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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Department of Health and Human Services

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration Center for Mental Health Services

Last Updated: 6/22/2012

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SAMHSA’s Resource Center to Promote Acceptance,
Dignity and Social Inclusion Associated with
Mental Health (ADS Center)

 
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Mental Health News You Can Use...


August 2009

Issue 24

This electronic update is written by SAMHSA's Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health (ADS Center), a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) Office of Consumer Affairs. We invite you to share this information with your friends and colleagues who share your interest in confronting prejudice and discrimination associated with mental illness and to post this information in your own newsletters or listservs. Visit the ADS Center on the Web at http://www.promoteacceptance.samhsa.gov.

In this issue...

A Letter from the ADS Center

Spotlight: Contact Approach Efforts

Online Resources

Research

Models, Programs, and Technical Assistance Tools... In Our Own Voice

In My Experience... “A Transforming Journey”, by Carla Beck

A Letter from the ADS Center

Research has shown that interpersonal contact between people who have mental health problems and the general public is the most effective way to reduce the negative attitudes, beliefs, and discrimination associated with mental illnesses (Corrigan & Wassel, 2008). There are different levels of contact that can be used to decrease stigma. The most effective as noted by Dr. Corrigan is the level in which you find out “that a coworker or person in your church or a neighbor is struggling with a mental illness. That tends to greatly challenge the stereotypes.” 1 Individuals across the country are involved in contact approach activities that help individuals in their local communities learn about mental health and mental problems, and understand that anyone may be affected.

In this issue of Mental Health News You Can Use…we share with you information on several contact approach activities that are being implemented in communities across the United States.  We hope that these activities will serve as a catalyst for you to initiate a contact approach effort in your community.

Sincerely,
The ADS Center

Spotlight: Contact Approach Efforts

Capitol Showcase Consumer Art Exhibit
This art exhibit originally developed in 2002 and sponsored by the Alabama Department of Mental Health & Mental Retardation, is an annual month-long exhibit displayed at the State Capitol that showcases more than 100 pieces of art created by mental health consumers. A reception for all of the artists and their family and friends is held during the month.  The event is opened with a message from the Commissioner and individual artists are honored with award certificates for their participation. For artists with mental health problems, intellectual disabilities, or substance use disorders, the exhibit is about more than just their art. Along with sharing their artistic abilities, artists share their heartfelt testimonies about the obstacles they have overcome in their lives by displaying their personal stories as well. For more information on the Showcase contact John Ziegler at 334-242-3417.

Iowa Advocates for Mental Health Recovery
This project originally developed by The Mental Health Association of Siouxland has trained mental health consumers of all ages, including young adult presenters, to serve as members of a speaker’s bureau that conducts presentations throughout Iowa. Members of the speaker’s bureau have received training in public speaking and assist in arranging their own speaking events. To date, 103 presentations have been conducted and 29 mental health consumers have received training to share messages of hope and recovery in their communities. The project Website, www.hopetalks.com, provides information on booking presentations, promoting social inclusion, and other helpful links. For more information on this program contact Michael Wood at 712-255-1691.

Minds Interrupted: Stories of Lives Affected by Mental Illness
This project developed by Michele Herling and Rosemary Zibart, members of NAMI Santa Fe, is a live theatre event in which individuals who have been impacted by mental health problems perform monologues sharing their lived experiences. Monologue participants are mental health consumers and family members who have completed a writing workshop where they develop and edit the monologues they will perform for an audience. Since its inception in the spring of 2008, two events with more than 250 audience members have been held in Santa Fe and Española, New Mexico. A third performance with local community members from Baltimore will take place at Centerstage Theater in Baltimore, MD on October 26, 2009. For more information on this project contact Michele Herling at 505-577-7840.

New Jersey Mental Health Players
The New Jersey Mental Health Players program has served New Jersey audiences for over 30 years by providing audience members with real-life situations surrounding mental health issues.  The topics of the presentations performed during the one to three hour sessions are chosen by the organization who has requested the program. The organization can choose from up to 30 topics that can be addressed during the session. The program includes real-life role plays, directly followed by interactive discussions between the audience and the presenters. All of the “mental health players” are individuals who have received in-depth training on various issues regarding mental illness, and some also reveal their mental health diagnoses at the end of the performances. For more information on this program contact Sharon Curran at 973-571-4100.   

Reducing Stigma by Meeting and Learning from People with Serious Mental Illness
Reducing Stigma by Meeting and Learning from People with Serious Mental Illness is a project of The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey’s Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey. The public education program consists of panel presentations where mental health consumers and faculty of the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation share information on the facts about mental illness, characteristic symptoms, recovery strategies, and personal stories. These content modules have been developed through the collaboration of mental health, department faculty, and experts in the field of mental health service delivery. These presentations have been conducted with high school and college students. For more information on this program contact Amy B. Spagnolo at 908-889-2544.

Sharing the Struggle: Promoting Mental Health on Campus through Students’ Stories of Recovery
This project developed by individuals at Pepperdine University utilizes the contact approach to educate young adults on their college campus. Young adult mental health consumers share their personal stories in psychology classes as a means of educating their peers and reducing the negative attitudes associated with mental illness. Results from the presentations have shown a reduction in stigma and participants have reported greater openness to seek treatment for mental health concerns and agreement that recovery from mental health problems is possible. For more information on this project contact Jaclyn Riffertat 812-589-9070.

Students in Prevention
CMHR supporters and members of NAMI San Joaquin County are working with the County’s Students in Prevention Program (SPP) where 48 high school students receive training during the summer on substance abuse prevention and on social inclusion using the materials of the Campaign for Mental Health Recovery.  During the next school year these students will deliver presentations to middle and high school students throughout the county. For more information on this project contact Gertie Kandris.

Stamp Out Stigma
Stamp Out Stigma is a mental health consumer-driven advocacy and educational outreach program in California. It strives to make positive changes in the public perception of mental illness and to inform the community about the personal, social, economic, and political challenges faced by people living with mental health problems. Stamp Out Stigma presentations consist of an interactive panel of four to six speakers who are living with mental health problems. These speakers share their personal stories with the audience. To date, Stamp Out Stigma has made over 1,000 presentations, reaching over 60,000 people throughout Northern California. For more information on this program contact Carmen Lee at 650-592-2345.

Stomp Out Stigma
Stomp Out Stigma is a program developed by Community Network Services in Michigan. It is an interactive presentation designed to stimulate discussion about mental health/substance abuse issues and the discrimination and stigma that is faced when someone has a mental health disorder. Sharing their own stories, the presenters create an atmosphere that is helpful for people to be able to learn the facts and myths about mental illness, what to do when faced with a crisis, and how to get involved personally to address the stigma surrounding mental health and substance abuse disorders. For more information on this program contact Laura Farwell at 248-409-4211.

The Heard: A Speakers Bureau
This program is part of the National Mental Health Awareness Campaign and individuals participating in the speakers bureau have received training from top mental health advocates and professionals in the field. The goal of the presentations is to provide a positive example of someone who has lived with a mental health condition in order to help all students understand they can talk about whatever is troubling them. Presentations are regularly made at middle schools, high schools, colleges, parent groups, conferences and other events. For more information on this program contact the Campaign by clicking here.

SAMHSA Campaign for Mental Health Recovery State Implementation Awards
The State Implementation awards are mini-grants provided by SAMHSA to consumer run organizations across the U.S. to develop outreach and community-based efforts, mental health education and social inclusion activities aimed at young adults between 18-25 years of age. To date, 23 organizations have received $25,000 to develop and implement contact approach activities. These activities include creating consumer art pieces and multimedia events to showcase the artwork; presenting consumer led programs at local community events, schools, and colleges; developing speakers bureaus; producing mental health consumer stand-up comedy shows; filming and showing first-person interviews with mental health consumers and their friends; and compiling and publishing mental health consumer stories in book format.  To learn more about these awards, click here.

Online Resources

Telling Your Recovery Story: Giving Meaning and Purpose to Your Pain by Using it to Help Someone
This brief article provides information and helpful hints for individuals who are interested in sharing their story of recovery with an audience.

Developing a Stigma Reduction Initiative
This guide offers practical advice on how to implement an initiative, sample materials and templates to use in developing communication materials, tactics to enhance outreach efforts, and directories of resources for creating public education materials.

Elements of Recovery for People Experiencing Mental Illness
This fact sheet describes key elements that help many consumers in recovery.

Voice of Transformation: Developing Recovery-Based Statewide Consumer/Survivor Organizations
This manual developed by the National Empowerment Center and the Recovery Consortium provides individuals and agencies with information that can assist them in organizing new consumer/survivor organizations and/or strengthen the organizations that already exist within their State.

Self-Disclosure and Its Impact on Individuals Who Receive Mental Health Services
This publication examines the role self-disclosure plays in reducing stigma and discrimination associated with mental health problems. It provides information that may be used by individuals with a mental illness to determine the impact of self-disclosure.

Challenging Stereotypes: An Action Guide
This guide offers ways to work with the media to provide accurate depictions of people with mental illness and to share their recovery experiences. It Includes sample letters and contact information for local and national media.

Research

Alexandar, L., Link, B. The impact of contact on stigmatizing attitudes toward people with mental illness. Journal of Mental Health. 2003 June; 12:271-289.

Corrigan, P.W., Gelb, B. Three programs that use mass approaches to challenge the stigma of mental illness. Psychiatric Services. 2006 March; 57:393-398.

Corrigan, P.W., Larson, J., Sells, M., Niessen, N., et al. Will filmed presentations of education and contact diminish mental illness stigma. Community Mental Health Journal. 2007 April; 43:171-181.

Corrigan, P.W., Penn, D. Lessons from social psychology on discrediting psychiatric stigma. The American Psychologist. 1999 September; 54:765-776.

Corrigan, P.W., River, L., Lundin, R., Penn, D., et. al. Three strategies for changing attributions about severe mental illness. Schizophrenia Bulletin. 2001; 27:187-195.

Corrigan, P.W., Wassel, A. Understanding and influencing the stigma of mental illness. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services. 2008 January; 46:42-48.

Heihnders, M., Van Der Meij, S. The fight against stigma: An overview of stigma-reduction strategies and interventions.  Psychology, Health and Medicine. 2006 August; 11:353-363.

Levin, S., Van Larr, C. (2004). Stigma and group inequality: Social psychological perspectives. New Jersey: Claremont Symposium on Applied Social Psychology.

Mann, C., Himelein, M. Putting the person back into psychopathology: an intervention to reduce mental illness stigma in the classroom. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. 2008 July; 43:545-551.

Penn, D. Couture, S. Interpersonal contact and the stigma of mental illness: A review of the literature.  Journal of Mental Health. 2003 June; 12:291-305.

Rusch, L., Kanter, J., Angelone, A., Ridley, R. The impact of In Our Own Voice on stigma. American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation. 2008 October; 11:373-389.

Rusch, N., Angermeyer, M.C., Corrigan, P.  Mental illness stigma: Concepts, consequences, and initiatives to reduce stigma. European Psychiatry: The Journal of the Association of European Psychiatrists. 2005 December; 20:529-539.

Reinke, R., Corrigan, P., Leonhard, C., Lundin, R. Examining two aspects of contact on the stigma of mental illness. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 2004 June; 23:377-389.

Spagnolo, A., Murphy, A., Librera, L. Reducing stigma by meeting and learning from people with mental illness. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal. 2008; 31:186-193.

Models, Programs, and Technical Assistance Tools:In Our Own Voice

In Our Own Voice (IOOV) is a unique public education program developed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The program offers insight into the recovery that is possible for people with mental health problems; it aims to meet the need for consumer-run education initiatives, to set a standard for quality education about mental illness from those who have been there, to offer genuine work opportunities for consumers, to encourage self-confidence and self-esteem in presenters, and to focus on recovery and the message of hope.

An article published in the peer-review Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal concludes that: “There is strong evidence that NAMI’s ‘In Our Own Voice’ consumer education presentation is effective as a strategy for increasing audience knowledge about mental illness and improving attitudes towards those who experience psychiatric disorders.” (Wood & Wahl, 2006).

Presentations are offered by mental health consumers who have been trained as presenters. They offer personal testimonies about their journey with mental illness—through dark days, acceptance, treatment, coping skills, successes, and the realization of hopes, and dreams. The presentations consist of a video, personal testimony, and a discussion period. These presentations have helped to enrich the audiences understanding of how people with serious mental disorders cope with the reality of their illnesses while recovering and reclaiming productive lives.

The presentations vary in length from 60 to 90 minutes, and they offer an opportunity for dialogue between the audience and the presenters. IOOV presentations are given to consumer groups, students, law enforcement officials, educators, providers, faith community members, politicians, professionals, inmates, and interested civic groups.

Since the inception of the program in 1996 and through the spring of 2008, more than 2,000 presenters have been trained to conduct presentations, over 100,000 audience members have been reached, and the program is active in 37 of the 50 States. A Spanish language version of the IOOV program is also being developed and will be made available soon.

To learn more about the IOOV program, contact your NAMI State office or local affiliate about presentations in your area. The contact information for your local affiliate or State office can be accessed by clicking here.

In My Experience... “A Transforming Journey” by Carla Beck

My life would be smaller if I hadn’t had mental illness. I probably would not see the bigger picture of the world and the way things are. I feel very blessed that I did walk through the fire. It opened my eyes to seeing humanity.

When I was thirty-two years old and starting a children’s theme party business, I started believing my dentist was following me. I thought my teeth were bugged and there were cameras installed everywhere I went. I remember the day I first thought I was being followed. I remember the first item I looked over and thought the dentist was there watching me. My whole family – my father, sister, brother, and their kids – were out at an ice show. When they got home, I started acting differently. I thought the cameras were there.

My business was incorporated, I had ordered $5, 000 worth of inventory, and I would be up until two in the morning taking photographs for the catalog. I was trying to keep everything perfect – the perfect house, the perfect schedule. I thought that my dentist and half the county were rooting for me to succeed; I would turn on the radio so they could give me messages. If a song came on the radio advertising a certain church, I thought that was a message for me to go to that church, so I would run from church to church.

During the beginning phase, I was euphoric. I felt like I had stepped out of the rain into this new world where everything was intense. I believe there was a good side and an evil side, and the dentist was on the good side. Then my emotions began to fluctuate rapidly. I made my husband change the locks on the door. I locked my journals in a box, but that wasn’t good enough. I started burning what I wrote. I left a note for the evil people: “I don’t want anyone else to know what I wrote in my journal. Your purpose may have originally been all in fun, but it’s not anymore. If there was a recording device in the house it needs to be removed. I do not want my daughter used to give me any messages.”

I was in psychosis for nine months before I got help. Nobody knew what was going on. Even though we had a history of mental illness in my family, it had never been talked about, so no one knew why I was acting so different. I kind of lucked into getting help: My husband and I were going to a marriage counselor and I said something that tipped her off. She immediately referred me to a psychiatrist. Wisely, the psychiatrist did not try to convince me that my hallucinations were not real. He gave me some medicine and told me it would help me deal with stress. I took it.

That’s when the real walking through fire began. I went on an anti-psychotic medication and a few weeks later, I realized how faulty my thinking had been. My head stopped feeling as if it were about to explode from the thoughts pouring in, but I became catatonic at work. I couldn’t function. I lost my job. My creativity was gone; I was emotionally flat. I could not bathe the kids or go into stores. I felt like I had three phases of reality: In the first phase I couldn’t concentrate on people, television, or writing. In the second phase I couldn’t tolerate anything, and I had to lie in a dark and quiet room with a pillow over my head. In the third phase I felt a little like myself but tired and anxious about going back into phase one again. I would cycle through this many times a day. I wasn’t able to hold a conversation. I wasn’t able to follow the directions on a box of macaroni and cheese. I progressed to not being able to be around people at all.

Today, I work as a mental health peer specialist. I facilitate recovery classes; I co-founded a peer support group; I tell my story in the newspaper; I speak out about mental illness at recovery conferences, psychiatric hospitals, and police stations. Prior to going into psychosis, my house was the one all the neighborhood kids visited to enjoy crafts, throw water balloons, and come to themed birthday parties. Now my home is once again the place for kids to hang out, have holiday parties, and enjoy birthday celebrations.

This is my story about how my illness developed, how I survived it, how I live with it, and how it has transformed my life.

This story is part of a book, Firewalkers: Madness, Beauty & Mystery, developed by the Virginia Organization of Consumers Asserting Leadership as part of a SAMHSA Campaign for Mental Health Recovery state implementation award.

 

 

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SAMHSA Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health http://promoteacceptance.samhsa.gov/