79% would be at ease interacting with such a person.
Most respondents (59%) said they knew someone with a mental disorder — personal experience that APA’s CEO, Arthur Evans Jr., said helps fight stigma.
Even so, almost half (49%) would be uncomfortable dating someone with a mental disorder, and only 35% would approve of letting someone with a mental disorder care for a child.
And general fears persist: 33% said people with mental health disorders scare them. And 39% said they would view someone differently if they knew the person had a mental health diagnosis.
People who had experience with mental health disorders were more likely to be comfortable with them.
In all, 42% of those who had never had a mental health diagnosis or had never known someone who did were afraid of people with mental disorders. That compared to 27% of respondents who
