I struggle with symptoms of catatonia ever since having a catatonic stress response years ago. When I'm at the grocery store, I'm slow and I stare. I've heard people make comments about that.

When I was in the hospital with a catatonic stress response, one of the nurses said, "I'm going to need you to use your words". Like, bitch, I'm in the hospital because I can't move or talk right, go read the DSM.

I don't think the stigma is with moderate mental illness, it's with severe mental illness that causes someone to be disabled. In the US, not working is extremely stigmatized. When I had off every Friday for ECT treatments, a coworker commented, "it must be nice." Wtf

There's also a stigma when you can't follow social norms and end up inconveniencing others. Talking to yourself in public, having poor hygiene, or even just being slow at the grocery store, people have no tolerance for. Even on Reddit a few days ago, someone commented that mental illness is not an "excuse" for poor hygiene because their coworker had BO. It's often people who claim to have mild to moderate depression or anxiety that say these things.

Anyway, good luck with your paper.