Everyone then had an opportunity to share experiences. Our next meeting is December 4th at the Community Mental Health Center. We welcome you to join us. Working with the Media to Destigmatize Mental Illness by Robert Bjorklund Suffering from a mental illness also means suffering from stigma. Interactions with people are often met by suspicion and mistrust from those who do not understand.
Stigma presents serious barriers and does a grave injustice to people with mental illness.
A national survey of public attitudes toward mental illness was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and confirmed that the media are the greatest source of public information and misinformation about mental illness. The collective efforts to work with the media to destigmatize mental illness serve to forge a more positive image of people with mental illnesses. Efforts must continue on both the local, state, and national level if social stigma is to be eradicated. Don Crippen, Vice President and Program Chair. Jacque Smith, secretary.