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Stigma and discrimination against older people with mental disorders in Europe
Carlos A de Mendonça Lima1, Itzhak Levav, Lars Jacobsson
1Service Universitaire de Psychogériatrie & WHO Collaborating Centre for Old Age Psychiatry-Lausanne Switzerland. climasj@yahoo.com
Background And Objectives:
The European Office of the World Health Organization (WHO/EURO) has established a Task Force On Destigmatization. Upon the release of the Technical Statement on Old Age Psychiatry 'Reducing stigma and discrimination against older people with mental disorders', the Task Force run a small survey in two European subregions to investigate the extent of stigma and discrimination with reference to the elderly person affected from a psychiatric disorder in the countries of those subregions.
Methods:
WHO/EURO mental health counterparts completed a short questionnaire inquiring on the inclusion of epidemiological studies on the elderly in their country's research program; the time devoted to the teaching to old age psychiatry during psychiatric residence; the degree of coverage of services for the elderly person and their caregivers; and the extent of stigma present in society with regard to three psychiatric disorders.
Results:
Stigma and discrimination seem to be present both in the health sector and among the public at large.
Conclusion:
The development of effective health and social facilities to support older persons with mental disorders should be a high priority of any strategy to reduce stigma and discrimination. These facilities should coordinate their efforts with those of other sectors of society to reach the highest possible impact.