Original scientific paper
A KING’S COLLEGE LONDON UNDERGRADUATE PSYCHIATRY SOCIETY EVENT TO CHALLENGE THE STIGMA ATTACHED TO PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS IN HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND STUDENTS
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
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
Mao Fong Lim
; King’s College London GKT School of Medical Education, London, UK
Isabel Lever
; King’s College London GKT School of Medical Education, London, UK
Phillipa Brothwood
; King’s College London GKT School of Medical Education, London, UK
Frederick R. 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
Jamie Hacker Hughes
; Veterans and Families Institute Anglia Ruskin University, Norwich, UK; University of Hertfordshire, UK; University of Northumbria, UK; Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
Charlotte Wilson Jones
; Undergraduate Psychiatry, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Abstract
Background: There are higher levels of psychological distress in healthcare professionals and students compared to the general
population. Yet, despite the availability of effective treatment, many in this group continue to suffer in silence. Fear of exposure to stigmatization has been identified to be a major barrier to accessing and using mental health services. King’s College London Undergraduate Psychiatry Society (KCL PsychSoc) organized an event entitled, 'What does bipolar disorder even mean? Psychological distress: How can we challenge the stigma?'. Healthcare professionals who themselves recovered from psychological problems and a mental health advocate with first-hand experience of psychological distress were invited to deliver talks followed by an interactive question and answer session.
Design: We conducted a single-arm pre-post comparison study. People who attended the KCL Psych Soc event were recruited to participate. Validated stigma scales on knowledge (Mental Health Knowledge Schedule (MAKS), attitudes (Community Attitudes towards the Mentally Ill) and behavior (Reported and Intended Behavior Scale (RIBS)) were administered on participants before and immediately after exposure to the event.
Results: 44/44 of the participants recruited completed the study (100% response rate). There were statistically significant
changes in the respondents’ scores for all 3 stigma scales (p value MAKS <0.0001, p value CAMI<0.0001, p value RIBS=0.0011).
Discussion: As far as the authors are aware, this is the first study to date of an anti-stigma intervention comprised of healthcare
professionals with first-hand experience of psychological distress. The KCL PsychSoc event was associated with statistically
significant changes in the respondents' scores in all three of the stigma scales. More robust research in this area is needed before scaling up similar anti-stigma initiatives.
Keywords
mental health stigma; power of contact; healthcare professionals and students; barriers to seeking care
Hrčak ID:
263740
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2017.
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