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Taboo Topics: Depression, Anxiety, Sexual Assault, And Ptsd; The Influence Of Stigma On Help Seeking, Kaitlyn Cichocki-Goss

Honors Theses

This review analyzes investigations into the stigma associated with depression, anxiety, sexual assault, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and how stigma affects patients seeking treatment. The three disorders and the experience of sexual assault are examined for; prevalence, past and present stigma, and the history of the diagnosis. Each of the three disorders and sexual assault carry social stigma. Stigma can be described as a negative belief towards one group of people and in this case, stigma likely prevents people from seeking help. Researchers have found that one way to reduce stigma and the barrier that it has on help …