Fighting Stigma Related to Mental Disorders and its Consequences

Action for Mental Health Programmes has been involved in the World Psychiatric Association’s (WPA’s) Global programme against stigma and discrimination related to schizophrenia. The programme has also been the origin of the creation of a special scientific section of the WPA on stigma. That section, working hand in hand with AIMHP, has organized several international conferences dealing with stigma of mental illness and stimulated activities related to the fight against stigmatization because of mental illness, in Leipzig (2003), Queenstown (2005), Istanbul (2007), London (2009), Ottawa (2011), Tokyo (2013), San Francisco (2015), Copenhagen (2017), and Singapore (2019).

The AIMHP has also participated in the development of several volumes related to stigma. Dr. Sartorius has spoken about the programme and about the lessons learned in the programme at numerous international and national conferences and congresses.

• Stuart H, Arboleda-Flórez J, Sartorius N (eds) (2005) Stigma and Mental Disorders: International Perspectives. World Psychiatry Volume 4, Supplement 1, September 2005.
• Arboleda-Flórez J, Sartorius N, editors. (2008) Understanding the Stigma of Mental Illness: Theory and Interventions. John Wiley & Sons; 213p (ISBN 978-0-470-72328-9)
• Stuart H, Arboleda-Florez J, Sartorius N. (2012). Paradigms Lost- Fighting Stigma and the Lessons Learned. Oxford University Press, 304p, (ISBN 978-0-19-979763-9).
• Sartorius N, Gaebel W, Cleveland HR, Stuart H, Akiyama T, Arboleda-Flórez J, Baumann AE, Gureje O, Jorge MR, Kastrup M, Suzuki Y, Tasman A. (2010) WPA guidance on how to combat stigmatization of psychiatry and psychiatrists (Special Article). World Psychiatry. 9:131-144.
• Gaebel W, Rössler W, Sartorius N.(eds.) (2017) The Stigma of Mental Illness – End of the Story? Springer International Publishing Switzerland AG. 656 p. (ISBN 9783-319-27837)

The AIMHP has also participated in the process of development of a worldwide alliance of programs against stigma which included programs in a number of countries.

Recently, AIMHP has been involved in the development of guidelines about action to reduce stigma of psychiatry and psychiatrists. A WPA task force, chaired by Dr. Sartorius reviewed the literature and made a series of recommendations to national psychiatric societies, to mental health personnel and to the media.

The link below contains the list of publications on stigma and mental disorders produced by members of the WPA Section on Stigma between 2019 and 2020.

https://www.wpanet.org/_files/ugd/842ec8_3e598c0d960b41189af0ee84066c095b.pdf

The AIMHP also participated in the development of the national mental health program in Bosnia & Herzegovina (carried out with the support of the Swiss Government) and organized the anti-stigma component of the national program in Bosnia & Herzegovina. 

The AIMHP participates in the Global Alliance on Antistigma programs and in the work of the World Psychiatric Association’s Section on Stigma.