In truth, the fight against the stigma attached to mental illness has been global for awhile, but in many places, serious stigma remains.

Here in the U.S. we have NAMI’s Stigma Busters, NKM2 (No Kidding, Me Too), and numerous other organizations, grass-root and otherwise, educating the public about mental illness in order to fight stigma.

Although I could find no major studies showing that there was a high level of effectiveness of these campaigns, there is evidence some impact has been made. (If you have links to studies showing that stigma-fighting protocols have a major impact, please send them to us)!

In some non-Western countries, religious and cultural beliefs might reinforce stigma (and discrimination, maltreatment, and even violence against those with mental illness).

Here are some stories that inspire hope:

Biking Around the World to Fight Stigma!

Africa (Kenya)

Africa (South Africa)

India

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Jordan

WPA’s Global Anti-Stigma Program

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    Last reviewed: 31 Jan 2012