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Fields of Intervention

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The Stigma of Mental Illness - End of the Story?

Abstract

This chapter describes some of the fields of intervention and strategies used in implementing local anti-stigma projects around the world. Two of these projects, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and in Boulder, Colorado, USA, were established by the World Psychiatric Association Programme to Reduce Stigma and Discrimination Because of Schizophrenia which was launched in 1996 and created projects to fight stigma in 20 countries. The Calgary and Boulder sites used social-marketing techniques to enhance their effectiveness. At each location the first steps were to establish an action committee and to conduct a local survey of perceived stigma. On the basis of the survey, the local action committee selected a few homogeneous and accessible target groups, such as students, employers, and criminal justice personnel. Smaller groups were selected for targeting because attempts to reach the general public can be expensive and are likely to have limited measurable impact. Messages for the target groups and the media used to reach them were carefully selected, tested, and refined.

The chapter offers examples of the work that was done with such target groups as high school students and the criminal justice system. Guidelines are provided for setting up a consumer speakers’ bureau, which is valuable for addressing target groups. The bureau can be made up of people who have experienced mental illness, family members, and mental health professionals. Guidelines are also provided for establishing a media-watch organization, which can lobby news and entertainment media to exclude negative portrayals of people with mental illness.

Deceased on August 27th, 2015

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mental Health Center of Boulder County, Colorado Recovery, 2818 13th Street, Boulder, CO, 80304, USA

    Richard Warner

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  1. Richard Warner
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Heinrich-Heine-University LVR-Klinikum DĂĽsseldorf, DĂĽsseldorf, Germany

    Wolfgang Gaebel

  2. Psychiatric University Hospital University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Wulf Rössler

  3. Association for the Improvement of Mental Health Programmes, Geneva, Switzerland

    Norman Sartorius

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Warner, R. (2017). Fields of Intervention. In: Gaebel, W., Rössler, W., Sartorius, N. (eds) The Stigma of Mental Illness - End of the Story?. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27839-1_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-27839-1_23

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-27837-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-27839-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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