Paradigms Lost: Fighting Stigma and the Lessons Learned

Paradigms Lost challenges key paradigms currently held about the prevention or reduction of stigma attached to mental illness using evidence and the experience the authors gathered during the many years of their work in this field. Each chapter examines one currently held paradigm and presents reasons why it should be replaced with a new perspective. The book argues for enlightened opportunism (using every opportunity to fight stigma), rather than more time consuming planning, and emphasizes that the best way to approach anti-stigma work is to select targets jointly with those who are most concerned.

Heather Stuart, PhD, has been working in the field of stigma research for almost 15 years and is the co-founder and current Chair of the Scientific Section on Stigma and Mental Disorders for the World Psychiatric Association. Dr Stuart is Director, Masters of Public Health Program, Department of Community Health & Epidemiology and Associate Director, Queen's/Pan American Health/World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Training in Psychiatric and Behavioural Epidemiology, both at Queen's University, Ontario, Canada. Dr Stuart is also the Senior Consultant for Canada's Opening Minds national anti-stigma/anti-discrimination initiative.

Julio Arboleda-Flórez, MD, ECFMG, LMCC, D. PSYCH., DLF, FRCPC, DABFP, PhD, DLFAPA, FCPA, FACFP, FABFE, FRSM, is Emeritus Professor, Departments of Psychiatry and of Community Health and Epidemiology and the Inmediate Past Head and Chief-of-Psychiatry at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada. Dr Arboleda-Flórez is a leading authority on legal psychiatry and human rights of the mentally ill. He is the Honorary Chair of the Forensic Section and a longstanding member of the Ethics Committee of the World Psychiatric Association, an Honorary member of several national psychiatric associations. He has extensive experience in anti-stigma work and has contributed numerous publications to this area.

Norman Sartorius, MD, MA, DPM, PhD, FRCPsychg, was Director of the World Health Organization's mental health programme from 1977 - 1993, President of the World Psychiatric Association from 1993 - 1999 and has been President of the European Psychiatric Association since 1999. Dr Sartorius holds professorial appointments at the Universities of London, Prague and Zagreb and is Senior Associate of Faculty at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Dr Sartorius is among the world's leading authorities on fighting stigma, co-morbidity of mental and physical illness, public health aspects of psychiatry and psychiatric education.