ABSTRACT
In this chapter, we shall focus on how public perceptions of mental illness have been shaped by different types of research evidence and the way programmes to challenge stigma have adapted in response to persistent negative global public views of people living with mental health problems. We are interested in how ‘the public’ respond to different types of academic research and other evidence sources, but we need to consider this population in groups rather than as a heterogeneous whole. The public en masse are a grouping with diverse perceptions and experiences of both mental health and mental illness, and therefore ‘the public’ have varied mental health information requirements and will react to new information using a range of different response mechanisms. Disseminating any information to influence public opinion and belief systems is known to be best facilitated through market segmentation principles, as the strategies of political campaigners, public health specialists and marketing departments in commercial companies clearly demonstrate.
