Conference paper
'A LABOUR OF LOVE': A KING'S COLLEGE LONDON PSYCHIATRY SOCIETY EVENT TO CHALLENGE THE STIGMA ATTACHED TO MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN POST-NATAL WOMEN
Ahmed Hankir
; Department of Psychiatry, Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies, Cape Canaveral, FL, USA; Bedfordshire Centre for Mental Health Research in association with the University of Cambridge (BCMHR-CU), Cambridge, UK Leeds York Partnership Foundation Trust, Leeds, UK
Phillipa Brothwood
; King’s College London, London, UK
Bethany Crocker
; King’s College London, London, UK
Mao Fong Lim
; King’s College London, London, UK
Isabel Lever
; King’s College London, London, UK
Frederick Carrick
; Bedfordshire Centre for Mental Health Research in association with the University of Cambridge (BCMHR-CU), Cambridge, UK; Carrick Institute for Graduate Studies, Cape Canaveral, FL, USA; Harvard Macy and MGH Institutes, Boston, MA, USA
Rashid Zaman
; Bedfordshire Centre for Mental Health Research in association with the University of Cambridge (BCMHR-CU), Cambridge, UK; Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
Charlotte Wilson Jones
; Undergraduate Psychiatry, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Abstract
Background: On the 9th October 2000, Dr Daksha Emson, a London based psychiatrist with bipolar affective disorder, tragically
killed herself and her three-month-old baby daughter during a psychotic episode. An independent inquiry into Dr Emson’s death
concluded that mental health stigma in the National Health Service was a factor that contributed to her death. Despite the morbidity and mortality attributed to the stigma attached to post-natal mental health problems there are very few programmes that have been developed to challenge it. King’s College London Undergraduate Psychiatry Society organized an event entitled, ‘A Labour of Love’: Perinatal Mental Health to address this issue. The event included a talk from an expert by experience, a mother who developed post-partum mental health problems.
Design: We conducted a single-arm, pre-post comparison study on participants who attended the KCL Psych Soc event. Validated stigma scales on knowledge (Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS)), attitudes (Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill (CAMI)) and behaviour (Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS)) were administered before and immediately after exposure to the event.
Results: 27/27 (100%) of participants recruited responded. There was a statistically significant difference in the pre-MAKS score
compared to the post-MAKS score (p=0.0003), the pre-RIBS score compared to the post-RIBS score (p=0.0068) and in the pre-
CAMI score compared to the post-CAMI score (p=0.0042).
Discussion: There were statistically significant reductions in stigma in the domains of knowledge, attitude and behavior
following exposure to the KCL Psych Soc event and no adverse effects were reported. Our study revealed that a brief intervention made a highly significant impact and maybe useful in challenging the stigma around post-natal mental illness. However, more research in this area is required to determine if the changes are sustained before we can consider rolling out and scaling up such an initiative nationally and internationally.
Keywords
stigma; post-natal mental health problems; healthcare students; healthcare professionals
Hrčak ID:
263745
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2017.
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