Stigma 1, Psychiatrists 0

I think I can honestly say that I am a seasoned complainer, although I am careful not to attempt to be Mary Whitehouse and I do not assiduously scan the media looking for trouble. My interest in the area of stigmatization started with an episode of the TV drama Boon, where they suddenly had a character become ‘mentally ill’ so that he could conveniently shoot the hero to achieve a cliff-hanging end-of-series episode. Subsequently I specialised in the portrayal of mental illness in dramatic productions, joined the Public Education Campaign divisional network and had some media training. I have been listed as an expert in the portrayal of mental illness for five years but have never been approached for my advice on this area. However, following this year's announcement of the new Royal College of Psychiatrists' campaign ‘Changing Minds: Every Family in the Land’, I obtained all the names and addresses in Deborah Hart and Jill Phillipson's article above and stood ready to ‘do my bit’ for truth and honesty.

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Public Education for Community Care

The British Journal of Psychiatry ◽

10.1192/bjp.168.4.441 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 168 (4) ◽

pp. 441-447 ◽

Cited By ~ 80

Author(s):

Geoffrey Wolff ◽

Soumitra Pathare ◽

Tom Craig ◽

Julian Leff

Keyword(s):

Mental Illness ◽

Public Education ◽

Mentally Ill ◽

Social Contact ◽

Control Area ◽

Controlled Study ◽

Education Campaign ◽

Public Education Campaign ◽

Experimental Area ◽

Attitudes Toward Mental Illness

BackgroundThe findings from a controlled study of the effect of a public education campaign on community attitudes to mentally ill people are presented.MethodA census of neighbours' attitudes toward mental illness was conducted in two areas before the opening of supported houses for the mentally ill. In one area an educational campaign was conducted The attitude survey was then repeated in both areas and patients' social contact with neighbours was recorded.ResultsRespondents exposed to the didactic component of the campaign showed only a small increase in knowledge about mental illness but there was a lessening of fearful and rejecting attitudes in the experimental area and not in the control area Neighbours in the experimental area were more likely to make social contact with both staff and patients. It was social contact which was directly associated with improved attitudes rather than education per se. Patients in the experimental area made contact and even friendships with neighbours whereas those in the control area did not.ConclusionsThe public education campaign did not lead to significant changes in neighbours' knowledge of mental illness. However, their attitudes improved and patients' social integration was enhanced.

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

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2015.02.003 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 423-430 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

D. Bhugra ◽

N. Sartorius ◽

A. Fiorillo ◽

S. Evans-Lacko ◽

A. Ventriglio ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Mental Health Professionals ◽

Health Professionals ◽

Mentally Ill ◽

Public Attitudes ◽

Negative Attitudes ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

The Public ◽

The Media

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.

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The Spike Milligan Public Speaking Competition

Psychiatric Bulletin ◽

10.1192/pb.27.7.273 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 27 (7) ◽

pp. 273-273 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Justin Brophy

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Mental Illness ◽

Public Education ◽

Royal College ◽

Public Speaking ◽

Positive Experience ◽

The Public ◽

Education Committee ◽

Positive Attitudes

The Spike Milligan Public Speaking Competition is a series of events conducted by the Irish Division of The Royal College of Psychiatrists' Public Education Committee. The initiative began as a local project, as part of the Changing Minds campaign. It is aimed at developing lifelong positive attitudes towards mental illness by doctors in training, and at redressing some of the stigma and negativity towards mental illness prevalent among trained doctors. It also aims to provide them with a positive experience of public speaking, in particular on mental health topics, and to enhance skills in communication with the public.

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Loose talk: psychiatrists, the media and ethics

Psychiatric Bulletin ◽

10.1192/pb.21.9.573 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 21 (9) ◽

pp. 573-575

Author(s):

Philip Timms

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Public Education ◽

Royal College ◽

Personal Communication ◽

Ethical Concern ◽

The Public ◽

The Media ◽

Efficient Machine ◽

Tabloid Press ◽

Main Complication

“Prince was far too stressed out to fly says royal shrink … Bungling Prince Charles was lashed by a top psychiatrist last night” (Airs, 1994). This colourful fragment from a national tabloid illustrates one of the less savoury aspects of the increasing visibility of psychiatry in the media. The College Public Education Committee (PEC) was established in 1988 and has monitored press references to the College. In the three years prior to its establishment, it was able to find only seven press references to the College. A more recent survey, from September 1992–1993, found 736 such references (D. Hart, Royal College of Psychiatrists, personal communication). This dramatic increase has been partly due to the increasing politicisation of health care in general. However, a significant role has been played by the PEC. It has established an efficient machine which not only disseminates information from the College to the media, but also responds to inquiries from the media. On the whole, the results of this sort of activity are beneficial, the main complication being that of misrepresentation. We tend to be painfully aware of the dubious practices of the media, in particular the iniquities of the tabloid press. However, we also need to consider the possible ethical blunders that we may commit. The whole enterprise of speaking or writing about psychiatry in the public arena has generated several areas of ethical concern.

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