with mental illness. For instance, because of discrimination, it is too often difficult, if not impossible, for individuals with mental illness to secure housing and employment.  Because of misconceptions and falsehoods, non-violent symptom-related behavior can lead to unfair incarceration. Furthermore, the lack of parity in health care results in inadequate access to health insurance benefits and equitable coverage andclinical care for persons with mental illness.

When stigma and discrimination take hold, the consequences can be tragic. Individuals, just like you and me, who would otherwise hold the promise of a happy and fruitful life, are instead forced down a path of isolation and despair. The effect of stigma on our communities is devastating. More than 50 million adults - nearly 25 percent of the U.S. adult population - live with mental disorders or substance abuse disorders on an annual basis and as many as 18 million Americans are affected by depression annually. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States for ages 15 to 44. These figures must not be ignored.

NIMH cites that successful treatment of illnesses such as schizophrenia (60 percent), depression (70-80 percent) and panic disorder (70-90 percent) surpass those of other medical conditions (heart disease, for example, has a treatment success rate of 45-50 percent). The high costs to society of mental illnesses that are not addressed sufficiently or at all are well documented. Providing equal and appropriate coverage for addressing all illnesses makes good economic sense; when mental illnesses go unaddressed, social costs begin to escalate.

NIMH estimates that the annual cost of untreated mental illnesses exceeds $300 billion, primarily due to productivity losses (missed days of work and premature death) of $150 billion, health care costs of $70 billion, and societal costs (increased use of the criminal justice system and social welfare benefits) of $80 billion.

If stigma prevails, it will be at the continued expense of the communities in which we live. This expense is not only economically unsatisfactory. It is also physically, socially, and fundamentally detrimental.