How can stigma & prejudice be overcome when seeking support? (In collaboration with Alcohol Change UK & WSCC)
In collaboration with Alcohol Change UK, for our West Sussex County Council Drug and Alcohol Partnership with CAPITAL – here’s two introductory clips featuring Lin and Helen on their own experiences with seeking support.
Have you experienced stigma or prejudice when seeking support?
& How do you think stigma or prejudice can be overcome?
“The stigma has always been there.”
For many, mental health challenges come with an added burden; the assumptions and judgments of others, making seeking help feel even more daunting.
“It’s very hard to access any kind of support. It’s very hard to trust people”
Even when someone listens, it can feel unfamiliar. “When they listen to you, it’s almost like it’s quite weird.” Helen says, showing that this can actually be an expected feeling, and add more stress to an already difficult experience.
Trying to get help often feels like “swimming against a current.” You go in with one problem and end up facing misunderstanding or prejudice on top of it. It can be exhausting and deeply frustrating.
Lin says: “People shouldn’t be scared of saying, ‘I’ve had an issues. I’ve got mental health issues.’ You’re not scared to say, ‘I’m a diabetic or I’ve got a broken leg.’ Just because you can’t see the illness, it’s still an illness.”
We know that stigma and prejudice exist, and we understand how isolating and exhausting it can feel when seeking help. Lin & Helen remind us of why it’s so important to listen, to believe, and to create spaces where people feel safe to speak openly about their experiences.
Lived Experience Matters
“There are things that I know I still do now that I don’t like, but it’s not until after I’ve done it that I realize I’m doing it. So, how do I stop that?”
These experiences are real and complex. They remind us that support should never be disguised with judgment.
“A lot more people have got to be willing to talk about it and the people outside of the circle have got to be more willing to understand it.”
“It’s just too many people that say mental health, no, go away. You you’ve been using that substance. No, go away. Nobody wants to know the reason why.”
Helen, Lin voices of lived experience remind us why empathy, understanding, and safe spaces matter. They show the reality of stigma, and they highlight why asking for help should never feel like a risk.
By listening, reflecting, and sharing, we can shift perceptions. Every voice matters. Every experience is important.