Is psychotherapy stigma due to attitudes toward mental health disorders, treatment-seeking, or both? An experimental examination

Introduction: The aim of the current study was to examine whether individuals would interact differently with another person after learning that the other person experiences a mental health disorder, is seeking psychotherapy, or both. Methods: Participants (66 college students from a mid-sized Northwestern university) interacted with a confederate through a structured set of background questions, and then engaged in a competitive/cooperation task with that confederate (a version of the Prisoner’s dilemma). During the initial interaction, the confederate either disclosed that he was experiencing depression or was desirous for personal growth, and either disclosed that he was seeking psychotherapy, exercising, or doing nothing to address the depression/personal growth. Results: In the conditions where the confederate had disclosed experiencing depression, participants were more likely to cooperate with him compared to conditions where he had disclosed desiring personal growth. No differences in competition/cooperation were observed based on seeking psychotherapy, exercising, or doing nothing. Even though differences were observed in the level of cooperation based on depression status, no differences in subjective ratings of the confederate were observed between any of the conditions. Discussion: These results suggest the possible presence of covert benevolent stigma toward those who experience depression, but not toward those who seek psychotherapy. Implications, limitations, and future directions are discussed.