NHS Health Scotland, a major WHO Collaborating Centre for mental health, has launched two new resources as a first step toward supporting member states to develop anti-stimga activities.
A team of experts led by the Scottish Development Centre for Mental Health and including Professors Norman Sartorius and Graham Thornicroft brought together a range of member states experiences in combatting the stigma related to mental illness.
The Collaborating Centre is now committed to sharing these experiences and resources with other countries planning campaigns or related activities.
At a developmental seminar in Edinburgh on 24 April, Health Scotland launched two new publications, a European briefing paper and Guidebook for action produced in partnership with WHO Europe.
The International Briefing Paper discusses the concepts of stigma, discrimination and social exclusion as they relate to mental illness. The term stigma is used to describe the attitudes adopted by society or individuals towards those with mental health problems or mental disorders. Discrimination is used to describe the actions that arise from stigmatising attitudes. Social exclusion is described in this context as a consequence of stigma and discrimination.
The Toolkit brings together a collection of examples of anti-stigma work, focussing on the practical, transferable aspects of these campaigns that can be srawn upon in developing culturally sensitive and effective anti-stigma activities in other countries.
Both papers are available below. A report of the event is in development.