ABSTRACT
People with mental illnesses face the challenge of managing an illness that at times may significantly impact their functioning and quality of life. They also face stigma and discrimination in multiple life domains that may present important, if not greater, barriers to recovery and full inclusion than the clinical features of the illness itself.1 Fortunately, since the late 1990s, due to the growing recognition of the deleterious impact of stigma on the lives of persons with mental illness, numerous organizations and government agencies worldwide have targeted reducing mental illness stigma as a priority (Hogan, 2003; Sartorius & Schulze, 2005; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1999; WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2005). More recently in the United States, the final report for the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (Hogan, 2003) highlighted stigma as a major barrier to recovery for people with mental illness.
