Stigma and tackling stigma in the Chinese community

1
Stigma and tackling stigma in the Chinese
community

• Shun Au
• Chairman
• Chinese Mental Health Association
• (CMHA) United Kingdom

2
The session

• How mental health is understood and experienced
  within the Chinese community (Stigma)
• What stigma/discrimination exists in relation to
  mental health problems (Stigma)
• Some of the things that are being done to reduce
  stigma and discrimination (Tackling stigma)

3
Stigma in the Chinese community

• The users in the TV programme
• mentioned
• Causes-
• Ignorance
• Insufficient knowledge
• Results-
• Fear
• Discrimination

4
Tackling stigma in the Chinese community

• Informing the public to change attitude
• Informing the users to make informed choice

5
Multi Media Mental Health Promotion at CMHA

• Background
• Why multi media no easy answer
• Multi agency partnership noone holds the magic
  wand
• with Birmingham Solihull Mental Health Trust,
  national MIND, Satellite TV company, Chinese
  newspaper, Users etc.
• 4 year project 2002 to 2006
• 6 aspects
• Independently evaluated

6
The multi-media programme

• The six aspects are-
• Bilingual web site
• User led Newsletter
• Service Directory
• Translated Mental Health Information Booklets
• Magazine column in National Chinese newspaper
• presentation of TV programmes in mental health
  seminars round the country

7
Evaluation

• Quantitative Postal questionnaires and other
  data such as hits to web site
• Qualitative Semi structured interviews with
  targeted individuals

8
Key findings

• Bilingual web site
• Apart from the home page, the most popular
  English web page is the Mental Health
  Information Chinese perspectives
• The most popular Chinese web page is the
  Vacancy page followed by the Mental Health
  Information Chinese perspectives
• Lesson learnt People used the web site for
• information rather than for referral purposes

9
Key findings

• Service directory
• Directory is useful particularly for people who
  work with clients from mixed ethnic groups
• Lesson learnt- This requires a lot of time
• and effort but at the same time, information
• is almost outdated as soon as it is
• committed to print. A web based directory may be
• Better.

10
Key findings

• Translated Mental Health Information Booklets
• (in partnership with MIND). 32 MIND leaflets were
• translated
• Regarded as a useful guide to the people who use
  mental health services in the UK
• In particular, they are a good source of help for
  service users and carers to understand mental
  illness, a complicated issue, in their own
  language
• Lesson learnt- Difficult to evaluate as tracking
  actual users
• of the booklets is difficult (confidentiality,
  scanty
• information)

11
Key findings

• Weekly magazine column in national
• Chinese newspaper _at_ 40,000 per day
• Service referral from column-
• June to Dec 2002 12
• 23
• 77
• 104

12
Key findings

• It is a good referral source
• It is a low cost means to promote mental health
• It is a good resource for users and carers
• The magazine column is the most effective
• Chinese media channel to communicate to the
• general public and users about mental health
• Issues.

13
Key findings

• Mental Health Seminar and video
• presentation of the TV programme
• Half hour TV programme made and
• broadcast in 2003
• Seminars organised in Chinese centres around the
  country using the TV programme as a resource

14
Key findings

• Seminar using the TV Programme
• Attendees found them inspiring, useful, offered
  insights
• They realised that mental health is part and
  parcel of life. They learned more than what
  mental illness and the importance of and how to
  maintain mental well being
• Lessons learnt- Content of the seminar should
• be broadened

15
Key findings

• Users led newsletters
• Twice a year newsletters edited by users to
• discuss mental health issues and publicise
• what they do.
• Users are empowered
• Work groups became a place to build friendship,
  social interaction and peer support
• Lesson learnt- Need to establish clear
  guidelines
• and boundaries

16
Conclusion

• A multi-media approach is an effective means
• to tackle stigma
• It provides a multi-channel way to inform the
  public and the users
• It allows a vast range of partnerships to be
  built using existing providers who are good at
  what they do
• Different media impact the public and users in
  different ways
• The most effective means seem to be-
• Web site, TV Programme and Newspaper column