Depression Stigma
- Throughout history, people with mental illness have been discriminated against and stigmatized. Our experiment provides a new measure of perceived depression stigma and then investigates the causal effect of perceived stigma on help-seeking in a sample of 1,844 Americans suffering from depression. A large majority of our participants overestimate the extent of stigma associated with depression. In contrast to prior correlational evidence, lowering perceived social stigma through an information intervention leads to a reduction in the demand for psychotherapy. A mechanism experiment reveals that this information increases optimism about future mental health, thereby reducing the perceived need for therapy.
Document Type: | Working Paper |
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Language: | English |
Author(s): | Christopher Roth, Peter Schwardmann, Egon TripodiORCiD |
Publication year: | 2024 |
Publishing Institution: | Hertie School |
Number pages: | 84 |
DOI: | https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4772585 |
Release Date: | 2024/05/06 |
Edition: | CESifo Working Paper No. 11012 |
AY 23/24: | AY 23/24 |
Licence of document (German): |