Mental Health Stigma in the Workplace

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Mental health is an important topic for the workplace – it can be impacted by employment, but good mental health also leads to good work. For more on this, check out our other snapshot on a related topic – Mental Health in Utah and Region 8. 

But even as we’re seeing more research and greater awareness about mental health, there are still stigmas – signs of disgrace or disapproval – attached to this topic. Stigmas can include a lack of knowledge about symptoms and options for treatment, experiencing prejudice and poor attitudes, and acts of discrimination, either real or expected.1 People who admit to having poor mental health or specific mental health conditions may experience shaming, ostracization, or discrimination. Consequently, research has shown that up to 75% of employees have struggled in ways that affect their mental health – and yet, 80% of those with mental health conditions report that they are discouraged or prevented from seeking care because of stigmas around mental health.2

Stigmas against mental health can be especially common in the US workplace, where it’s often seen as less acceptable to ask for help or accommodations. Cultural biases work in favor of go-getters, thanks to American myths about the self-made man or bootstrapping one’s way to the top. Mental health can also be seen as less important or less ‘real’ than physical health, and both can be set aside in favor of meeting business objectives.  

Targeted interventions such as health programs can help reduce these kinds of stigmas related to mental health in the workplace.3 Educating people, providing contact with mental health topics or services, and demanding change in current systems have all proven effective, but the most effective often combine more than one of these approaches.4 Even smaller businesses can use existing tools if they don’t have the resources to bring on a mental health expert full time.5

This Topic In Utah 

Mental health stigmas are an important topic in Utah. A recent report showed that close to 1 in 5 Utah adults needs mental health care, but this care can be difficult to access – and that’s before adding in the stigma, which is identified as the “primary reason” more people don’t seek help.6 In Utah, stigmas surrounding mental health occur at the level of individuals, then again among families and the social environment, and then again with providers.7

Stigmas against mental health in Utah are impacted by the dominant culture of the state. For instance, a large share of the local culture prioritizes hard work and a strong work ethic, and this norm permeates into even other cultural environments. So if mental health seems like it could impact one’s work or one’s contribution to the community, it can be seen as a liability and something that the person simply needs to overcome, so they don’t burden or shame others.

Some organizations in Utah, such as the Huntsman Mental Health Institute, have stepped up to work on ending mental health stigmas.8 After that success in 2022 Stop Stigma Together, a national summit organized to help end stigmas around mental health and substance abuse, will be held again in Salt Lake City from June 24 through June 26, 2024.9 Other research in Utah suggests training supervisors to talk to employees about mental health and its symptoms, scheduling regular check-ins with employees, and providing better mental health coverage as a job benefit.11