Reducing the stigma of mental illness

A national report on mental health, produced by the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs, Science and Technology, indicates that Canada lags behind other developed countries in awareness of mental health and mental disorders. The report points out that health-care professionals are among the groups that perpetuate the stigma associated with mental illness. The authors, representing the Canadian Federation of Mental Health Nurses education committee, advocate psychiatric/mental health courses and clinical practicums in undergraduate nursing education. They call on students and nurses alike to reflect on attitudes and beliefs that might prevent them from intervening effectively with people living with mental illness.