02850nas a2200325   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653002300058653003300081653002100114100001200135700001000147700001400157700002000171700002300191700001500214700000900229700001100238700001100249700001400260700001400274700001900288700001300307245010000320856015300420300001100573490000700584520191900591022001402510       2021                            d  bElsevier BV10aGeneral Psychology10aPsychiatry and Mental health10aGeneral Medicine1 aJaved A1 aLee C1 aZakaria H1 aBuenaventura RD1 aCetkovich-Bakmas M1 aDuailibi K1 aNg B1 aRamy H1 aSaha G1 aArifeen S1 aElorza PM1 aRatnasingham P1 aAzeem MW00aReducing the stigma of mental health disorders with a focus on low- and middle-income countries  uhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876201821000575/pdfft?md5=a076d7905532eb0963f4695e697fab26&pid=1-s2.0-S1876201821000575-main.pdf  a1026010 v583 aMental health disorders are a burgeoning global public health challenge, and disproportionately affect the poor. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear 80 % of the mental health disease burden. Stigma associated with mental health results in delayed help seeking, reduced access to health services, suboptimal treatment, poor outcomes and an increased risk of individuals’ human rights violations. Moreover, widespread co-occurrence of physical comorbidities such as noncommunicable diseases with mental health disorders makes the treatment of both conditions challenging and worsens prognosis. This paper explores various aspects of stigma towards mental health with a focus on LMICs and assesses measures to increase help-seeking and access to and uptake of mental health services. Stigma impacts persons living with mental illness, their families and caregivers and healthcare professionals (mental health professionals, non-psychiatric specialists and general practitioners) imparting mental health care. Cultural, socio-economic and religious factors determine various aspects of mental health in LMICs, ranging from perceptions of health and illness, health seeking behavior, attitudes of the individuals and health practitioners and mental health systems. Addressing stigma requires comprehensive and inclusive mental health policies and legislations; sustainable and culturally-adapted awareness programs; capacity building of mental health workforce through task-shifting and interprofessional approaches; and improved access to mental health services by integration with primary healthcare and utilizing existing pathways of care. Future strategies targeting stigma reduction must consider the enormous physical comorbidity burden associated with mental health, prioritize workplace interventions and importantly, address the deterioration of population mental health from the COVID-19 pandemic.  a1876-2018