Stigma Discrimination Research at the IOP: An Overview

1. Aliya Kassam Stigma Research Project Coordinator Section of Community Psychiatry (PRISM) Health Services Research Department Institute of Psychiatry Stigma & Discrimination Research at the IOP: An Overview

2. Recent Projects Mental Health Awareness in Action Programme Phase I (completed) Phase II (completed)

3. Mental Health �Awareness in Action� Programme Global Aims: To build an evidence base of �what works� to reduce stigma and discrimination because of mental illness To assess the impact of educational training programmes on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of target populations

4. MHAAP � Phase IPreliminary Planning Surveyed service users and carers views on whom to target with interventions Held focus groups with service users, carers and mental health professionals to identify key issues to address in training sessions Developed workshop session content in partnership with target groups and mental health awareness groups

5. MHAAP � Phase I cont.Approach to Reduce Discrimination Delivered educational workshops. Worked with young people to break the cycle of ignorance, fear and prejudice. Promoted direct contact between audience and people with mental illness. Empowered both target audience and programme participants. Deliver educational workshops to groups whose work brings them into contact with people with mental health problems, although they have received no training in mental health issues. Work with young people to break the cycle of ignorance, fear and prejudice that is built upon a lack of information and misinformation on issues related to mental health and mental illness. Promote direct contact between audience and people with experiences of mental health problems primarily through facilitators disclosing experiences of mental distress Empowerment (both in target audience and among programme participants). Experiential focus to �intervention� based upon Social Model principles. However the programme did engage with a medical language to acknowledge the �labels� given to different �types� of mental health problems. Use information packs to provide additional information. Deliver educational workshops to groups whose work brings them into contact with people with mental health problems, although they have received no training in mental health issues. Work with young people to break the cycle of ignorance, fear and prejudice that is built upon a lack of information and misinformation on issues related to mental health and mental illness. Promote direct contact between audience and people with experiences of mental health problems primarily through facilitators disclosing experiences of mental distress Empowerment (both in target audience and among programme participants). Experiential focus to �intervention� based upon Social Model principles. However the programme did engage with a medical language to acknowledge the �labels� given to different �types� of mental health problems. Use information packs to provide additional information.

6. MHAAP � Phase II Extended the evaluation of mental health awareness programmes through partnerships with other sites / groups.

7. Current Projects Mental Health Awareness in Action Programme (Phase III) International Study of Discrimination and Stigma Outcomes (INDIGO)

8. Mental Health Awareness in Action Programme (Phase III) Global Aim: Develop robust tools to evaluate stigma change interventions for use by community groups and in pilot studies for a multi-centred trial with medical audience.

9. MHAAP � Phase III Specific Aims: Intervention to be managed and delivered by Rethink. Review existing measures and develop new assessment tool Reliability studies Write protocol for multi-centre RCT

10. INDIGO Global Aims: To describe the impact that a diagnosis of schizophrenia has on the nature and level of social participation To compare this across 24 countries in Europe

11. INDIGO Specific Aims To pilot and use consumer interviews to elicit information about how a mental condition effects their everyday lives and social participation. To gather data from participating countries on the laws, policies and regulations which set a clear distinction between people with a mental illness and others.

12. Where are the Gaps? Attitudes towards the mentally ill are complex and difficult to evaluate. What are the best ways to reduce stigma? What tools can be used to evaluate stigma change? What is the impact of educational training programmes on the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of target populations? - your views on where there gaps exist in the evidence base - any key issues you would want to highlight about�conducting�research in this field/developing the evidence base- your views on where there gaps exist in the evidence base - any key issues you would want to highlight about�conducting�research in this field/developing the evidence base

13. Where are the Gaps? How knowledgeable is the population about mental illness? How favourable are the attitudes of the population toward the mentally ill? What forms of behaviour are manifested toward the mentally ill? How does stigma impede the social participation of people with mental illness, how and why do these behaviours vary?

14. We are keen to work with groups across the country to review what you find works best to reduce stigma and discrimination.

15. Contact Information Aliya Kassam, BSc (Hons), MSc Project Coordinator Section of Community Psychiatry Box PO29 Health Services Research Department Institute of Psychiatry King's College London De Crespigny Park Denmark Hill London SE5 8AF England (Phone) +44 (0)20 7848 0457 (Fax) +44 (0)20 7277 1462 aliya.kassam@iop.kcl.ac.uk