Stigma-related stress appears to create a cascade of responses that increase risk for depression and anxiety (see Table 2). There are other psychosocial processes that may mediate the relationship between stigma-related stress and internalizing disorders, such as fewer opportunities for romantic involvement (Diamond et al., 1999). However, this paper focuses on processes that have the strongest empirical support as risk factors for psychopathology, that are the most plausible sequelae of stigma-related stress, and that are amenable to clinical intervention.
