Volume 6 Issue 3 March 2016
Taking Psychiatric Stigma Head On!
It is well recognized that psychiatric disorders are associated with considerable degree of stigma. But the big question is how do we address the stigma? Various interventions have been suggested, tried and tested, which aimed to reduce stigma towards patients with psychiatric disorders. These have included educational interventions through public campaigns, education of patient’s family members, interactions of health-care providers and law enforcement personnel with patients with psychiatric disorders, and so on. These interventions have attempted to address the knowledge deficits as well skewed attitudes of the participants. Many interventions have been targeted at the medical professionals, as their attitudes are important in ensuring that the patient with psychiatric disorders is given adequate dignity while providing patient care. It has been heartening to see that the stigma towards psychiatric illnesses is
gradually eroding over time, but more needs to be done. The information dissemination activities need to be scaled up so that misconceptions about psychiatric illnesses are reduced. Medical and nursing students should be given adequate exposure to psychiatry so that their hesitations towards psychiatric patients could be reduced. Liaison of mental health-care with other service providers and educational institutions may help in dispelling myths about psychiatric illnesses and encouraging those suffering from psychiatric illnesses to seek care. Probably, with multi-pronged approach, the stigma towards psychiatric illnesses can be tackled, as has been done for other disorders like tuberculosis and leprosy.
Assistant Professor, AIIMS. Delhi
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