Overcoming the Stigma of Mental Health

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(No Transcript)
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Seminar F Overcoming the stigma of mental health

• Louis Appleby National Director for Mental
  Health
• Jane Beckett Worcestershire Mental Health
  Partnership Trust
• Sarah Taylor Trust Practice Educator

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Overcoming the Stigma of Mental Health

• Jane Beckett and Sarah Taylor

Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust
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TAGISM labelling

• Sight defect glasses

• Hearing problem hearing aid

• Diabetes insulin

• Broken leg surgery

• Mental illness ?

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The effects of mental illness

• 1 in 4 people experience mental illness at some
  point in their lives
• 41 of people with mental distress faced
  harassment in the community. 90 felt that this
  was due to their mental health problem
• 56 experienced some form of unfair treatment
  from their families

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The effects of mental illness

• 1 in 10 people lost all or most of their friends
  after telling them about their mental illness
• 6 out of 10 people thought that they might have
  been turned down for a job because of their
  experience of mental distress
• Service user statistics from the Mental Health
  Medias Anti-Discrimination Toolkit (OPENUP)

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• If you are unfortunate enough to be labelled as
  mentally ill, it is as if they use permanent ink

But do they know what to write on the label?
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Mad, Bad and Sad

• Sarahs
• experience

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Why is mental illness stigmatised?

• FEAR of the unknown. You cant see a physical
  problem.
• There may be anti-social behaviour or shyness, so
  service users can be isolated.
• People cant always explain exactly what the
  problem is and may be undiagnosed and untreated
  for years.
• There may be visible side-effects from
  medication.
• Services are often based in isolated mental
  health buildings, with associated stigma.

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What are we doing to overcome stigma?

• Involving People Project
• Back to basics
• Keep it simple
• No mention of mental health!
• Aim is to get people involved. Overcoming stigma
  is a by product

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Involving People Project

• Working in partnership with
• staff
• service users
• PALS Manager
• Social Services
• Patient and Public Involvement Forum
• Worcestershire Mental Health Network
• Embedding the principles of involvement in all
  that we do

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Involving People Project

• Patient and Public Involvement Strategy rewritten
  in partnership
• Chief Executive joined project group
• Strategy to Trust Board to secure ownership
  from the top of the organisation
• Communication throughout the Trust and beyond

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Involving People Project

• Patient surgeries on in-patient wards (PALS
  Manager)
• Patients Charter
• Extending partnership working to other
  organisations, including those on the periphery
  of mental health
• Accessible information personalised Patient and
  Carer Information Packs

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Involving People Project

• Involving People Conference senior Trust staff,
  service users and partner organisation
• Awareness raising within and outside the Trust
• Engaging staff on the ground
• Meeting people where they are

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Involving People Project

• Specific initiatives for the next 12 months
• Staff road shows
• Public meetings
• Stakeholder events
• Focus/discussion groups
• Consultation exercises
• Patient surveys

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Summary

• Engaging people
• Listen
• Communicate
• Act
• Feed back
• Gaining ownership at all levels
• Reaching out to the wider population
• Overcoming fear of the unknown