The Lived Experiences Project

The Lived Experiences Project is a comprehensive qualitative research initiative to understand and reduce mental health stigma in America through a two-part strategy.

Part One involves creating a "Mental Health Lived Experiences Database" by gathering existing qualitative data from Stop Stigma Together’s numerous partner organizations nationwide, including major mental health associations and advocacy groups. This would include compiling thousands of individual narratives and experiences with mental illness and substance use disorders. The anonymized database could be used by scholars, practitioners, and the general public to learn more about how people experience, narrate, and make sense of the stigma they experienced.

Part Two of the project focuses on generating new qualitative data through targeted interviews and focus groups with diverse populations, examining how factors like race/ethnicity, type of mental illness, geographic location, and occupation influence stigma experiences. It would be a series of semi-independent studies, each of which would cover certain common themes while also being customized for each population.

The initiative aims to conduct multiple iterative studies over many years that focus on specific segments of society facing unique mental health stigma challenges. This groundbreaking effort would represent the largest qualitative study on mental health stigma ever conducted in the United States, complementing quantitative research by providing deep, nuanced insights into how stigma is experienced in people's own words and uncovering previously undiscovered themes about stigma and destigmatization strategies.

Key Leaders