Get Informed! 2A: Stigma (In-Class Activity-Teacher Only View)
Description
Stigma is an essential concept that needs to be understood in order to fully explore the meaning of mental health and mental illness. Although the definitions and implications of stigma surrounding mental illness will be discussed in further detail in the following activity, this one will allow students to start thinking about their own biases, and acknowledge that we all have misconceptions about others.
Task
1. Ask students to write down three words to describe someone with a mental illness on a piece of scrap paper. Have all students pass their paper to the front of the room for you to collect.
2. Ask students to write down three words to describe a person sitting close to you. Have all students pass their paper to the front of the room for you to collect. Put these papers in a separate pile than the task one responses.
3. Document student submissions for each category on the board, or choose a few pieces of paper to read aloud.
4. Compare the two lists. Which one is more positive and which one is more negative?
It is likely that the adjectives students use to describe their peers will be much more positive than the list that describes characteristics of someone living with mental illness. Given that 1 in 5 people live with a mental illness, it is likely that some students will fall under both categories (i.e., a classmate AND someone living with a mental illness). Use the discrepancies between the lists to start a discussion about stigma. Move on to pre-class activity 2, which will allow students to gain a better understanding of stigma and bias through an experiential learning activity. In activity 1.2, students will be able to expand their understanding and apply their learning about stigma in the context of mental illness.
Learning Objectives
Continue to Get Informed! 3: Experience with Mental Illness »