EPA guidance on how to improve the image of psychiatry and of the psychiatrist

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 423-430 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Bhugra ◽  
N. Sartorius ◽  
A. Fiorillo ◽  
S. Evans-Lacko ◽  
A. Ventriglio ◽  
...  

AbstractStigma against mental illness and the mentally ill is well known. However, stigma against psychiatrists and mental health professionals is known but not discussed widely. Public attitudes and also those of other professionals affect recruitment into psychiatry and mental health services. The reasons for this discriminatory attitude are many and often not dissimilar to those held against mentally ill individuals. In this Guidance paper we present some of the factors affecting the image of psychiatry and psychiatrists which is perceived by the public at large. We look at the portrayal of psychiatry, psychiatrists in the media and literature which may affect attitudes. We also explore potential causes and explanations and propose some strategies in dealing with negative attitudes. Reduction in negative attitudes will improve recruitment and retention in psychiatry. We recommend that national psychiatric societies and other stakeholders, including patients, their families and carers, have a major and significant role to play in dealing with stigma, discrimination and prejudice against psychiatry and psychiatrists.

1986 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 431-433 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Matas ◽  
N. El-Guebaly ◽  
D. Harper ◽  
M. Green ◽  
A. Peterkin

The public image of psychiatry has been tarnished in recent years. In order to determine the extent to which press coverage has contributed to negative attitudes towards psychiatry, we conducted a content analysis of a random selection of newspaper articles which appeared over a twenty-year period in two different newspapers. We found that although there had been some minor, cosmetic changes over the years, such as more appropriate headlines and more direct quotes from psychiatric experts, on the whole, content and attitudes had changed very little. An accuracy check of media reporting of forensic cases over a 20-year period revealed that when reporters have access to written material, the accuracy levels are greatly improved.


2000 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-244
Author(s):  
Alan Rosen ◽  
Garry Walter

Objective: The depiction of David Helfgott's life presented in the movie Shine is at odds with other public accounts, notably one by his sister, Margaret. These significant discrepancies have sparked a prolonged media debate and provide the opportunity to examine cinema's apparent ground rules governing depictions of psychiatry in film, the media values and pressures which are claimed to limit the scope of these portrayals, and the implications for psychiatry. Method: Information was obtained from a number of sources, including Shine, books about the movie and Shine film paraphernalia, other films about mental illness, the psychiatric papers on cinema, media images of mental illness and media values, and through discussions with fellow mental health professionals, consumers, carers and media specialists. Results: David Helfgott emerges as an undoubtedly remarkable and resilient individual, who, together with his family, was vulnerable to, and may have experienced, exploitation and violation through the cinema. Conclusions: Filmmakers should reconcile media values and constraints with considerations of ethics and public accountability. Marrying these considerations is both possible and compatible with good filmmaking and audience appeal. There is the potential for a story about those who have mental illness to be told from multiple points of view without compromising dramatic power.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-35
Author(s):  
Christos Iliadis ◽  
Aikaterini Frantzana ◽  
Aikaterini Kourkouta ◽  
Petros Ouzounakis

Introduction: Mental health is the development of a person's healthy view ofthemselves and the environment in which they live, so that they can achieve thehighest degree of self-fulfillment. Purpose: The purpose of the present work is toinvestigate and highlight the rights of the mentally ill and to promote and promotethe health of these patients. Methodology: The study material consisted of articleson the topic found in Greek and international databases such as: Google Scholar,Mednet, Pubmed, Medline and the Hellenic Academic Libraries Association(HEAL-Link), using keywords: mental illness, patient rights, health professionals. Results: The rights of mental patients and their exercise in a meaningful andeffective manner is a dynamic process that encompasses the corresponding rightsand obligations of mental health professionals. An important legal effort to protectthe rights of the mentally ill is Resolution 46/119 of the United Nations GeneralAssembly on the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and Improving MentalHealth Care, adopted on 17 December 1991. Conclusions: The exercise of therights of the mentally ill requires their encouragement from mental healthprofessionals, who are essentially obliged to refrain from restrictive practices.


Author(s):  
Ian Cummins

This chapter will explore a number of mental health inquiries that took place in the early and mid-1990s. It will argue that the media reporting – particularly that which appeared in tabloid newspapers – had a key role in undermining support for the progressive elements of community care. This is not to diminish the nature of some of the cases that led to the Inquiries. It is, rather, to consider the way that this media reporting helped to construct a particular discourse around, risk and mental health. This reporting played on a series of long standing, often racialised tropes about the nature of mental illness. One of the most important of these was the notion that there is a clear, identifiable and causal link between mental illness and violence. These are complex issues. However, complexity was drown out by the dominant narrative was that the community faced new dangers in the form of “psychokillers”. Alongside this, a theme in the reporting of such cases was that liberal mental health professionals were refusing to use their powers to intervene


1965 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Cohen ◽  
Elmer L. Struening

When between-hospital ( n = 12) and within-occupation group ( n = 8) differences in attitude-opinion toward the mentally ill are studied for 4784 mental hospital employees, Authoritarianism and Benevolence do not vary among mental health professionals but do for others; the reverse obtains for Interpersonal Etiology; and Social Restrictiveness differentiates in virtually all groups and most sharply in psychiatrists.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirubel Manyazewal Mussie ◽  
Félix Pageau ◽  
Helene Merkt ◽  
Tenzin Wangmo ◽  
Bernice Simone Elger

Abstract Background The population of incarcerated older adults is the fastest growing demographic in prisons. Older persons in custody have poorer health as compared with those in the community. The unmet and complex health care needs of incarcerated older adults with mental illness raise justice, safety, dignity and fairness in care as ethical concerns. As there exists research gap to better understand these concerns, the current study aimed at exploring the perspectives of mental health professionals on challenges in delivering ethically competent care to mentally ill incarcerated older adults in Canada. Methods Thirty-four semi-structured interviews were conducted between August 2017 and November 2018 with prison mental health professionals in Canada who were selected using purposive and convenience sampling techniques. The audio recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed inductively to generate themes. Results The results were distilled into three main categories and seven subcategories that related to ethical issues in the provision of health care for mentally ill incarcerated older adults. The main categories included imprisoned older persons with special care needs, lack of resources, and the peer-support program. Conclusions Results of this study showed that existing practices of care of mentally ill incarcerated older adults are characterised by challenges that increase their vulnerability to worse health conditions. It is imperative for local authorities, policy makers and representatives to prepare for and respond to the challenges that compromise ethically competent health care for, and healthy ageing of, mentally ill incarcerated older adults.


Author(s):  
Nancy A. McGarrah

This chapter describes the ways mental health professionals in private practice can use the media for marketing their practice as well as for educating the public. The processes for engaging in media work are addressed and the concept of being an “expert” in this field is explained. Ethics issues are emphasized, such as what mental health professionals can and cannot say in interviews. Specific guidance for providing effective interviews and ideas for receiving applicable training are given. Media-trained mental health providers can assist with interview preparation and answer questions about ethics and media work.


1992 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 375-389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarence E. Tygart

A representative sample of public opinion was investigated concerning the processes by which the public accepts/rejects homicide defendants’ mental illness legal defenses. Lesser acceptance of a mental illness defense was associated with: (1) political conservatism; (2) traditional or orthodox religious beliefs; and (3) a “free will” rather than a “determinism” philosophical stance. Mental health professionals were accorded little influence in the public's determination of their positions on the mental illness defense. However, for those who did not have strong opinions on the mental illness defense, mental health professionals were defined generally as having significant influence on their decisions.


2015 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Crowe ◽  
Paige Averett

Because mental health professionals are not immune to negative attitudes toward adults with mental illness, researchers have questioned where these attitudes might originate, as well as what affects them. Although there have been quantitative studies that broadly explore attitudes toward mental illness, in-depth understanding of factors that affect the attitudes of mental health professionals will offer insight to practitioners and researchers alike. This qualitative study explored the impact of educational programs and professional experience on the attitudes of mental health professionals toward their clients. Based on the results, this article describes a continuum of attitudes toward mental illness for counselors, educators, supervisors, and related professionals as a tool to understand their attitudes toward mental illness.


2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Lepping ◽  
Tilman Steinert ◽  
Ralf-Peter Gebhardt ◽  
Hanns Rüdiger Röttgers

AbstractObjectivesTo identify attitudes about involuntary admission and treatment in mental health professionals and lay-people and to compare results between England and Germany.MethodThree scenarios of potentially detainable patients were presented to identify attitudes. A questionnaire asked about attitudes towards involuntary admission as well as treatment. A questionnaire analysis was then performed.ResultsThere were similar attitudes towards involuntary admission and treatment between lay-people and mental health professionals with the exception of professionals not actively involved in the detention process. The different legal frameworks between Germany and England did not influence attitudes much. Support for involuntary admission and treatment broadly increased with age.ConclusionsPsychiatrists and other mental health workers are in tune with society with regards to attitudes towards involuntary admission. People involved with mentally ill patients but not in the detention process have negative attitudes towards involuntary admission.


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