Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
Augsut 1, 2005, Vol. 05-104

Free Teleconference Training:
Overcoming Barriers and the Stigma Associated with Mental Illness in Asian American/Pacific Islander (AA/PI) Communities
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August 11, 2005
You are invited to participate in our free teleconference training, "Overcoming Barriers and the Stigma Associated with Mental Illness in Asian American/Pacific Islander (AA/PI) Communities."

This teleconference training is sponsored by the SAMHSA Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (ADS Center), a project of the Center for Mental Health Services of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The session is free to participants.

Date: Thursday, August 11, 2005
Time: 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM (Eastern Time)

To register for the August 11 teleconference, please complete the form located at stopstigma.samhsa.gov/regpage.cfm. For more teleconference information, please refer to the SAMHSA ADS Center Web site or contact a representative by e-mail (promoteacceptance@samhsa.hhs.gov) or by telephone at 1-800-540-0320. Feel free to pass this invitation along to your friends and colleagues. Please note: Registration for this teleconference will close at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 10, 2005.

Training Summary:

Pervasive stigma related to mental illness within some Asian American and Pacific Islander (AA/PI) communities may have a negative impact on the family, including reduced social supports (e.g., fewer marriage opportunities) and diminished economic prospects. Stigma also prevents people in the community from discussing mental health concerns with friends or relatives and contributes to a reluctance to seek help for mental health problems. According to Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity Supplement of Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (2001), AA/PI communities have the lowest rates of utilization of mental health services among ethnic populations. For example, in one study, only 17 percent of those experiencing problems sought care.

Please join us on Thursday, August 11, 2005, for a presentation on the unique factors in AA/PI communities that may contribute to stigma associated with mental illness and on approaches and efforts to address stigma within AA/PI communities and toward AA/PI persons by mental health providers.

The speakers for this training teleconference will:

. discuss the unique factors in AA/PI communities that may contribute to stigma associated with mental illnesses;

. describe efforts to address stigma and discrimination of people with mental illnesses in AA/PI populations; and

. share effective models or approaches for addressing stigma toward AA/PI persons with mental illnesses by providers.

Training will be provided by the following individuals:

. Teddy Chen, L.C.S.W., Ph.D. - Director of the Bridge Program, an innovation of the Charles B. Wang Community Center in New York City that integrates mental health services with primary health care.

. Gayathri Ramprasad, Consumer Advocate - a long-time mental health advocate and member of the NAMI Board of Directors, Ms. Ramprasad also presents NAMI's Recovery Education Program, "In Our Own Voice: Living With Mental Illness."

Presentations:

Speaker presentations will take approximately 60 minutes and will be followed by a 30-minute question-and-answer period. Registrants will receive registration confirmation by e-mail shortly before the scheduled conference date. This confirmation message will include telephone dial-in instructions and a link to presentation materials on the SAMHSA ADS Center Web site.

The SAMHSA ADS Center is a program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.
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About the ADS Center

SAMHSA's Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma (ADS Center) helps people design, implement and operate programs that reduce discrimination and stigma associated with mental illnesses. With the most up-to-date research and information, the Center helps individuals, organizations and governments counter such discrimination and stigma in the community, in the workplace, and in the media.
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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.