Reducing psychiatric stigma and discrimination: evaluation of educational … (original) (raw)
Reducing psychiatric stigma and discrimination
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2003
Background: Across the world there are programmes challenging negative stereotypes of people with mental health problems and associated discriminatory behaviours, but the evidence base describing what works in practice is still underdeveloped. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a mental health training intervention with the police force in England. Method: A total of 109 police officers attended training workshops and completed pre- and post-questionnaires detailing knowledge, attitudes and behavioural interventions. Results: Mean attitude scores fell from 2.4 at baseline to 2.3 at follow-up (p < 0.0001) using a 5-point Likert scale. Five key message statements were assessed – 70 % of cases successfully reported more messages at follow-up as compared to baseline; however, the stereotype linking people with mental health problems with violent behaviour overall was not successfully challenged. Positive impacts on police work, particularly improvements in communication between officers and subjects, were reported by a third of cases. Conclusions: Short educational interventions can produce changes in participants' reported attitudes towards people with mental health problems, and can leave police officers feeling more informed and more confident to support people in mental distress.
Reducing the stigma of mental illness
The Lancet, 2001
The stigma attached to mental illness is the main obstacle to better mental health care and better quality of life for people who have the illness, for their families, for their communities and for health service staff who deal with psychiatric disorders. Stigma is pernicious and there are indications that, despite advances of psychiatry and medicine, it continues to grow and have more and often terrible consequences for patients and families. In 1996, the WPA began an international programme to fight the stigma and discrimination associated with schizophrenia. The 'Open the Doors' programme has been implemented since then in more than 20 countries and has involved about 200 different anti-stigma interventions. This book details the results of these international efforts and provides recommendations and guidance for those seeking to join this initiative or to start similar efforts for dispelling stigma and discrimination.
Stigma and discrimination against people with mental illness: a critical appraisal
Epidemiologia e psichiatria sociale, 2008
This editorial gives an overview of the different roots and forms of discrimination and stigmatisation towards people with mental illness. It explains the differences between stereotype, prejudice and discrimination. It further highlights some research foci of stigma research in the last decade. The emphasis was mostly on investigating the attitudes of the general population, but barely addressed other groups that have probably more intensive and more crucial contact with people with mental illness. Furthermore, only very few intervention programs were evaluated. This editorial concludes that other groups than the general population, e.g., mental health professionals, should be investigated about their attitudes to people with mental illness. Moreover, intervention campaigns should be additionally evaluated after a given period as it is not well known whether effects of interventions are long-lasting. It might be that anti-stigma campaigns, as every public health campaign, must be repeated if sustainability is the goal. Furthermore, the message must be carefully chosen. One option is to replace the "traditional" messages by focussing, e.g., on symptoms of mental illness, for instance anxiety, affective symptoms or suicidal ideations. Finally, a plea for more stigma-related research is given as research in stigma-related issues is also stigmatised.
Impact and Origin of Stigma and Discrimination in Schizophrenia: Patient Perceptions
Stigma Research and Action, 2011
Purpose: Stigma and discrimination faced by patients with schizophrenia are the most important barriers to accessing care and can result in long treatment delays. Stigma is universal but the nature, source, and impact of stigma varies across cultures and regions. Thus, interventions need to be specific. This study assessed the perceptions of patients with schizophrenia regarding the stigma and discrimination they face in their lives. The main determinants and sources of stigma, as well as the nature of and forms of stigma were of interest. Methods: Opinions on various aspects of stigma were obtained using a semi-structured interview. One hundred patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, who were attending a psycho-education group in a hospital setting in Mumbai, India, were surveyed. Results: The stigma and discrimination linked to schizophrenia was found to have a significant impact on the lives of these individuals. From the patient perspective, a lack of knowledge, the nature of the illness itself, and behavioral symptoms were seen as the main reasons for stigma and discrimination. Common effects of stigma were low self-esteem and discrimination in family and work settings. Providing care and treatment was identified as the most common method of combating stigma. The availability of effective treatment was thought to be the most important method of reducing stigma, which will certainly aid in the access of mental health care for patients globally. Conclusions: The stigma associated with schizophrenia represents a challenge for effective mental health care. The solution for minimizing this stigma through anti-stigma programs is essential and necessitates the collection and analysis of complex information, particularly including patient perceptions. Implications: Dealing with stigma should be part of treatment and psycho-educational programs. Better treatment and rehabilitation for the illness and its symptoms is important, but so is educating members of the community, who are viewed as the primary source of stigma and discrimination.
International journal of environmental research and public health, 2018
Recent reviews on the evidence base for mental health related stigma reduction show that under certain conditions interpersonal contact is effective in promoting more positive attitudes, reduced desire for social distance, and increased stigma related knowledge (knowledge which disconfirms beliefs based on stereotypes). Short-term interventions may have effects that are attenuated over time; longer term programmes may support sustained improvements, but research following up long-term interventions is scarce. However, the effectiveness of these interventions should not obscure the nature of stigma as a social problem. In this article we describe stigma as a 'wicked problem' to highlight some implications for intervening against stigma and evaluating these efforts. These include the risks of unintended consequences and the need to continually reformulate the concept of stigma, to ensure that tackling stigma at the structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal levels become par...
Understanding the impact of stigma on people with mental illness
World psychiatry : official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 2002
Table 1 Comparing and contrasting the definitions of public stigma and self-stigma Public stigma Stereotype Negative belief about a group (e.g., dangerousness, incompetence, character weakness) Prejudice Agreement with belief and/or negative emotional reaction (e.g., anger, fear) Discrimination Behavior response to prejudice (e.g., avoidance, withhold employment and housing opportunities, withhold help) Self-stigma Stereotype Negative belief about the self (e.g., character weakness, incompetence) Prejudice Agreement with belief, negative emotional reaction (e.g., low self-esteem, low self-efficacy)