What is it about?
This study found that beliefs about the economic system are associated with how people react to individuals with mental illness. People who believe that the capitalist system in the U.S. is fair and just are more likely than others to react negatively to individuals with a condition such as depression and anxiety.
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Why is it important?
Mental illness stigma remains pervasive despite public educational campaigns to alleviate it. Understanding how beliefs about the economic system are connected to reactions to mental distress can help explain why stigma persists.
Perspectives
Attempts to alleviate stigma have often focused on trying to convince people that forms of psychological distress are "just like" biomedical illnesses. But mental illness stigma does not operate independently of social and economic structures. Beliefs about mental health are tied in many ways to beliefs about social, economic, and political systems, and a person's economic situation can directly affect the degree of stigmatization they experience.
Jussi Valtonen
University of Helsinki
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Economic system justification predicts stigmatization of mental illness in the United States., American Psychologist, February 2026, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/amp0001688.
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