Stigma - MA student session

StigmaVictoria Betton

Me

@VictoriaBetton

Digital mental health

csvcnb@leeds.ac.uk www.digitalmentalhealth.co.uk

Stigma

‘Stigma is the situation of the individual who is disqualified from full social acceptance…

The stigmatized individual is reduced in ourminds from a whole and usual person to a

tainted, discounted one’

(Goffman, 1963)

What is mental health?

‘Mental health is not just the absence of mental disorder. It is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community’

World Health Organisation

What is mental distress?

‘Mental health problems include a wide range of experiences: some problems may be quite mild or moderate, while others may take on a more severe form, affecting a person’s ability to cope with day-to-day living. You may have heard about some of the more common problems, such as depression, anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, schizophrenia, psychosis, stress and bipolar disorder’ MIND

What percentage of people in the UK might have a mental health problem at some point in their

lives?

• 1 in 3 • 1 in 4 • 1 in 10• 1 in 50 • 1 in 100• 1 in 1000

Attitudes to Mental Illness survey 2011

Table 16: Trends in proportion of people who might have a mental health problem, 2003-2011

2003 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Base: All adults in England Weighted 1712 1727 1696 1725 1717 1720Unweighted 1632 1729 1703 1751 1745 1741

% % % % % %

What proportion of people in the UK do you think might have a mental health problem at some point in their lives?

1 in 1000 9 8 7 9 8 9 1 in 100 15 14 13 15 16 13 1 in 50 14 17 14 16 18 14 1 in 10 26 25 25 24 24 28 1 in 4 12 15 14 13 16 14 1 in 3 9 8 9 8 7 6 Don't know 15 13 17 15 12 16

Attitudes to Mental Illness survey 2011

• % of people agreeing that ‘mental illness is an illness like any other’ increased from 71% in 1994 to 77% in 2011

• % saying they would be comfortable talking to a friend or family member about their mental health, for example telling them they had a mental health diagnosis and how it affects them, rose from 66% in 2009 to 70% in 2011

• % saying they would feel uncomfortable talking their employer about their mental health was 43%, compared to 50% in 2010

Shifting public attitudes

The Sun (2003)

National Attitudes to Mental Illness survey 2011

• 85% respondents in 2011 said that people with mental illness experience stigma and discrimination

• (50%) said they experience a lot of discrimination

• 35% said that they experience a little discrimination

• No significant change in responses 2010/ 2011

Goffman – Stigma (1963)

• Social interaction• ‘normals’ and the ‘stigmatised’• Social norms and expectations• Subjective experience – self stigma• Public stigma – withdrawal and exclusion• Labelling – identity and dependence• Media – influence and information

Functions of stigma

• Exploitation/domination – keeping people down

• Enforcment of social norms – keeping people in

• Avoidance of disease – keeping people away

(Phelan et al, 2008)

What are everyday

words and beliefs associated with mental illness?

Asylum (2005)

Four components of stigma

(i) people distinguish between and label personal characteristics

(ii) labels are linked to undesirable characteristics which results in stereotyping

(iii) labelled persons are seen as part of an out group

(iv) labelled people experience status loss and discrimination.

(Link & Phelan, 2004)

Three approaches to challenging stigma

• Protest – stigma as moral injustice • Education – facts and figures• Contact – interpersonal contact

(Corrigan et al, 2006)

What challenges stigma?

• Direct contact on equal terms• Recovery orientated messages• ‘See the whole person’• Biomedical - ‘ pitying’• Social context - ‘understanding’

(Corrigan, 2000)

Johnjusthuman

2012 Mind Media awards finalisthttp://www.youtube.com/user/johnjusthuman

Time to Change

It’s Time to Talk TV adhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dTgAGeNRpw

Your challenging stigma campaign

Design key features of your campaign:

• Audience• Key messages• Delivery• Measurement

Thank you

@VictoriaBettoncsvcnb@leeds.ac.uk