The most effective way to reduce mental illness stigma is through contact (Corrigan et al., 2012); however, such programs are difficult to implement. Researchers have turned to indirect contact with some success (Mann & Himelein, 2008), yet the exact mechanism behind narrative-based programs remains unknown. The present study seeks to isolate one possible mechanism—perspective-taking. Perspective-taking enjoys wide support in prejudice research (Batson, Early et al., 1997) but is relatively untested with mental illness stigma. One hundred eighty-one college students heard a narrative of a student with bipolar (I) disorder or HIV and were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (perspective-taking, objective-stance, or “no-instruction”). Participants then completed outcome measures tapping stigma toward the individual and group (social distance, global affect, discrimination). Participants reported greater social distance toward the person with bipolar versus HIV, but discrimination and global affect scores did not differ by stigma target. The perspective-taking intervention was successful in reducing stigma across multiple variables for both bipolar and HIV conditions. The intervention failed to change global affect toward persons with mental illness but did improve feelings toward those with HIV. Results are discussed in the broader context of the power of stories, and the differences between reducing mental illness stigma versus other prejudices.

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Multiple studies have shown that individuals with low self-concept clarity (SCC) are highly susceptible to mental health problems (depression and anxiety). However, despite the increased vulnerability to psychopathology, prior research has not examined the relationship between SCC and help-seeking. Hence, to develop a comprehensive understanding of the aforementioned relationship, well-established predictors of help-seeking (psychological distress and stigma) were included in this study. A total of 111 students completed an online survey. Results indicated that lower SCC was associated with higher psychological distress, lower help-seeking propensity, and higher stigma. However, SCC was not found to be a unique predictor of help-seeking above and beyond the established predictors in the multiple regression analysis. Stigma was further divided into perceived public, personal, and perceived peer stigma. The past literature showed no association between perceived public stigma and help-seeking. In addition, perceived public stigma has been found to be higher than personal stigma. Thus, the current study altered the perceived stigma reference group (from “public” to “peer”) to investigate if this change would influence the association with help-seeking. Consistent with prior research, a significant mean difference was found such that perceived public stigma remained significantly higher than personal stigma (95% CI [1.45, 2.34]) and was not correlated with help-seeking or personal stigma. However, both personal and perceived peer stigma were negatively correlated with help-seeking and positively correlated with each other, such that high personal and peer stigma were associated with lower help-seeking. The results can provide insight for future help-seeking intervention programs and mental health stigma reduction campaigns.