Associative Stigma against Mental Health Nursing: Ways Forward

Abstract

In some countries, there is a serious public stigma against people with mental health disorders that is transferred to those in close association with people suffering from these disorders, such as family members and health-care professionals, a process called associative stigma. The stigma against mental health nurses comes not only from the general public but also from other health-care workers, including nurses themselves. Some nursing education curricula contain little information about mental health, such that prospective nurses graduate with poor knowledge of mental health, reflected in the small number willing to specialize in mental health nursing, especially in developing countries where this stigma is at its peak. Nurses who form a vital part of the mental health team must rise and defend themselves through advocacy for policies to protect world mental health.