Mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, autism spectrum disorders etc. Consequences of mental illness for the individual and society could lead to increased disability, unemployment, substance abuse, homelessness and even suicide. Major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193.2 billion annually in lost earnings alone. ... Healthy People 2010 and its consequent Healthy Kansans 2010 distinguished mental health as one of the ten leading health indicators to monitor the health status of Kansans. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recognize the need to assess status of mental health of Kansans. ... This report provides the comprehensive review of mental illness status in Kansas that will help KDHE in directing effective services and program efforts for better mental health of Kansans.
Serious mental illnesses include major depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder, eating disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, mood disorder, autism spectrum disorders and borderline personality disorder. An estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older, about one in four adults, suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year. ... Major mental disorders cost the nation at least $193.2 billion annually in lost earnings alone. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated that in 2003, $100 billion was spent on the treatment of mental disorders in the United States. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) recognizes the need to assess the status of mental health of Kansans. ... This report provides detailed analysis of mental illness status in Kansas using 2009 Kansas BRFSS data.
Estimates indicate that as many as 1 in 4 Americans will experience a mental health problem or will misuse alcohol or drugs in their lifetimes. These disorders are among the most highly stigmatized health conditions in the United States, and they remain barriers to full participation in society in areas as basic as education, housing, and employment. Improving the lives of people with mental health and substance abuse disorders has been a priority in the United States for more than 50 years. The Community Mental Health Act of 1963 is considered a major turning point in America's efforts to improve behavioral healthcare. It ushered in an era of optimism and hope and laid the groundwork for the consumer movement and new models of recovery. The consumer movement gave voice to people with mental and substance use disorders and brought their perspectives and experience into national discussions about mental health. However over the same 50-year period, positive change in American public attitudes and beliefs about mental and substance use disorders has lagged behind these advances. Stigma is a complex social phenomenon based on a relationship between an attribute and a stereotype that assigns undesirable labels, qualities, and behaviors to a person with that attribute. Labeled individuals are then socially devalued, which leads to inequality and discrimination. This report contributes to national efforts to understand and change attitudes, beliefs and behaviors that can lead to stigma and discrimination. Changing stigma in a lasting way will require coordinated efforts, which are based on the best possible evidence, supported at the national level with multiyear funding, and planned and implemented by an effective coalition of representative stakeholders. Ending Discrimination Against People with Mental and Substance Use Disorders: The Evidence for Stigma Change explores stigma and discrimination faced by individuals with mental or substance use disorders and recommends effective strategies for reducing stigma and encouraging people to seek treatment and other supportive services. It offers a set of conclusions and recommendations about successful stigma change strategies and the research needed to inform and evaluate these efforts in the United States.
Stigma is a cluster of negative attitudes and beliefs that motivate the general public to fear, reject, avoid and discriminate against people with mental illnesses.
This book makes a highly innovative contribution to overcoming the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness – still the heaviest burden both for those afflicted and those caring for them. The scene is set by the presentation of different fundamental perspectives on the problem of stigma and discrimination by researchers, consumers, families, and human rights experts. Current knowledge and practice used in reducing stigma are then described, with information on the programmes adopted across the world and their utility, feasibility, and effectiveness. The core of the volume comprises descriptions of new approaches and innovative programmes specifically designed to overcome stigma and discrimination. In the closing part of the book, the editors – all respected experts in the field – summarize some of the most important evidence- and experience-based recommendations for future action to successfully rewrite the long and burdensome ‘story’ of mental illness stigma and discrimination.
"This pamphlet sets forth our basic ideas and convictions concerning the program of community mental health services in Kansas. It is intended primarily as a guide for the 82 counties of Kansas that have not made provision for specialized local mental health services. It may also be useful to the 23 counties already involved in a community mental health program, in helping them evaluate their local activities." -- Foreword.
One of the strongest deterrents to seeking mental health care is the stigma associated with mental illness in our society. Stigma affects not only those seeking treatment but also their families and caregivers. The aim of this book is to educate both professionals and the lay public on the pervasiveness of the stigmatization of mental illness, with the hope that education will inspire understanding. The book opens with firsthand accounts of stigma that poignantly portray what it is like to experience stigma and mental illness in our society--the pain of rejection by friends, the loss of individual rights, the closed door at every turn. These personal stories, one by a senior resident physician suffering from bipolar disorder and alcoholism, are powerful reminders of stigma's debilitating effects on all those touched by mental illness. Stigma is not a new problem. It can be traced as far back as ancient Greece. A historical overview examines selected periods in history and how perceptions toward mentally ill persons and toward stigma itself have changed over time. A review of stigma from a religious perspective reveals a historical association of mental illness with sin. Stereotypic caricatures as portrayed in the media and on film reinforce society's attitudes toward mentally ill individuals. The book examines societal issues from the points of view of the patient, the homeless mentally ill, and the families of both patients and caregivers. A fascinating look at how psychiatrists have been portrayed in films illustrates the problem of the stigmatized physician. Society's image of the psychiatric institution is the subject of a discussion on stigma in the psychiatric hospital--what it means for those who work with persons who are chronically mentally ill, the stigma surrounding ECT, and attitudes toward the deinstitutionalized patient. A note of encouragement is offered in the closing chapter on the effectiveness of educational theater in reducing stigma in one communication. It is hoped that this collection of diversified perspectives on stigma and mental illness will draw significant attention to a long-standing and serious problem.
