The website of the American Psychiatric Association has a quote, highlighted in boldface and large font, in the ‘Patients & Families’ section: “Mental illness is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a medical problem, just like heart disease or diabetes.”
To most visitors, this is likely a helpful reminder. To me, it is a sad confirmation that stigma remains a significant barrier that keeps suffering people from receiving the help they need.
Far too many people still view depression and its cousins — anxiety, Bipolar disorder and a host of other psychiatric conditions — as character flaws or signs of weakness rather than medical conditions.