Effectiveness of public education

Increasing public understanding of mental illness and addiction has multiple benefits as evidenced by research.  Early detection, diagnosis and treatment results in better treatment outcomes, shorter episodes, and fewer relapses.  Further, research results suggest that increasing knowledge can positively affect social distance - the more that people understand, the less likely they will be to distance themselves from someone with a mental illness or substance use problem.

Among the strategies found to be most effective in creating greater understanding and acceptance, are a comprehensive health promotion framework combined with a social marketing approach Various groups of people who have suffered from the effects of social stigma have managed to end or minimize that stigma by creating widespread change in social attitudes.  Examples have included the gay and lesbian community, and groups representing those with disabilities, AIDS or cancer. Their success has often been as a result of a broad health promotion approach. 

Similarly, in the area of mental illness and addictions, what is needed is a health promotion approach, including:

• a social marketing strategy designed to raise awareness, encourage help seeking and promote positive attitudes;
• development of healthy public policy which would ensure supportive policies for social assistance, employment, housing, and health care;
• sensitization training for those who regularly come into contact with people with personal experience; and
• research to explore more effective treatments.

Understanding effective strategies to changing attitudes is important.  Some research highlights: 

• The most promising strategy to impact negative perceptions is increasing contact with persons with mental illness or addiction.  In particular, self reported previous contact with persons with mental illness is associated with more favourable attitudes and lower ratings of perceived dangerousness towards persons with a serious mental illness. Positive effects of contact could come from increased knowledge base which has been associated with reducing stigma.  Other factors may mediate the relationship between contact and stigma: frequent contact with persons who only moderately disconfirm the stereotype and/or are typical to the majority group; institutional support for contact; and cooperative interaction and equal status between the stigmatized individuals and members of the community.
• Given the influence of media on fostering public attitudes, the results of one study suggest that factual information (i.e. addressing misconceptions about mental illness, including the frequency of violent behavior among persons with mental illness AND the role of media distortion on impacting community attitudes towards persons with mental illness) may be effective in nullifying the influence of negative news coverage of persons with mental illness.
• Increasingly, people are obtaining information, support and treatment through the Internet and with positive outcomes. While online services are not a panacea, they nevertheless have some important advantages over other forms of care.  Additionally, information and advice received online has been found to influence how some individuals later utilize face-to-face treatment resources.  It is now possible for individuals who are concerned about stigma, to seek help for their problems without making any personal disclosure.  This raises the possibility that many who are initially reluctant to seek help, will be more likely to follow through in the future.  The inherent advantages of the Internet: privacy, convenience, safety, portability and so on, ensure that help is always available to those with Internet access. Seeking help through the Internet does not have to involve others; in this way, stigma is neutralized.
  

• Print Bookmark