The Borough of East Newark has been designated a Stigma-Free community effective April 10, 2019.

The World Health Organization ranks mental health conditions, including alcohol and substance use disorders, as the leading cause of disability in the United States and Canada, affecting people of all ages and backgrounds. 1 in 4 adults experience a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year (approximately 61.5 million Americans) and 1 in 17 adults live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Yet more than half will not seek treatment.

Despite its prevalence in our society, mental health still has stigma attached to it.

The primary reason individuals fail to seek the help they need is due to the stigma associated with the disease of mental illness. Main reasons cited are shame and fear of judgment from friends, family and co-workers. Such judgment is often rooted in a lack of knowledge or training.

It is our goal to disseminate information and foster a stigma-free environment where people are free from judgment and can get the help they need to recover from disease.

The Borough of East Newark is dedicated to raising awareness about mental illness and creating a culture in which residents who have the disease feel supported by their community and neighbors and feel free to seek treatment without fear of stigma.

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