“Tackling Mental Health Stigma” is the theme of a set of videos that are part of the Janssen Healthy Minds video series.
The videos capture diverse perspectives by renowned champions of mental health issues, representing research, advocacy and policy. Featured in the videos are: Mary Giliberti, J.D., Chief Executive Officer at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI); former United States Congressman Patrick Kennedy; and Husseini K. Manji, M.D., a psychiatrist and Global Head of Neuroscience at Janssen. The series is hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Vicki Mabrey.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 450 million people globally suffer from a mental illness. However, nearly 60 percent of those individuals never seek treatment. “An important thing we can do collectively is help individuals with a mental illness understand they’re not alone,” says Mary Giliberti. “Connecting people to support groups, educational information and other resources will help create an environment where individuals feel comfortable seeking treatment.”
The experts also bring to light the marginalizing aspects of stigma that people who have a mental illness experience daily, and the arduous, yet necessary, task of breaking down that stigma.
“We’ve learned that education and open discussion about other health issues such as cancer and HIV led to reduction in stigma about them, and that is our goal with mental illness. We want to reach a moment in history when people with a mental illness are treated no differently than someone who has a medical condition not related to the brain. That’s what we are striving to accomplish through this series.”
Dr. Husseini Manji
Global Theraputic Area Head, Neuroscience
The videos address the following topics with Dr. Manji and guests:
- How Stigma Affects Perceptions of Mental Illness and Hinders Getting Help (with Mary Giliberti)
- Facing Stigma and Breaking it Down (with Mary Giliberti)
- Addressing Stigma about Mental Illness (with Patrick Kennedy)
- Taking Action for Change (with Patrick Kennedy)
Click here to watch the videos on the Janssen YouTube channel.