Challenging the Stigma of Mental Illness

Patrick W. Corrigan is Distinguished Professor and Associate Dean for Research in the Institute of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology. Previously, he was principal investigator of the Chicago Consortium for Stigma Research, the only NIMH-funded research centre examining the stigma of mental illness. He is Editor of the American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation. David Roe is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Community Mental Health, University of Haifa, Israel. He serves on the editorial board of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences.  Hector W. H. Tsang is Associate Professor and Program Director for the BSc in Occupational Therapy at the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, American Journal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Australian Journal of Rehabilitation Counselling.

“Overall this is a very inspiring book that demands a response to an important issue which is often overlooked or misunderstood.”  (Journal of Mental Health, 1 May 2013)“In Challenging the Stigma of Mental Illness, Patrick Corrigan and colleagues seek to provide a practically focused text that is grounded in the experience and narratives of those who have struggled with the impact of stigma on their lives.  A particular strength is that it does not shy away from some more difficult areas such as recognising that mental health professionals may be complicit in ‘othering’ people with mental health difficulties to much the same extent as the general population.”  (Oxford Journals Clippings, 4 May 2012)"Overall, the authors provide thorough coverage of the major aspects of stigma and stigma reduction efforts in an easy-to-use format." (PsycCRITIQUES, 29 February 2012) "Overall, I think the intentions of the authors are honourable and the books includes good suggestions on how to tackle the widespread problems of stigma. These range from small tasks that people could carry out in daily life to large changes required at government level." (The Psychiatrist, 1 December 2011)"This is a book that would be ideal for an undergraduate health professional program, and could provide a valuable basis for coursework, such as developing an anti-stigma intervention, or simply a class discussion about the reality of stigma." (Metapsychology Online Reviews, 29 November 2011)"In this unique text aimed at therapists, those in helping professions, patients, and families in the US and Europe, Corrigan (psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology) et al. outline practical strategies for addressing the major forms of stigma of mental illness: public stigma, prejudice and discrimination endorsed by general society; self-stigma, the loss of self-esteem and efficacy that occurs when a person internalizes prejudice and discrimination; and structural stigmas, the social forces shaped by public stigma . . . some sections of the book were taken from Corrigan and Robert Lundin's Don't Call Me Nuts! Coping with the Stigma of Mental Illness (2001), and this volume updates many of its ideas with recent research." (Booknews, 1 June 2011)

• About the Authors ixForeword: Robert Lundin xiPreface xiiiAcknowledgments xxi1 Stigma is Personal 12 Understanding and Measuring Stigma 233 Challenging the Public Stigma of Mental Illness 554 Addressing Self-Stigma and Fostering Empowerment 1155 Addressing Structural Stigma 1696 Stigma as Social Injustice 189References 199Learn More About It: Resources and Chapter References by Jennifer D. Rafacz 207Index 225