Stigma and Mental Illness : Stigma and Mental Illness Putting the Pieces Together
Topics : Topics 1) Patrick Corrigan and Stigma
2) Mental Health First Aid
3) Stigma Reduction and Peer Education
4) 10 Components of “Good Care” for people with severe and persistent mental illnesses (SPMI)
Patrick Corrigan (2004) and Stigma-1 : Patrick Corrigan (2004) and Stigma-1 Key Ideas:
1. Stigma is defined using a social-cognitive theoretical approach
2. 4 processes at work in the stigma of mental illness
Stigma: Best Defined With a Cognitive-Behavioral Framework : Stigma: Best Defined With a Cognitive-Behavioral Framework Corrigan, P. W. (2005). On the stigma of mental illness: Practical strategies for research and social change.
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, p. 13.
4 Processes at Work in Stigma : 4 Processes at Work in Stigma Cues—psychiatric symptoms, social-skills deficits, physical appearance, labels
Stereotypes—knowledge the public learns about a “marked” social group—violence, incompetence, blame
Prejudice—a negative stereotype with an evaluative component—”they scare me”
Discrimination—negative action against an “out group”—avoidance—not hiring people with MI and not renting to these people
Theorizing: Evolution of Stigma (Link, Yang, Phelan, & Collins, 2004) : Theorizing: Evolution of Stigma (Link, Yang, Phelan, & Collins, 2004) labeling
stereotyping
Separating—emotionally and physically
emotional reactions—anger, irritation, anxiety, pity, and fear
status loss and discrimination
reference to power differences—social, economic, and political
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)-2 : Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)-2 An Australian Approach Extended to other countries (Scotland, Singapore, Canada, Hong Kong, and Finland)
Defined as “help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or in a mental health crisis”
This help is provided until professional help is found
See http://www.mhfa.org.uk
Mental Health Crisis and Problem-2 : Mental Health Crisis and Problem-2 Common Crises and problems
“A mental health crisis may occur when a person may feel suicidal, a person may be having anxiety attacks, a person may be in an acute stress reaction or a person may be out of touch with reality in a distressing psychotic state”. MHFA website has some excellent, simple guidelines on what to do if a person is experiencing depression, suicidal thoughts, psychosis, and deliberate self-harm!
http://www.mhfa.com.au/Guidelines.shtml
5 Steps in providing MHFA : 5 Steps in providing MHFA 1 Assess risk of harm to person or others.
2 Listen non-judgmentally.
3 Give reassurance and information.
4 Encourage person to get appropriate professional help if needed.
5 Encourage self-help strategies.
General Strategies : General Strategies
Introduce yourself and explain why you are present.
Remain courteous and non-threatening, but be honest and direct.
Listen to the person in a non-judgmental way.
Avoid confrontation at all costs - be prepared to "agree to differ" with the person's perspective.
Clarify and address what the person sees as the major issues first (not what you, the helper, see as the major concerns).
Do not attempt to manhandle the patient, except to prevent serious assault or suicide attempts.
Encourage / assist person to receive professional mental health help.
Finally, if the incident was traumatic for you, or you feel anxious or distressed, discuss these issues with a friend or a professional service.
Stigma Reduction and Peer Education/Support-3 From Solomon (2004) : Stigma Reduction and Peer Education/Support-3 From Solomon (2004) Through a small pilot study I conducted in Spring 2006, Peer Education and Support provided by Active Minds at CSU significantly reduced self reported stigma scores
Efforts to Reduce Stigma : Efforts to Reduce Stigma Any intervention that contains two elements seem to work
Education —modest effects
Promoting Contact —robust effects if
Participants meet as Equals
They work cooperatively
There is institutional support for the efforts
What is Peer Support? : What is Peer Support? “a system of giving and receiving help founded on key principles of respect, shared responsibility, and mutual agreement of what is helpful” (taken from Solomon, 2004, p. 393)
Components of Good Care-4 : Components of Good Care-4 Taken from van Weeghel, et al. (2005), 2005, p. 279 Synthesis from experts from the 5 European Countries of Belgium, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom
Let’s Make a Difference : Let’s Make a Difference See a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylhp9jjC778 Now the symbol of Mental Health America, the 300-pound Bell serves as a powerful reminder that the invisible chains of misunderstanding and discrimination continue to bind people with mental illnesses. Today, the Mental Health Bell rings out hope for improving mental health and achieving victory over mental illnesses.