Ethics

Satel on Fighting Stigma of Mental Illness

By Adam Kolber

Sally Satel has an interesting article in yesterday's New York Times science section on how to fight the stigma of mental illness.  Here's a sample from the conclusion:

Altering public attitudes toward the mentally ill depends largely on whether they receive treatment that works. This, in turn, sets in motion a self-reinforcing momentum: the more that treatment is observed to work, the more it is encouraged.

. . .

Antistigma campaigns are well-meaning but they lack a crucial element. No matter how sympathetic the public may be, attitudes about people with mental illness will inevitably rest upon how much or how little their symptoms set them apart.

Full post as published by Neuroethics and Law on April 23, 2009 (boomark / email).