scholarly journals Workplace Antistigma Programs at the Mental Health Commission of Canada: Part 1. Processes and Projects

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 5S-12S
Author(s):  
Andrew Szeto ◽  
Keith S. Dobson ◽  
Dorothy Luong ◽  
Terry Krupa ◽  
Bonnie Kirsh

The Opening Minds Initiative of the Mental Health Commission of Canada has taken a novel approach to reducing the stigma of mental illness by targeting specific sectors. This first article describes Opening Minds’ research and programming initiatives in the workplace target group. This article describes the context of mental illness stigma in Canada and the development of the Opening Minds initiative of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, with a specific focus on the workplace sector. We outline the steps that were taken to develop an evidence-based approach to stigma reduction in the workplace, including reviews of the state of the art in this workplace antistigma programming, as well as the development of tools and measures to assess mental illness stigma in the workplace. Finally, 2 specific program examples (e.g., Road to Mental Readiness and The Working Mind) are used to highlight some of the procedural and logistical learnings for implementing antistigma and mental health initiatives within the workplace. In a second related article, we further examine the Opening Minds workplace initiative, with a discussion of the lessons learned from the implementation and evaluation of antistigma programming in the workplace.

2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 13S-17S ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Szeto ◽  
Keith S. Dobson ◽  
Dorothy Luong ◽  
Terry Krupa ◽  
Bonnie Kirsh

The Opening Minds Initiative of the Mental Health Commission of Canada has worked with many workplaces to implement and evaluate mental illness stigma reduction programs. This article describes the lessons learned from Opening Minds’ research and programming initiatives in the workplace target group and details some of the most valuable learnings from collaborating with workplace partners. These insights range from issues such as the recruitment of potential partners to the implementation of evaluation in the workplace. The lessons learned described here are not intended as the optimal ways of developing partnerships or conducting research in a workplace setting but are intended to highlight some of our experiences in implementing antistigma programming. These experiences are provided so that those who are in the same situation can draw from our learnings to make their efforts more efficient. To conclude, we discuss some of our thoughts in which the implementation of workplace mental illness stigma reduction programming should work towards in the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 109 (S3) ◽  
pp. S228-S235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca L. Collins ◽  
Eunice C. Wong ◽  
Joshua Breslau ◽  
M. Audrey Burnam ◽  
Matthew Cefalu ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 43-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Delenardo ◽  
Jenepher Lennox Terrion

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the attitudes and opinions of varsity football players toward mental health and help-seeking. The insights gained from this study may contribute to a greater understanding of how stigma functions in a competitive, elite-level football team. The authors concluded that the competitive edge required for success in elite athletics conflicts with mental health issues and illnesses. Components of the stigma process (labelling, stereotyping, separation, status loss, and discrimination), along with the impact of gender on stigma toward mental illness and help-seeking behaviours, are explored. Recommendations are made to broaden the scope of mental health initiatives for student athletes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 20-31
Author(s):  
Kevin J. Rivera ◽  
Jenny Y. Zhang ◽  
David C. Mohr ◽  
Annie B. Wescott ◽  
Aderonke Bamgbose Pederson

Among African Americans, the chronicity and severity of mental illness correlates with worse health outcomes and widens health disparities. Stigma related to mental illness compounds mental health disparities by creating barriers to help-seeking behavior. We examine the current tools designed to reduce mental illness stigma and promote improved mental health outcomes among African Americans. The authors reviewed the current evidence in the literature for such stigma reduction interventions. The review team developed a focused search across four databases: PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and APA PsycINFO. Initial searches identified 120 articles, from which six studies were included as reporting on mental illness stigma reduction interventions among African Americans. We describe these four quantitative and two qualitative studies. There have been various interventions used among African Americans to reduce mental illness stigma, and the level of efficacy and effectiveness is not well studied. Our review demonstrated a need for more robust studies to yield strong evidence on effectiveness among stigma reduction interventions in this target population. The evidence does support tailoring intervention studies to this population. Effectively engaging and partnering with key stakeholders, including schools, community organizations, and faith-based institutions enhances the acceptance and delivery of stigma reduction interventions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (01) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Borschmann ◽  
N. Greenberg ◽  
N. Jones ◽  
R. C. Henderson

Summary Background: Evidence has emerged in recent decades about effective and ineffective methods to reduce mental illness related stigma and discrimination. As more European countries start national anti-stigma campaigns, there is potentially more to learn from their experiences, but also a risk that, with such rapid developments, lessons may be missed. Aim: This scoping review aims to identify and discuss European stigma reduction campaigns conducted to date. Methods: We searched electronic databases, hand-searched reference lists of identified articles and contacted stigma experts to enquire about ongoing initiatives. Results: We identified anti-stigma campaigns in 21 European countries and regions. We found considerable variation in their content, delivery formats, duration and target groups. Conclusions: Although anti-stigma campaigns have been implemented in many European countries, the level of attention paid to sharing lessons learned is variable. It is vital that campaigns are evaluated, to maximise their potential impact both on the target population, and that the findings are disseminated widely to allow international learning.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 169-170
Author(s):  
Brittany Drazich ◽  
Breanna Crane ◽  
Kyle Moored ◽  
Karl Shieh ◽  
Janiece Taylor ◽  
...  

Abstract Due to generational mental illness stigma and under diagnosis of mental illness, older adults do not always receive the mental health help that they need. One unique technology that has the potential to improve mood in older adults is exergames, or exercise video games. The objective of this sub-study (main study: Stimulation With Intricate Movements “SWIM” Study) was to explore older adults’ mood following an exergame intervention called “Bandit the Dolphin,” created by the Johns Hopkins KATA Studio. Researchers conducted three focus groups with 14 community-dwelling older adult participants who took part in the SWIM Study exergame intervention. The semi-structured focus groups were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using deductive and inductive techniques described by Ray Maietta’s “sort and sift, think and shift” method. Three themes related to playing “Bandit the Dolphin” and mood emerged. First, participants described their perceived association between activity and mood. Participants felt that both active and passive activities, “Bandit the Dolphin” and otherwise, improved their mood through the “fun” factor, and through feelings of achievement. Second, the participants described that the competition and frustration of playing “Bandit the Dolphin” increased eventual feelings of achievement. Third, participants described how feelings of immersion, or being absorbed in the game, helped them forget their other life concerns. These findings provide a better understanding of older adults’ perceived relationship between an exergame intervention, “Bandit the Dolphin,” and short-term improved mood. Future health and engineering researchers should explore exergames as a potential tool to improve the mental health of older adults.


2004 ◽  
Vol 28 (12) ◽  
pp. 451-454 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. F. Chung ◽  
M. C. Wong

Aims and MethodThe study was intended to rectify the lack of data on how Chinese people experience the stigma of mental illness. A questionnaire on perceived stigmatisation, experiences of rejection and ways of coping with stigma was completed by 193 persons attending a psychiatric out-patient clinic in Hong Kong.ResultsMost of the participants were aware of the stigma associated with mental illness, but experiences of rejection were relatively less frequent. Eleven per cent of the respondents indicated that they were neglected by health care professionals and 8% had been avoided by family members. The most frequently reported coping method was maintaining secrecy about the illness.Clinical ImplicationsIn China, people with mental health problems experience stigma in various degrees. However, some of the people surveyed expressed feelings of relief that others were supportive and sympathetic towards their illness. Mental health professionals should maintain optimism in helping their patients to cope with the stigma.


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