Combating the Stigma of Mental Illness

The Carter Center Mental Health Program: Combating the Stigma of Mental Illness






           Back in 1971, when Rosalynn Carter began working on mental health care issues, few people even spoke the words "mental health." Mental health referred only to mental illnesses, and mental illnesses were shrouded in such shame and stigma that many people neglected the issue. Today, much has changed. Since the early 1980s, there has been the extraordinary rise of both mental health consumer and family movements, research has provided us tremendous knowledge about the brain and new medications, and mental health services have improved significantly.

        Yet, much remains to be done. People with mental illnesses still face great stigma and discrimination. The importance of mental health promotion is under-recognized, and insurance providers often do not provide parity for mental health treatment. In the United States alone, mental illnesses are the second leading cause of disability, and mental disorders affect one in five Americans, according to the first-ever surgeon general's report on mental health, released in December 1999.



Better Mental Health for All

Mrs. Carter continues her advocacy efforts through the Carter Center's Mental Health Program, founded in 1991. The program focuses on mental health policy issues with four strategic goals:

To reduce stigma and discrimination against people with mental illnesses


To achieve equity for mental health care comparable to other health care


To advance promotion, prevention, and early intervention services for


children and their families


To increase public awareness worldwide about mental health and mental


illness and to stimulate local actions to address those issues.


Advocacy Through Many Channels






The program pursues the above goals on state, national, and international levels. The Carter Center hosts two public-policy forums each year for those in the mental health field: the Rosalynn Carter Georgia Mental Health Forum, which focuses on issues within the state of Georgia, and the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, which tackles major challenges in the mental health field.

In addition to the annual symposia, the Mental Health Program also hosts public outreach programs as part of the annual series "Conversations at The Carter Center." Topics have included "Coping With the Stigma of Mental Illness," featuring author Kathy Cronkite and actor Rod Steiger sharing their personal experiences with clinical depression, and "Breaking Through the Stigma: Portrayal of Mental Illness in the Media."
Because reporters and the media are often the best communicators to the general public, the Center sponsors fellowships for journalists in the United States and abroad who are writing or producing works on mental health issues. Works resulting from The Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism have the potential to greatly reduce stigma and better inform people about pressing issues.