130 likes | 279 Views
Disclosure in the Time to Change Campaign Erik Baurdoux HSPR Summer School 2013: Research on Stigma and Discrimination e.j.baurdoux@lse.ac.uk. A social movement for mental health: individual support. Started in 2008 100,000 + Facebook fans 40,000 + pledges
E N D
Disclosure in the Time to Change Campaign Erik Baurdoux HSPR Summer School 2013: Research on Stigma and Discrimination e.j.baurdoux@lse.ac.uk
A social movement for mental health: individual support • Started in 2008 • 100,000+ Facebook fans • 40,000+ pledges • Celebrity supporters:Stephen Fry, Ruby Wax, Ulrika Jonsson, Alastair Campbell, Fiona Philips, Frank Bruno, Patsy Palmer…
Personal experience • First saw Schizo when I was going through an episode of severe depression: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJC-AJWNES8 • Experienced misunderstanding and stigma • Internet and writing kept me busy • One of my former professors who disclosed on his webpage as inspiration • Got involved with Time to Change • Don’t get me wrong: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5Ju55ALOLE
What was it like? • Exciting experience and given the opportunity to do something I was passionate about • Daunting at times • Great support from Time to Change and mentor as well as film crew; media-training • Confidence and happy • Heartwarming reactions from many people
A few numbers • Flat-sharing: Initially over 300 emails • After mental health disclosure: 20% said they did not have a problem with it. Majority of whom mentioned they had previous experience with mental illness (themselves or colleagues) • Similar for dating website
Yougov poll • Limitations of the experiment (mental health disclosure on website) • Media attention (radio, newspaper, blog) • Facebook activity • Linked with yougov poll: 60% of us would not rent a room to someone with a mental health problem, more than three times as many as who would say no to someone with a physical health problem (18%).
Afterwards • Underestimated friends/colleagues • Less ashamed to talk about it • Many students contacted me or colleagues concerned about their tutees • Internet can be a big help for many • Time to Change campaign inspired other countries
Why stigma? • Brand, burning with a hot iron; stigmata • But mental illness mostly invisible • Very common: we all know someone who is affected by mental health issues • Feeling of shame (lazy, worthless, etc) • Fear (media portrayal of violent cases) • Lack of understanding; difficult to imagine what it is like or put into words.
Time to talk • Get people to talk about it • Normalise mental illness • Time to talk:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tiYbhVBjTk • Hopefully it will help reduce stigma over time • Long-term effort by many people • Time to Change now funded by Department of Health
Thank you! e.j.baurdoux@lse.ac.uk www.time-to-change.org.uk/