Stigma by any other name.

OBJECTIVE: Some advocates argue that the word "stigma" is itself stigmatizing and contributes to further denigration of people with mental illness. This brief report presents results of a nationwide survey comparing terminology related to stigma in regard to mental illness.

METHODS: A total of 340 Amazon Mechanical Turk survey takers read variations of a vignette depicting an individual with schizophrenia and then completed a brief stigma measure. The vignette varied in a single sentence in which three different words-"stigma," "prejudice," and "reactions"-were used to describe coworkers' possible attitudes toward the depicted individual.

RESULTS: Stigma ratings did not differ by vignette group. "Reactions" was viewed as significantly less disrespectful than both "stigma" and "prejudice" (p<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: Further research is needed to support replacing the word "stigma" in public arenas. Current efforts to remove the word may unnecessarily distract advocates and policy makers from the primary mission of erasing stigma.