Author(s) :

Brooke Parker.

Volume/Issue :

Abstract :

Mental health conditions affect many adolescents worldwide. Despite the prevalence of mental illness, many conditions are left untreated due to a variety of barriers, such as stigma. Stigma is the negative judgment directed towards people with mental health issues, and it could cause resistance to getting help. Society’s opinion towards mental health is often negative, leading people, particularly adolescents, to feel ashamed or scared to pursue therapy or other forms of support. In this study, eight licensed mental health professionals located in Tampa, Florida were interviewed. These professionals have diverse clinical backgrounds in both intensive treatment programs and private practice. Semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed to identify overarching themes in the therapists’ perspectives on the impacts of stigma. One theme that the therapists emphasized was that normalizing mental health conditions and treatment is necessary to reduce stigma because adolescents often resist treatment due to fear of being thought of as different. The mental health professionals noted that stigma is still present, but has decreased in recent years. The second theme was that social media was described as both helpful and harmful because it can spread awareness, but can also reinforce harmful beliefs. Stigma significantly impacts adolescents’ hesitancy in seeking treatment. Therapists agree that normalization, peer support, and accurate social media information are important for reducing stigma. These results align with existing research showing that stigma is a major barrier to treatment access.