Depression Stigma

Authors: Christopher Roth, Peter Schwardmann, Egon Tripodi
Journal: Journal of Public Economics 260 (2026), 105713
DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2026.105713
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Abstract:
People with mental illness are frequently discriminated against and stigmatized. We introduce a new measure of perceived depression stigma and examine the causal effect of perceived stigma on help-seeking in a sample of 1,844 Americans suffering from depression. We document that a large majority of our participants overestimate the extent of stigma associated with depression. An information intervention aimed at reducing perceived social stigma decreases the demand for psychotherapy. Merely prompting individuals to think about stigma has a similar effect. A mechanism experiment reveals that our interventions increase both participants' optimism about future mental health and their readiness to rely on friends and family, thereby reducing the perceived need for therapy.
Keywords:
Depression Stigma Information Psychotherapy Mental health Misperceptions
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