Chilean study finds mental health professionals may stigmatize users through overprotective compassion

A qualitative study in Chile has found that mental health professionals can devalue the very users they aim to help, describing a pattern the researchers call “stigma by compassion” in which positive feelings towards users coexist with attitudes that undermine their autonomy. The study, published in Discover Mental Health, explored expressions of devaluation towards mental health users among personnel at the secondary level of care.

The researchers note that despite their training, mental health personnel exercise stigma towards the users they serve, which generates important consequences. Because research on this topic has been scarce in Latin America, the team set out to explore stigma towards mental health users in Chile, focusing specifically on expressions of devaluation. The study included the perspectives of both users and mental health workers at the secondary level of care, with data collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically.

The results showed that users are perceived as incapable of managing their lives and treatment responsibly. According to the findings, overprotection dynamics are built in which professionals provide help outside the therapeutic setting because they believe users cannot resolve difficulties independently. Notably, the users themselves valued this aspect of the relationship and described it as affectionate. At the same time, professionals reported experiencing tension about the appropriate parameters of their role.

The authors conclude that these findings have serious implications. Although care models that emphasize user autonomy have been implemented, distrust in users’ capabilities hinders the promotion of their agency. The concept of “stigma by compassion” is intended to capture the contradiction between positive feelings towards the user and devaluing attitudes towards them held by mental health personnel. The team also highlights that professionals must deal with needs derived from structural conditions, and that healthcare institutions should take this into account in order to facilitate therapeutic action while preventing an overprotective relationship with users.

As a qualitative interview study conducted in a single national context at one level of care, the findings describe the experiences and perceptions of the participating users and workers rather than measuring the prevalence of these attitudes more broadly. The article was published as an open access paper on 28 October 2026, with the publisher noting that the shared version is an early release of the peer-reviewed, accepted manuscript that is subject to further edits before the final version of record appears.

Subject of Research: Stigma and overprotection towards mental health users among mental health professionals in Chile

Article Title: Overprotection and stigma by compassion in mental health professional practice

Article References: Grandón, P., Nazar, G., Monreal, V., Bustos, C., Fernández, D., Cova, F., Knaak, S., & Pérez, C. (2026). Overprotection and stigma by compassion in mental health professional practice. Discover Mental Health. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44192-026-00641-y

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s44192-026-00641-y

Keywords: stigma, mental health professionals, overprotection, Chile, qualitative study, devaluation, user autonomy, secondary care, thematic analysis, Latin America, compassion, mental