The award winning national media campaigns have been through five phases since 2000. The campaigns have shifted in emphasis over this time from focusing on famous to everyday people with mental illness, from experiences of mild and moderate mental illness to more severe ones, and from awareness raising to modelling inclusive relationships. Like Minds has tracked public attitudes since 1997 and commissioned a analysis of the programme in 2010.3 The public attitudes surveys demonstrate that attitudes towards people with mental illness in the target group of 15 to 44-year-olds have improved significantly, especially among Māori, Pacific and young people.4 The cost benefit analysis calculated that Like Minds had cost a total of $52m since its inception. The estimated economic benefits (increased access to employment, hours worked, and increased use of primary care) totalled $720m, or $13.80 for every dollar spent.5 Stigma and discrimination are among the biggest barriers to social inclusion for people with mental illness. Stigma associated with mental illness refers to a devalued social identity and is usually expressed through disrespectful attitudes. Discrimination refers to unfair treatment and is usually expressed through excluding behaviour and unfair structures. Stigma and discrimination continue to interfere with the quality of life of people with mental illness in New Zealand, despite the achievements of Like Minds over the last 16 years. Stigma and discrimination have deep cultural roots that are present in every area of life and eliminating them requires a long term commitment. Like Minds has created some positive outcomes but there is a long way to go to ensure that individuals and organisations demonstrate socially inclusive attitudes and behaviours towards people with mental illness. Data taken from the 2008 New Zealand General Social Survey showed that people with ‘severe’ symptoms of mental illness fared significantly worse in many social inclusion indicators, especially in social relationships, employment and income. 3 Vaithianathan, R. (2010). Cost Benefit Analysis of the New Zealand National Mental Health Destigmatisation Programme. Auckland: UniServices.
Minds complements the work of the Health and Disability Commissioner and the Human Rights Commission by working to reduce stigma and discrimination through national and community activity. 2014 2019 PROGRAMME INFRASTRUCTURE A multi-faceted programme such as Like Minds needs leadership that communicates the vision, inspires people and works with communities to support the programme. The infrastructure must provide the ‘glue’ that gives the programme momentum and coordination. The Ministry of Health and HPA have established a Joint Project Group that has oversight of the development of Like Minds. The Joint Project Group will: support strategic direction establish a structure for sector advice and input establish a stakeholder relationship plan to support key communications guide the implementation monitor delivery agree an action plan. HPA will be the single lead operational agency for Like Minds. With the current mandate of HPA in the health promotion field, this is well within its scope of work. HPA will be responsible for providing funding and leadership to support programme delivery through: national coordination media guidelines, monitoring and advisory services employers in local communities community-based local partnerships advertising/media campaigns research and evaluation.
Ministry of Health. (2012). Rising to the Challenge: The Mental Health and Addiction Service Development Plan Wellington: Ministry of Health. Phoenix Research. (2011). Discrimination Reported by Users of Mental Health Services: 2010 Survey. Auckland: Phoenix Research. Phoenix Research. (2011). Impacts of National Media Campaign to Counter Stigma and Discrimination Associated with Mental Illness. Survey 11: Response to fifth phase of campaign. Auckland: Phoenix Research. United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York: UN General Assembly. Vaithianathan, R. (2010). Cost Benefit Analysis of the New Zealand National Mental Health Destigmatisation Programme. Auckland: UniServices.