Reducing the Stigma of Mental Illness: A Report from a Global Association

The stigma attached to mental illness is the main obstacle to better mental health care and the better quality of life of people who have the illness, of their families, of their communities and of health service staff that deal with psychiatric disorders. Stigma is pernicious and there are indications that despite advances of psychiatry and medicine it continues to grow and has more and often terrible consequences for patients and families. In 1996, the WPA began an international programme to fight the stigma and discrimination because of schizophrenia. The 'Open the Doors' programme has since been implemented in more than 20 countries and involved roughly 200 different anti-stigma interventions. This book details the results of these efforts internationally and provides recommendations and guidance for those seeking to join this international effort or start similar efforts to dispel stigma and discrimination.

Table of Contents:
Preface; Introduction; Participants in the programme; Acknowledgements; 1. Developing the programme; 2. Canada; 3. Spain; 4. Austria; 5. Germany; 6. Italy; 7. Greece; 8. United States; 9. Poland; 10. Japan; 11. Slovakia; 12. Turkey; 13. Brazil; 14. Egypt; 15. Morocco; 16. United Kingdom; 17. Australia; 18. Chile, India and Romania; 19. Conclusions and recommendations.

About the Author :
Norman Sartorius is one of the most prominent and influential psychiatrists of his generation. He has served as Director of the Division of Mental Health at the World Health Organization, and subsequently President of the World Psychiatric Association. He has held professorial appointments at the Universities of Geneva, Prague, New York and Zagreb. He is a member of the Council of the World Psychiatric Association and of the Expert Advisory Panel of the World Health Organization. He is an Honorary Professor of the University of London, a professor at the Universities of Zagreb and Prague and held or holds professorial appointments at the Department of Psychiatry of the University of Geneva and at several other universities in Europe, the USA and China; he is a Senior Associate of the Faculty of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Baltimore. He has written over 300 scientific papers and co-authored or edited over 40 books. Hugh Schulze is president and CEO of c|change Inc., a marketing communications company in Chicago, United States. His twenty-five year career in the communications field has included work in many industries, including healthcare and experience in all media. For the last ten years, he has served as communications consultant for the WPA Global Programme to Fight the Stigma and Discrimination because of Schizophrenia and has spoken at conferences and congresses internationally. He is also consultant for the WPA Global Child Mental Health programme.

Review :
'The authors accomplished their goal of presenting their efforts and planting the seeds of further programs to be developed. If this information is received in the appropriate hands, perhaps there is hope for further gains of the movement.' Doody's 'This is an accessible book, chock-full of guidance on implementing local anti-stigma interventions, aimed at schizophrenia but applicable more broadly. ... one of the main lessons from this book is that contact with those who have mental health problems is perhaps the most powerful tool in lessening prejudice.' Journal of Mental Health