LVR-Klinikum Düsseldorf Hospital of the Heinrich-Heine University ...

3.1.3.4 Destigmatisation of people with mental disorders
Director: W. Gaebel
Scientific assistants: A. Baumann (until 2008), H.-R.
Cleveland (since 2009), M. Marekwica (2009-2010), H. Zäske
Scientific assistant in cooperation with the German
Association for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, DGPPN):
P. Schlamann
Cooperation with the network headquarters of the
Competence Network on Schizophrenia: L. Freimüller
International and national cooperations
s World Psychiatry Association (WPA)
• Member of the WPA Section “Stigma and Mental
Health”
• Member of the Task Force on the Destigmatisation of
Psychiatry and Psychiatrists
• National partner of the worldwide programme
against stigma and discrimination of schizophrenia –
Open the doors
• Development of the World Psychiatric Association
Global Program Training Guide
s AG Economou (Athens, Greece): Cooperation in
the framework of a study on the legal situation and
practice of hospitalisation and compulsory treatment in
European countries
s AG Niklewski/Richter (Skopje, Macedonia): Comparative
analysis of population surveys
Social Distance (Average)
12.0
11.5
11.0
10.5
11.85
11.42
11.54
11.51
ReseaRch
s AG Stuart/Arboleda-Florez (Kingston, Canada):
Comparative analysis of population surveys
s Coordinating centre for Open the Doors Germany
s Cooperation with the Düsseldorf Anti-depression
Alliance
s Chair of the Mental Health Alliance (together with the
DGPPN under the aegis of the Federal Ministry for
Health U. Schmidt, from 2009 P. Rösler)
Projects
Public education: Reduction of stigma and discrimination
of persons with schizophrenia
Project director: W. Gaebel
Project coordination: A. Baumann
Scientific assistants: H. Zäske in cooperation with
H.-J. Möller (Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich), N.
Sartorius (Geneva), W. Rössler (Zürich), G. Thornicroft
(London)
Financing: FMER funding 01 GI 9932/02 GI 0032
Persons with schizophrenia are heavily burdened by
stigmatisation and discrimination in addition to their
symptoms and the immediate consequences of the
disorder. The lack of knowledge about the causes, types
and treatments of schizophrenia, and the lack of contact
with persons with schizophrenia lead to prejudices and
negative attitudes against those afflicted by the disorder –
and in consequence lead to stigmatisation, social exclusion
Antistigma Awareness Control Total
Figure 16: Evaluation of a structured programme against stigmatization compared to a programme aiming at enhancing „awareness“ of schizophrenia by
using a representative telephone survey (N=4,568): Change in social distance (as assessed with a standardised six-item scale; the figure shows group means;
higher group means represent a more pronounced social distance of the interviewee from people with schizophrenia) between 2001 and 2004 in six German
cities. There is a significant reduction in social distance in cities using the antistigma programme (Düsseldorf and Munich) as compared to cities using the
awareness programme (Bonn and Cologne) or cities without any specific intervention (Berlin and Essen). For more details see Gaebel et al., Schizophr Res.
2008 Jan; 98 (1-3): 184-93.
11.57
11.44
11.65
11.46
2001
2004
95