Eliminating stigma and removing barriers to access [to treatment]

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Glenn Close, Jessie Close, and Calen Pick speak about stigma, prejudice, and discrimination

Also see:

Bring Change 2 Mind

Stereotypes of mental disorders differ in competence and warmth

A February 21st posting by Neuroskeptic:

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Fighting "the stigma of mental illness" is big business at the moment. But does "the stigma" really exist?

As I said back in 2010:

There is a stigma of schizophrenia, and there's a stigma of depression, etc. but they're not the same stigma. We're told it's a myth that "the mentally ill are violent" - [but] no-one thinks depressed or anorexic people are violent. They think (roughly) that people with psychosis are. They have other equally silly opinions about each diagnosis, but there's no monolithic "stigma of mental illness".

Now a paper has come out which explores this idea in some detail: Stereotypes of mental disorders differ in competence and warmth. The title says it all : people have stereotypical views of people suffering from different mental disorders, but these stereotypes vary substantially.

To read the entire post, please click here.

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Also see:

Stereotypes of mental disorders differ in competence and warmth

Addressing stigma: An influence and leadership opportunity for our profession

An article published in the July/August 2011 edition of Alberta Doctors' Digest:

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To download a PDF version of the entire article, please click here.

Spring 2010 issue of CrossCurrents

A note from the editor published in the Spring 2010 issue of CrossCurrents:

This is an issue of CrossCurrents that you may not want to read. It forces us to confront our own contributions as health care providers in perpetuating stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness and addiction. We may think we are immune; after all, we work in this sector because we want to help people. Many health care providers I spoke with told me, “We don’t have that problem here.”

Yet consumers tell a different story. We solicited input from people with mental health and addiction issues. What became clear from the many submissions we received was the pervasiveness of stigma and discrimination in the health care system. People told us again and again that stigma is the single most important barrier to their quality of life, more so than the illness itself.

Stories like these describe the experience of stigma, but we know little about what interventions work in reducing it. This issue of CrossCurrents focuses on action. We hear first about Opening Minds, the 10-year anti-stigma campaign of the Mental Health Commission of Canada that in its first year is targeting stigma and discrimination among health care professionals, with the goal of developing promising practices. Next, Anne Ptasznik spends time with a group of psychiatry residents and consumers that meets informally in non-clinical settings, providing the valuable contact and context needed to combat stigma.

Social worker Cheryl Peever’s personal story shows that clinical knowledge does not always translate into effective workplace practices when mental illness or addiction is a workplace issue. Ned Morgan examines how the stigma that extends to those who work with people with mental health and addiction issues is perpetuated through film portrayals of mental health nurses. Other stories look at stigma in the emergency department and the black mark of borderline personality disorder. In her Last Word column, Jan Wallcraft asks whether public anti-stigma campaigns developed by psychiatrists do more harm than good. Visit the Last Word column to have your say.

Hema Zbogar
tel 416 595-6714
hema_zbogar@camh.net

Artist fights stigma of schizophrenia

From the December 16th edition of the Times Union:

By Lori Cullen

Amber Christian Osterhout uses her artwork to raise awareness of the stigmas and discrimination people with mental illness can suffer.

To read the entire article, click here.

The above image is by Luanne M. Ferris of the Times Union.



The above poster is by Amber Christian Osterhout (click on the poster to enlarge it).

Self-disclosure and Its Impact on Individuals Who Receive Mental Health Services

From an unknown source:

The stigma associated with mental illness is one of the most persistent problems people face. It is fundamental to discrimination in housing, employment, and health insurance. It prevents treatment, and it impedes recovery.

Self-disclosure and Its Impact on Individuals Who Receive Mental Health Services , developed by the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), examines the role self-disclosure plays in reducing stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. Research has shown that public attitudes about mental illness improve when people have contact, or interactions, with people with mental illnesses.

This monograph examines current literature related to self-disclosure and provides the findings from a series of key informant interviews to examine the factors that promote or hinder self-disclosure.

Download a free copy by clicking here.

Thanks go to Chris Summerville for bringing this publication to my attention.

Jane Pauley to accept award

From the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

TV Journalist Jane Pauley (pictured) will be honored at NAMI's National Convention in Orlando for her significant national contributions in the fight against stigma and discrimination. She is the author of Skywriting: A Life out of the Blue, in which she shared her personal experience with bipolar disorder. This month she will moderate a PBS panel discussion in conjunction with the premiere of the documentary, Depression: Out of the Shadows (May 21 at 9:00 p.m.).