Research

Stop Stigma Together sponsors and co-sponsors high-impact applied research to help eliminate mental health stigma. We invite proposals for sponsoring the research projects below as well as new projects aligned with partner goals.

Current Ongoing Projects

General Social Survey (GSS) module on Mental Health Stigma. Stop Stigma Together sponsored a portion of the GSS – the gold standard of sociological research in the US – to assess multiple facets of social and self stigma regarding mental health. Data analysis is underway, with multiple academic and applied papers and presentations ongoing.

Structural Stigma Legal Mapping Study. Stop Stigma Together. This project, co-sponsored by our partner the Kennedy Forum, examines what laws either reinforce or dismantle mental health structural stigma. Indiana was the first state to participate, and we seek funding and partnerships to expand to other states and counties.

Criminal Legal System Destigmatization Project. The criminal legal system is the largest provider of mental health services in the United States, making this sector incredibly important for destigmatization. This project, currently underway, examines innovative changes in laws, procedures, and mental health courts across the country.

Entertainment Industry Project. A critical way to change the national narrative around mental health is to work with those who create the stories we see on television and at the movies. This project, in conjunction with our partner the Mental Health Storytelling Initiative, examines how writers, showrunners, and producers have successfully changed mental health narratives.

Workplace Mental Health Stigma Map. Workplaces are a key place where mental health stigma plays out. This project, done in conjunction with our partner One Mind at Work, takes a comprehensive look at the levels of workplace stigma and suggests changes and interventions at each one.

The Lived Experiences Project. Mental health stigma is experienced in tremendously varied ways based on an individual’s own identity aspects. Age, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, religion, and neurodiversity all affect how mental health stigma is perpetuated and experienced. This project will be a series of studies, each of which focuses on a particular segment of the population, exploring their unique mental health stigma challenges and opportunities. We seek funding and partners for this series of studies.