I want to return to the subject of stigma—but this time from a different angle. We have already talked about stigma as shame and embarrassment, and how people living with mental disorders experience it deeply. We have also said that some people accept stigma as if it is normal, yet it should never be that way. Stigma blocks people from seeking treatment and support, and it silently worsens their suffering.
Now, I want to talk about something even more painful—the role of caregivers and close family members in reinforcing stigma, sometimes without even realizing it. Caregivers are the people who live with individuals who have mental health conditions. They are parents, siblings, spouses, relatives, or anyone who takes responsibility for caring for someone with a mental disorder. Ideally, these should be the people who provide safety, understanding, and support. But in reality, stigma can sometimes come from the very people who are closest.
Some caregivers reinforce stigma unknowingly. Others do it knowingly. There are people who refer to individuals with mental disorders using harmful words—calling them crazy, nuts, stupid, or other insulting terms. These words may seem casual to the speaker, but to the person receiving them, they cut deeply. They strip away dignity. They turn illness into identity. This kind of language is stigma, and it reinforces shame.
There are also caregivers and family members who change how they relate to the person with a mental disorder. They treat them as if they are different from everyone else. In some homes, people use separate utensils for them. In others, they are discouraged from sharing washrooms. Some people behave as if mental illness is contagious, as if it can be passed from one person to another through touch or proximity. These actions may come from fear, but fear built on ignorance causes harm.
When caregivers behave this way, they create distance instead of connection. They isolate the person emotionally, even while living in the same space. And when this happens, true care becomes impossible. This is why caregivers must overcome stigma first. If those closest to the person do not change their attitudes, they cannot provide meaningful support. They cannot offer proper care. They cannot relate to the person as a full human being. And this is dangerous, because people with mental disorders need acceptance most from those closest to them.
We must understand this clearly—people with mental disorders are normal people. Mental illness does not remove humanity. It does not erase rights. It does not cancel potential. A mental disorder is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. It is an illness, just like diabetes, cancer, or the flu. The same way we live with people who have physical illnesses is the same way we should live with people who have mental disorders.
Caregivers must also overcome fear. Many people fear that individuals with mental disorders will harm them, attack them, or behave violently. In reality, most people with mental health conditions are calm, gentle, and harmless. They are not dangerous. They are not unpredictable monsters. They are human beings who need understanding. Often, all they need is patience, space, and respect. They do not want to be pushed. They do not want to be controlled. They want to be seen as people—people with thoughts, feelings, preferences, and boundaries. When caregivers take time to understand them, when they listen instead of judging, relationships change.
People with mental disorders have the same rights as everyone else. They have potential. They have abilities. They have dreams. Their condition may create limitations, but it does not prevent them from living meaningful lives. It does not stop them from loving, learning, contributing, or belonging. Because of this, caregivers and family members have a responsibility—not only to provide physical care, but to challenge stigma wherever it appears. They must refuse to reinforce negative attitudes. They must correct harmful language. They must resist segregation and isolation. People with mental disorders should not be separated from society. They should be included, accepted, and supported like everyone else.
This begins with changing attitudes. Mental illness must be seen as just another illness. Not a curse. Not a disgrace. Not a failure. When caregivers change how they think, how they speak, and how they act, healing becomes possible. As caregivers, as family members, as people living in the same environment with men and women struggling with mental health conditions, we must overcome stigma. We must not reinforce it. This is not optional—it is essential. True care begins when dignity is protected. And dignity begins when stigma ends.
Now, I want to talk about something even more painful—the role of caregivers and close family members in reinforcing stigma, sometimes without even realizing it. Caregivers are the people who live with individuals who have mental health conditions. They are parents, siblings, spouses, relatives, or anyone who takes responsibility for caring for someone with a mental disorder. Ideally, these should be the people who provide safety, understanding, and support. But in reality, stigma can sometimes come from the very people who are closest.
Some caregivers reinforce stigma unknowingly. Others do it knowingly. There are people who refer to individuals with mental disorders using harmful words—calling them crazy, nuts, stupid, or other insulting terms. These words may seem casual to the speaker, but to the person receiving them, they cut deeply. They strip away dignity. They turn illness into identity. This kind of language is stigma, and it reinforces shame.
There are also caregivers and family members who change how they relate to the person with a mental disorder. They treat them as if they are different from everyone else. In some homes, people use separate utensils for them. In others, they are discouraged from sharing washrooms. Some people behave as if mental illness is contagious, as if it can be passed from one person to another through touch or proximity. These actions may come from fear, but fear built on ignorance causes harm.
When caregivers behave this way, they create distance instead of connection. They isolate the person emotionally, even while living in the same space. And when this happens, true care becomes impossible. This is why caregivers must overcome stigma first. If those closest to the person do not change their attitudes, they cannot provide meaningful support. They cannot offer proper care. They cannot relate to the person as a full human being. And this is dangerous, because people with mental disorders need acceptance most from those closest to them.
We must understand this clearly—people with mental disorders are normal people. Mental illness does not remove humanity. It does not erase rights. It does not cancel potential. A mental disorder is not the worst thing that can happen to a person. It is an illness, just like diabetes, cancer, or the flu. The same way we live with people who have physical illnesses is the same way we should live with people who have mental disorders.
Caregivers must also overcome fear. Many people fear that individuals with mental disorders will harm them, attack them, or behave violently. In reality, most people with mental health conditions are calm, gentle, and harmless. They are not dangerous. They are not unpredictable monsters. They are human beings who need understanding. Often, all they need is patience, space, and respect. They do not want to be pushed. They do not want to be controlled. They want to be seen as people—people with thoughts, feelings, preferences, and boundaries. When caregivers take time to understand them, when they listen instead of judging, relationships change.
People with mental disorders have the same rights as everyone else. They have potential. They have abilities. They have dreams. Their condition may create limitations, but it does not prevent them from living meaningful lives. It does not stop them from loving, learning, contributing, or belonging. Because of this, caregivers and family members have a responsibility—not only to provide physical care, but to challenge stigma wherever it appears. They must refuse to reinforce negative attitudes. They must correct harmful language. They must resist segregation and isolation. People with mental disorders should not be separated from society. They should be included, accepted, and supported like everyone else.
This begins with changing attitudes. Mental illness must be seen as just another illness. Not a curse. Not a disgrace. Not a failure. When caregivers change how they think, how they speak, and how they act, healing becomes possible. As caregivers, as family members, as people living in the same environment with men and women struggling with mental health conditions, we must overcome stigma. We must not reinforce it. This is not optional—it is essential. True care begins when dignity is protected. And dignity begins when stigma ends.
