At each APA Institute on Psychiatric Services (IPS), the workshops led by
APA/Bristol-Myers Squibb Public Psychiatry Fellows are highly anticipated. And
this year is no different as the fellows will present one symposium and two
workshops on the topics of their choice. Fellows are selected based on their
leadership potential in public systems of care, as well as their interest in
psychiatric services for the seriously ill and underserved populations.
These are the 2006-2008 fellows: Ryan Bell, M.D., J.D., University of
Washington; Elissa Blankstein Miller, M.D., M.P.H., St. Luke's-Roosevelt;
Anthony Carino, M.D., Albert Einstein/Montefiore Medical Center; Trina Chang,
M.D., MPH, MGH/McLean; Marcy Forgey, M.D., M.P.H., Semel Institute of
Neuroscience, UCLA; Sarah Guzofski, M.D., University of Massachusetts; Allison
Nitsche, M.D., Emory University; Ilana Nossel, M.D., Columbia University;
Patrick Runnels, M.D., Columbia University; and Sonali Sharma, M.D., Cornell
University/New York Presbyterian Hospital.
In the symposium "International Mental Health and Conflict" on
Friday, October 12, at 8 a.m., Forgey, Chang, Nossel, and Sharma will describe
the mental health outcomes of and needs resulting from conflicts in the 20th
and 21st centuries. They will also define the issues in developing
interventions and evaluate the application of these interventions in the
conflict areas. An example is the case of Darfur and how mental health
professionals may serve as advocates to end the conflict. They will also list
strategies for community reconciliation and health and identify means by which
mental health professionals may operate in a postwar context.
Are psychiatric services for homeless persons really recovery oriented? Are
recovery-oriented services indicated for this population? These are some of
the questions that will be addressed in the workshop "Resilience and the
Streets: Recovery-Oriented Services for Homeless Persons With Mental
Illness." At this workshop, which will be held on Friday, October 12 at
1:30 p.m., Carino, Guzofski, Bell, and Nitsche will discuss the recovery
movement and different treatment services and look at ways the movement is
influencing treatments for those with homelessness and mental illness to
answer these questions. The Housing First model will be presented in
particular and policy implications discussed.
The third presentation is the workshop "The Public Perception of
Psychiatry: Why It Matters, What's Being Done, and Future Implications for Our
Practice," to be held Friday, October 12, at 3 p.m. Runnels and Miller
will review data about the public perception of mental illness, highlight
several initiatives (both local and national) aimed at addressing and reducing
stigma, and explore the effectiveness of such campaigns. The discussion will
cover the impact of positive and negative media portrayals of psychiatry, as
well as a working knowledge of current APA media initiatives and data
supporting these campaigns.
Increasingly, the public is bombarded by an almost constant barrage of
negative images and stereotypes about mental illness in major media—from
Dr. Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs" to Matt Lauer's
infamous interview with Tom Cruise on the "Today" show in 2005.
Recent studies demonstrate that this attention has indeed had a negative
impact. In response, multiple organizations, including APA, have initiated
campaigns targeting stigma. ▪