Reduction of Mental Health Related Stigma and Discrimination

World Bank

Reduction of Mental Health Related Stigma and Discrimination

Autores

World Bank

Editor

Washington, DC: World Bank

Descripción

Stigma and discrimination contravene basic human rights and have detrimental effects on people with mental health conditions by exacerbating marginalization and social exclusion, including by reducing access to mental and physical health care and diminishing educational and employment opportunities. The stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health have negative consequences for social exclusion in relation to education, the workplace, and the community, as well as for marital prospects, loss of property, inheritance, or rights to vote, and poor quality health care for mental and physical health conditions. Stigma powerfully and adversely affects individuals, families, communities, and society, and exists across all countries and cultures. A recent global survey of people with mental health conditions across 45 countries found that 80 percent agreed that stigma and discrimination can be worse that the impact of the mental health condition itself. The overall objective of this policy note, prepared jointly by the World Bank Group and Korean National Center for Mental Health, is to summarize global evidence for effective interventions to reduce mental health-related stigma and discrimination. The first section of this report defines stigma and discrimination, describes the adverse impact on the lives of people with mental health conditions, and summarizes results of a narrative literature review of the evidence base for interventions addressing mental illness-related stigma and discrimination. This report involved a synthesis of over 260 systematic reviews on stigma reduction and presents a detailed summary of the global evidence on how to reduce stigma and discrimination (building on earlier findings of the Lancet Commission on Ending Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health). This review examined evidence regarding intervention impacts and summarizes key findings. Notably, this global review indicates that interventions based on the principle of social contact (whether in person, virtual, or indirect), that have been appropriately adapted to different contexts and cultures, are the most effective ways to reduce stigmatization worldwide.