Campaign for Mental Health Recovery
Online Resources
Research
Models, Programs, and Technical Assistance Tools
State Implementation Awards: Project Descriptions
In My Experience…
Interview with Chris Marshall, Consumer Affairs Specialist, SAMHSA
*The contents of this informational update do not necessarily represent the views, policies, and positions of the Center for Mental Health Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services."
In December 2006, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in partnership with the Advertising Council, launched the Campaign for Mental Health Recovery (CMHR), formerly known as the National Anti-Stigma Campaign.
According to SAMHSA, in 2005 there were an estimated 21.4 million adults aged 18 or older with serious psychological distress. Among 18- to 25-year-olds, the prevalence of serious mental health conditions is high (almost double that of the general population) yet this age group shows the lowest rate of help-seeking behaviors. Additionally, those with mental health conditions in this segment have a high potential for recovery if social acceptance is broadened and they receive the right support and services early on.
The CMHR is designed to encourage 18- to 25-year-olds to step up and support their friends who are living with a mental illness. The Campaign is built on the message, “What a difference a friend makes,” and includes television, radio, outdoor, print, and online materials.
To become involved with your local Campaign support efforts or to learn more about the Campaign, you can access the CMHR Web site at www.whatadifference.samhsa.gov or contact the Campaign liaisons, America Doria-Medina (America.doria-medina@macrointernational.com) or Elizabeth Edgar (nasc-liaison@nami.org).
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SAMHSA’s ADS Center
www.stopstigma.samhsa.gov
SAMHSA recently launched its re-designed ADS Center Web site that features a new library with more than 600 resources to help individuals and organizations counter discrimination and stigma associated with mental illness. Visit the ADS Center online and enter “youth” in the data library search field to find research articles, brochures, fact sheets, toolkits and other resource items. Content is now organized by both topic and audience to help you quickly navigate to items that meet your needs. The ADS Center also supports the Campaign for Mental Health Recovery – check out the Web site for information and helpful links!
Campaign for Mental Health Recovery
http://www.whatadifference.samhsa.gov
SAMHSA’s Campaign for Mental Health Recovery is a three-year, national, public education campaign to educate the general public about mental health problems. The CMHR has produced television, radio, and print public service announcements (PSAs) accessible via the Campaign Web site.
Active Minds on Campus
http://www.activemindsoncampus.org/
Active Minds is a student-run program that addresses the stigma surrounding mental illness among college students. Started in 2001 at the University of Pennsylvania, Active Minds has worked to expose and reduce stigma associated with mental illness within college environments.
Half of Us
http://www.halfofus.com/
Created through a collaboration with mtvU and The Jed Foundation, Half of Us is an interactive online public education Web site that provides college-aged youth with information about the prevalence of mental health issues on college campuses and connects students to the appropriate resources to get help.
ULIfeline
http://www.ulifeline.org/
A program of the Jed Foundation, ULifeline is an anonymous, confidential, online resource center where college students can search for information regarding mental health and suicide prevention. Their Web site has enhanced student features, and a new component called Counseling Central, built exclusively for college mental health and student affairs professionals.
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Becker, M., Martin, L., Wajeeh, E., Ward, J., Shern, D. (2002). Students with mental illnesses in a university setting: Faculty and student altitudes, beliefs, knowledge, and experiences. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 25(4), 359-368. [NLM/Pubmed abstract]
Chovil, I. (2004). Personal accounts: Help-seeking preferences of high school students: The impact of personal narratives. Psychiatric Services, 55(8), 863-865.
Chung, K.F., Chen, E.Y.H., Liu, C.S.M. (2001). University students' attitudes towards mental patients and psychiatric treatment.International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 47(2), 63-72.
Chung, K.F., Chen, E.Y.H., Wright, A., McGorry, P.D., Harris, M.G., Jorm, A.F. & K. Pennell. (2006). Development and evaluation of a youth mental health community awareness campaign - The Compass Strategy. BMC Public Health, 22(6), 215. [NLM/Pubmed abstract]
Lauber, C., Ajdacic-Gross, V., Fritschi, N., Stulz, N., Rössler, W. (2005). Mental health literacy in an educational elite: An online survey among university students. BMC Public Health, 9(5), 44. [NLM/Pubmed abstract]
Palmer, G.A., Redinius, P.L., Tervo, R.C. (2000). An examination of attitudes toward disabilities among college students: Rural and urban differences.Journal of Rural Community Psychology, E3(1).
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In August 2007, SAMHSA announced the availability of funds to support the Campaign for Mental Health Recovery (CMHR). The purpose of these awards is to support and enhance the CMHR through the development of State outreach and community-based efforts, mental health education and stigma reduction activities. These implementation awards will support State efforts to promote and expand the campaign. Specifically, they will be used to provide State consumer organizations with infrastructure development for campaign implementation through needed technical assistance and training and provide resources to educate, maintain, and expand statewide activities to support the campaign’s stigma reduction efforts.
Below is a list of the twelve organizations and their projects selected to receive the State implementation awards:
Florida Peer Network, Inc.; Tampa, FL
The Florida Peer Network has developed a comprehensive implementation strategy based on outreach to college students to educate them about mental health problems, the negative impact of stigma, and the importance of support from peers and friends in the recovery process. Through collaboration with Active Minds, the Network will conduct a number of events on campuses throughout the State, including various creative arts projects to disseminate anti-stigma information to the target audience. The arts projects will provide opportunities for self-disclosed young adults, 18- to 25-years-old, to share their personal experiences of living with mental illness as an anti-stigma strategy. Many of the planned activities will include participation by these young adults in creating and showcasing the campaign materials.
Focus on Recovery-United, Inc.; Middletown, CT
Snap It! is a project designed to promote awareness and decrease stigma through Photovoice and Spoken Word performance. Twenty young people from urban and rural locations in Connecticut, ages 18-25, in recovery from mental illness (receiving behavioral health services) will be involved in creating photographs and narratives around their experiences and then charged with developing four multimedia events/spoken word performances to be presented throughout four regions in the State. These narratives, photographs, and other materials will then be made available on DVDs to further promote awareness and decrease stigma among young people and the general public.
Grassroots Empowerment Project Incorporation; Madison, WI
Film Talks! Open Minds, Open Doors aims to use film and facilitated discussions with mental health consumers to challenge myths and misconceptions about mental illnesses. They intend to select a film that addresses stigma that will air during a statewide film festival and will be shown in classroom settings at the University of Wisconsin.
Mental Health Association of Central Florida; Orlando, FL
This project will collaborate with a local college to deliver messages to student groups on the experiences of consumers and the role of friendship in the lives of the consumers. The Mental Health Association of Central Florida aims to engage the CMHR target audience, educate them about mental illnesses, and inform them about how to be supportive to individuals with a mental illness. The Mental Health Association of Central Florida will create support groups in various settings for the target audience. A video contest also will be developed and promoted.
Mental Health Association of Siouxland; Sioux City, IA
The Mental Health Association of Siouxland soon will launch a consumer-driven anti-stigma campaign throughout Iowa. This campaign will recruit youth and adult mental health consumer speakers to participate in a speaker’s bureau. The speaker’s bureau will be promoted to Iowa organizations that serve at-risk populations and will present at high schools, colleges, church groups, senior centers, jails and prisons, and veterans organizations. The campaign also will develop TV and radio public service announcements, a statewide Web site, posters, and handouts to support the campaign. The campaign will provide mental health consumers with the opportunity to provide messages of hope and recovery as they tell their stories to a variety of Iowa audiences.
Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health; Saint Paul, MN
The Continuum of Mental Health Program is an innovative curriculum that targets the stigma and discrimination that children with mental health problems encounter at school, in families, and in the community. Through the multifaceted activities of the Continuum program, students, parents and school staff will gain specific knowledge, skills, and an accurate understanding of mental health problems resulting in a positive attitude and behavior change toward children with mental health problems. Activities include trainings on mental health problems, classroom lessons, talking circle groups, public service announcements and a musical production. The program promotes stigma reduction by creating an open environment and increased communication between teachers, students and families to discuss mental health.
Mental Health Client Action Network (MHCAN); Santa Cruz, CA
The MHCAN project intends to use a multi-media approach to reach the target audience of the CMHR and plans to provide consumers with an opportunity to reflect on their own stories as a means of educating the public. Key activities include creating posters featuring consumer artwork and biographies; producing a DVD featuring local consumer artists; hosting a target audience radio show; hosting a multimedia event at which all of the activities will be showcased; and creating a kit including the DVD, mini-posters, and resource materials.
NAMI Missouri; Jefferson, MO
Empowering Young Adults to Reduce Stigma will focus primarily on older teens and young adults up to age 25. Activities will include training young adults to reduce stigma by conducting NAMI’s In Our Own Voice presentations, which were cited in a University of Chicago study as one of the nation’s most effective stigma reducing interventions. Other activities include targeted promotion of the “What a difference a friend makes” public service announcements and stigma reduction presentations to young people in high school class settings.
SC SHARE (Self Help Association Regarding Emotions); West Colombia, SC
South Carolina’s project is designed to reach young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who are not necessarily college students, but rather those who live in rural areas of the State. SC SHARE plans to deliver a message of hope and meaning to the target audience through the distribution and placement of SAMHSA’s CMHR materials, by utilizing the existing SC SHARE website as a clearinghouse for all anti-stigma campaign activities taking place throughout the State, and by facilitating the development of a musical/theatre production done by young people, promoting the key message of compassion and the sharing of personal recovery stories.
United Advocates for Children and Families; Sacramento, CA
Youth Champions for Hope is designed to serve and work with youth, their friends, and their families to motivate social acceptance and decrease stigma. The organization will create a grassroots outreach program which will connect with schools, community organizations, businesses, churches, hospitals, and various other organizations. Activities include youth-led town forums, community trainings, video-conferencing, and youth-focused activities. Youth involved with the project also will develop marketing and public relation materials and plans for dissemination, and will hold small group educational sessions and workshops. The project hopes to develop a model anti-stigma program that can be disseminated throughout California.
United Self-Help; Honolulu, HI
The goals of this project are to incorporate the CMHR into existing stigma reduction efforts throughout Hawaii. The Campaign will be incorporated into the following activities/events: Evidenced-Based Practices Conference, Abilities Art Show, depression screening events, and panel presentations and discussions. Other activities to be developed include the taping of panel discussions and airing of these discussions on local access channels, as well as the inclusion of the Campaign PSAs in local mental health treatment centers.
Virginia Organization of Consumers Asserting Leadership, Inc.; Charlottesville, VA
Firewalkers: Stories of People Transformed by Mental Illness involves the creation of a book which will include personal stories of individuals who have experienced a mental illness. These individuals will be interviewed and have their stories compiled to develop an educational book which can be used with a variety of audiences. The book will include anti-stigma and mental illness information, as well as an appendix on recovery resources. Photographs of the individuals will be taken for use in their book, and on the website and poster. An educational "how to" manual also will be created for use in classrooms, medical schools, college orientation programs, and mental health programs.
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In an interview with Chris Marshall, Consumer Affairs Specialist with SAMHSA and Federal project officer for the Campaign for Mental Health Recovery, we had an opportunity to learn more about the campaign and its message.
Why did SAMHSA launch the Campaign for Mental Health Recovery?
Research has shown that many Americans are misinformed about mental illness and that they respond negatively when confronted with a friend’s mental illness. One of the main reasons why people don’t seek help is because of the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. Therefore, the opportunity for recovery is more likely in a society of acceptance. I’d also like to add that one of the most important factors in recovery is the understanding and acceptance from friends. SAMHSA and the Ad Council launched the campaign to help improve awareness about mental illness, eliminate the stigma and encourage young adults throughout the country to support their friends who have mental health problems.
What do you hope to accomplish with the campaign?
The campaign aims to decrease the negative attitudes that surround mental illness and encourage young adults to support their friends who are living with mental health problems. Ultimately, in motivating friends to be supportive and helping to reduce the stigma and discrimination, we hope to encourage more young adults who have mental illnesses to seek help. That’s the reasoning behind the Campaign slogan, “What a difference a friends makes.”
What materials have been developed to support the campaign?
Public service announcements featuring a voiceover by actor Liev Schreiber have been developed and distributed to television and radio stations across the country. We have also developed print and outdoor materials that individuals can use in their outreach efforts. The “ What a difference a friend makes” Web site allows individuals to access all of the public service announcements that have been created as well as the print materials that can be ordered.
Our 17-page general information brochure, available in English and Spanish, has been a great success with people across the country. It provides basic information on mental health, including myths and facts about mental illness, and it also addresses the importance of being supportive to friends in the recovery process. Through September of this year, more than 80,000 brochures were ordered. Due to the high demand, we are printing an additional 80,000 brochures. The brochure can be ordered through SAMHSA’s National Mental Health Information Center (NMHIC) by calling 1-800-789-2647 or visiting their Web site at www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov.
What are States doing to support the campaign?
Campaign liaisons have worked hard to establish a network of State coordinators and partners in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. These coordinators and partners are actively working to support the campaign; they may be at various stages of development in their support activities, but they are very interested in collaborating with and utilizing campaign materials to reduce stigma across the Nation.
How can individuals become involved with or become a partner to the Campaign? Individuals can contact the Campaign Liaisons America Doria-Medina or Elizabeth Edgar to ask about joining the Campaign. Individuals also can access the Partner Section of the campaign Web site to get contact information for their State coordinator.
What is next for the Campaign?
The Campaign for Mental Health Recovery has recently initiated a second round of social marketing development. We have begun research on the relevancy of the “What a difference a friend makes” theme with multi-cultural audiences. These activities mark the beginning of development of a series of public service announcements for distribution in the fall of 2008.
What are the 2008 Voice Awards?
The Voice Awards are part of the Campaign for Mental Health Recovery and recognize writers and producers of entertainment programming—television and film—who have given voice to people with mental health problems by incorporating dignified, respectful, and accurate portrayals of people with mental illnesses into their scripts, programs, and productions.
The Voice Awards also recognize the tireless efforts of mental health consumer leaders and advocates who have been instrumental in raising awareness and understanding of mental health issues.
The third annual Voice Awards program is getting underway and will take place in Los Angeles, California in May 2008. Please go to http://allmentalhealth.samhsa.gov/voiceawards/about.html to learn more about the Voice Awards and how you can nominate entertainment productions and consumer/advocate leaders for awards.
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