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Breaking Down Barriers: The STAR Program’s “Stop Mental Health Stigma” Campaign
In an era where mental health discussions are often shrouded in misunderstandings and misconceptions, the “Stop Mental Health Stigma” campaign emerges as a beacon of hope and enlightenment. Spearheaded by the STAR Program at SUNY Downstate Health and Sciences University and...
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Mental Health: Everyone Has It. Every Day. Breaking the Stigma with ICAN’s Innovative Campaign
Integrated Community Alternatives Network (ICAN) is an innovative human service non-profit providing individualized traditional and non-traditional service and care to the highest-risk individuals and families with social, emotional, mental health, and behavioral challenges. ICAN’s...
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Breaking Mental Health Stigma in the NYC Hispanic/Latino Community
At NAMI-NYC, we often say 1 in 5 of us is affected by mental illness, and the other 4 are family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. We are ALL impacted by mental illness. Most interventions are for the individual, but it's critically important to remember the first ring around the...
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Beyond the Pain: Insights From Individuals Living With Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is a significant contributor to disability among Americans, with an estimated 51.6 million people experiencing chronic pain that lasts longer than three months. (Rikard, Strahan, Schit, & Guy, 2023). Regardless of its source – whether medical or unexplained origin – chronic...
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Only 1 in 4 Adolescent Treatment Facilities Offer Buprenorphine for Opioid Use Disorder
Only 1 in 4 residential addiction treatment facilities caring for U.S. adolescents under 18 years old offer buprenorphine, a medication used to treat opioid use disorder, according to a new study. Only 1 in 8 offer buprenorphine for ongoing treatment. These findings highlight a significant gap in...
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When Stigma is the Greatest Barrier: Strategies to Connect Older Adults to Treatment
When Client R, age 68, was referred to Service Program for Older People (SPOP) ten months ago she described symptoms of depression and anxiety – and she stated emphatically that therapy was for “rich white people” and not for her. She identified herself as an older Black Puerto Rican lesbian...
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Organizational Strategies for Anti-Stigma Work Within Our Four Walls
Mental health stigma affects all of us. It is so ingrained in our society, that we have to consciously choose to share or not to share our experiences or connections to mental health challenges. This conscious level decision-making brings a processing we engage in asking ourselves either, “Am I...
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The Impact of Stigmatizing Language from Family and Clinical Perspectives
Mental health challenges can impact everyone. Even if you have not been personally affected, you likely know someone who has – whether it is a family member, friend, or an individual you support as a behavioral healthcare provider. Mental illness is defined as mental, behavioral, and emotional...
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Reducing Stigma Through Harm Reduction Interventions
Services for the UnderServed (S:US) is one the largest community-based health and human services organizations in New York State that works intentionally daily to right societal imbalances by providing comprehensive and culturally responsive services. The pandemic has deepened many of the...
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Stigma: How Vocabulary and Language Can Make a Difference
Compassionate language can improve care and change the stigma associated with substance use disorder. The terms or phrases healthcare providers use to discuss substance use are often imbued with negative connotations that create bias. Research shows harm reduction-based vocabulary and education can...
