Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/289572 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
ECONtribute Discussion Paper No. 286
Publisher: 
University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Reinhard Selten Institute (RSI), Bonn and Cologne
Abstract: 
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.
Subjects: 
Depression
Stigma
Information
Psychotherapy
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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