Abstract:
Background: Mental illness affects a significant portion of the global population, with 1 in every 8 individuals worldwide living with a mental disorder. Unfortunately, mental illness and mental health have often been neglected topics, overshadowed by social stigma. The stigma associated with mental illness is profoundly debilitating, posing substantial barriers to diagnosis, treatment, and community integration. As a result, individuals facing stigma experience lower life satisfaction, poorer social outcomes, and diminished self-esteem and quality of life. Previous research has predominantly focused on attitudes towards mental illness, lacking comprehensive investigations into interventions for stigma reduction. Consequently, the untapped potential for improving mental health within communities remains underutilized.Methodology: To address this gap, this study aims to investigate effective approaches to reducing social stigma surrounding mental health and mental disorders. Results: The findings reveal that mental health promotion should adopt a positive perspective, emphasizing well-being rather than solely focusing on deficits and illness. Interventions such as education and awareness programs, personal contact between individuals with lived experiences and the public, anti-stigma initiatives in educational settings, media campaigns portraying accurate and positive depictions of mental health conditions, integration of mental health care into general health services, peer support programs, policy changes, and collaboration among multiple stakeholders have demonstrated efficacy in reducing stigma and fostering positive attitudes towards mental health. Conclusion: This study provides valuable insights into the implementation of interventions aimed at reducing stigma and promoting positive perceptions of mental health. Adopting these approaches can lead to improved overall outcomes for individuals affected by mental illness.
Page(s):
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Abstract Book on 9th Annual Neuroscience Conference (ANC-23) August 12-13, 2023 , Volume: 0, Issue: 0, Year: 2023