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22 - Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Interventions to Address Mental Health Stigma

from Part IV - Reducing Stigma to Promote Mental Health

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2022

By
Patrick J. Heath
Edited by
David L. Vogel  and
Nathaniel G. Wade
David L. Vogel
Affiliation:
Iowa State University
Nathaniel G. Wade
Affiliation:
Iowa State University
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Summary

Mental health stigma has proven to be resilient against many intervention approaches. For example, previous interventions incorporating strategies like psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, and motivational interviewing have shown inconsistent results (Mittal et al., 2012), prompting researchers and clinicians to search for novel approaches to stigma reduction. Mindfulness and self-compassion, two constructs rooted in the positive psychology movement, have been linked to lower levels of stigma endorsement, suggesting that interventions using these strategies could be beneficial in reducing stigma. Additionally, mindfulness and self-compassion interventions might reduce the deleterious effects of mental health stigma on related outcomes, given the link between these constructs and shame, self-worth, and psychological help-seeking. This chapter outlines the theoretical connection between mindfulness, self-compassion, and mental health stigma; summarizes the extant literature linking mindfulness and self-compassion activities to stigma reduction; and discusses areas for future research and intervention development.

Keywords

stigmamindfulnessself-compassionmental healthintervention
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health , pp. 449 - 465
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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