For me, the stigma is not so bad. There was a time before i was diagnosed here my best friend at the time told me she thought it was all in my head and i was making things up, or they were just things everybody has. not true.i was found to have schitzophrenia and depression and she hit the ceiling on me. When i was put on meds she got even worse. it is my body and mind so i really had to stick up for myself and lost her as a friend, i havn't seen her for 30 ears now. She gave up on me.I know i have it for sure, was even institutionalzed for a summer, back in the first days, and i am on meds now which help very much, although i refused them in the beginning but the docs said i had to take them in order to get out of the hospital. In the 1980s it was harder to refuse meds i think. things have changed alot on psych wards as i've learned after being on them a few times into the 2000s. the help is nicer, they can't shoot you up with drugs anymore like they did with me, whenever they felt like it. They actually have to talk to you now too. Before it seemed they didn't even care. that is my story. The stigma doesn't seem as worse here in NY state.