Evalutating Programs to Improve Social Acceptance of People with Mental health Issues

Evaluating Programs to Improve Social Acceptance
of People with Mental Health Issues

SAMHSA’s Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health invites you to register now for a free teleconference training titled, "Evaluating Programs to Improve Social Acceptance of People with Mental Health Issues."

Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Time: 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM (Eastern Time)

To register for this training teleconference, please click here for our registration page.
Please pass this invitation along to interested friends and colleagues. Please note: Registration for this teleconference will close at 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on Friday, October 17, 2008.

We will email the telephone number for the training teleconference to all registered participants on Monday, October 20, 2008.

Training Summary

Most programs to promote social acceptance and address public perceptions of people with mental health problems are not evaluated for two primary reasons; (1) there is a knowledge gap regarding how to develop and conduct evaluation efforts and (2) there are a lack of resources (both human and financial) available to most groups and organizations who run stigma reduction activities and programs.
This training will:

• Demonstrate how to evaluate programs, and provide opportunities for linking with individuals who have conducted evaluations of similar efforts.
• Explain the types of things to be considered when developing, planning, and conducting evaluation activities.
• Explain how you may work with evaluators for little or no cost.
• Provide information on collaborating with various universities for help with evaluation design issues that will help generate better results.

Send in Your Questions

We invite you to send in your questions related to evaluating programs to improve social acceptance of people with mental health issues in advance of the teleconference. Speakers will answer as many questions as possible during the teleconference. Please send your questions by e-mail topromoteacceptance@samhsa.hhs.gov.
Please note that sending a question does not guarantee its inclusion in the teleconference. We will provide the speakers' contact information so that you may pursue your answer after the call. If you provide your name and organization at the time you ask your question, we may use it during the call. Anonymous questions also can be submitted.

Training Sponsor

This teleconference is sponsored by SAMHSA's Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health (ADS Center), a project of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The session is free to all participants.


Norman DeLisle, MDRC
"With Liberty and Access for All!"
GrandCentral: 517-589-4081
MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/
LTC Blog: http://ltcreform.blogspot.com/
Recovery: http://therecoveringlife.blogspot.com/
Change: http://prosynergypsc.blogspot.com/

Reducing Stigma for American Military Personnel

Image by soldiersmediacenter via Flickr

To access the archived recording via telephone:

1. Call the playback dial-in number: 1-888-844-1786
2. When prompted, enter the reference number: 248035#

Teleconference Presentation [PDF Format – 1Mb]
Teleconference Presentation [PowerPoint Format - 2Mb]

Please choose to save the presentation file you select to your computer before opening it. Allow for extra processing time when opening large files.

The original name of this teleconference was “Reducing Stigma for American Soldiers” but it has come to our attention that the word "soldiers" is used primarily to refer to Army personnel. It was our intent that this teleconference would address stigma that all military personnel face, including veterans, reservists, and members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines—and their families. We apologize for any confusion and hope that military personnel of all branches, along with their families, providers, researchers, and other individuals will join us for this training event.

Norman DeLisle, MDRC
"With Liberty and Access for All!"
GrandCentral: 517-589-4081
MDRC Website: http://www.copower.org/
LTC Blog: http://ltcreform.blogspot.com/
Recovery: http://therecoveringlife.blogspot.com/
Change: http://prosynergypsc.blogspot.com/

SAMHSA and Ad Council Debut National Mental Health Anti-Stigma Campaign on College Campuses

Suicide is the Second Leading Cause of Death among College Students

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), working in collaboration with the Ad Council, announced today a program that has delivered their National Mental Health Anti-Stigma public service advertising (PSA) campaign for the first time directly to colleges and universities throughout the country. The campaign aims to reach 18-25-year-old adults and is designed to decrease the negative attitudes that surround mental illness by encouraging these young adults to support friends with mental health problems. As an extension of the campaign, new materials created specifically for college students have been distributed to colleges and universities nationwide.

Mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, are widespread in the United States. According to SAMHSA, in 2006 there were an estimated 24.9 million adults aged 18 or older living with serious psychological distress, an indicator highly correlated with serious mental illness.

Reducing Stigma for American Military Personnel

This page contains the links to a recording and presentation on mental illness stigma for military personnel. I participated in the original webinar, and was truly impressed by the quality of the consumers and other participant insights. Well worth a listen.

"

Nearly 1.4 million men and women make up the existing ranks of active duty military personnel, serving in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force, but research shows that America’s soldiers may not seek help when they are experiencing a mental health problem.

A 2004 study of 6,000 military personnel involved in ground combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan found that of those whose responses indicated a mental health problem, only 23 to 40 percent sought psychiatric help.¹ Many who did not cited fear of being stigmatized as a reason.² In June of this year, the Department of Defense Task Force on Mental Health acknowledged that “Stigma in the military remains pervasive and often prevents service members from seeking needed care” and made dispelling stigma one of their goals.³

This training will:

• Explore research on soldiers, including veterans, and mental health stigma.
• Offer first-hand accounts from people who have experienced mental health stigma in the military.
• Provide an overview of strategies that may help to promote mental health recovery and reduce stigma among members of the military."

SAMHSA And Ad Council Debut National Mental Health Anti-Stigma Campaign On College Campuses

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), working in collaboration with the Ad Council, announced today a program that has delivered their National Mental Health Anti-Stigma public service advertising (PSA) campaign for the first time directly to colleges and universities throughout the country. The campaign aims to reach 18-25-year-old adults and is designed to decrease the negative attitudes that surround mental illness by encouraging these young adults to support friends with mental health problems. As an extension of the campaign, new materials created specifically for college students have been distributed to colleges and universities nationwide.

Mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, are widespread in the United States. According to SAMHSA, in 2007 there were an estimated 24.9 million adults aged 18 or older living with serious psychological distress, an indicator highly correlated with serious mental illness.

Among 18-25-year-olds, the prevalence of serious psychological distress is the highest in the adult population, yet this age group was the least likely to receive treatment or counseling. Young people are more likely to seek help if social acceptance is broadened and they receive support and services early on.

According to fall 2007 data from the National College Health Assessment Report, more than half of all college students in the United States reported feeling “things were hopeless” and more than a third said they have felt during the past school year “so depressed it was difficult to function.” Additionally, almost one in 10 students said that they have seriously considered attempting suicide during the past year. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for college students, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Reducing Stigma for American Military Personnel

This page contains the archive of a webinar last December about stigma and mental illness in returning veterans. The page has downloadable or usable versions of the presentations and the speakers, who were very good. Lots of useful info.

The Series

I am sick of seeing Television shows like Seinfeld and ER that stigmatize persons with mental illness. I have seen so many prime time drama series about doctors, police officers and lawyers. I think there needs to be a prime time series about Community Mental Health, set in a CMHC. So I tossed some ideas down as I doodled on a note pad at work one day. The story of a desk receptionist dealing with clients at the window, case-managers, clinical liaisons, blue dots, rehab specialists, psych doctors, and psych nurses, that gives a human face to both persons with psychiatric conditions and those who are mental health professionals. The script writers, such as myself, would have to be writers who know the real mental health system, family members, consumers, and mental health professionals that can portray a non-stigmatized view of mental health. Of course there would the ethical crusaders in the mental health system tangled in disputes with unethical staff that undermine the very concept of integrity. (as we have seen this on every other prime time drama series). There can be moments of light hearted comedy (like other shows). But in this series the person with schizophrenia does not murder the two doctors during a hospital holiday celebration like we seen on one season of ER.

SAMHSA and Ad Council Unveil National Mental Health Anti-Stigma Campaign

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in partnership with the Ad Council, today launched a national awareness public service advertising (PSA) campaign designed to decrease the negative attitudes that surround mental illness and encourage young adults to support their friends who are living with mental health problems.

40 Years Later: You Can Lead MLK's Dream of the IAACM!

Forty years ago today, on 1 September 1967, the Rev. Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr. made an historic speech in front of a highly
appropriate audience.

MLK stood in front of the American Psychological Association's Annual
Meeting.

As he had for 12 years in many essays and speeches, MLK said he was
"proud" to be psychologically "maladjusted."

And as he did at least ten speeches, MLK passionately said that,
"Thus, it may well be that our world is in dire need of a new
organization, The International Association for the Advancement of
Creative Maladjustment."

The International Association for the Advancement of Creative
Maladjustment or IAACM apparently never formed.