Stereotypes, Stigma, and Social/Mass Media in Women’s Behavioral Health

The challenges facing people with behavioural health disorders are significant. These challenges are exacerbated by the societal consequences and beliefs surrounding mental and substance use disorders. Stigma, prejudice, discrimination, and trivialization of persons with behavioural health disorders continue in traditional media and on social/mass media. However, social/mass media can be powerful tools to reduce these misperceptions by providing health education and health promotion initiatives to users of social/mass media, helping to promote safe spaces for open discussion and treatment. This chapter examines how the social construction of stigmas and stereotypes associated with behavioural health disorders affect and are affected by the physical and virtual societies in which they exist.