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Recovery in the News
Ohio campaign aimed at reducing stigma for addiction, mental illness
Diane Suchetka
Plain Dealer
October 30, 2007
Mental illness and addiction are diseases of the brain, not character flaws.
They can hit any one us.
They're treatable.
And no one who has them should be discriminated against.
Ohio is launching a campaign today to instill those four messages in all of us.
The goal: to reduce the stigma associated with alcohol and drug addiction and mental illness so people suffering from them will undergo treatment, get well and contribute to society.
"The bottom line," says Angela Cornelius, director of the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, "is treatment works, people recover and Ohioans are worth the investment."
No one chooses to have diabetes, heart disease or cancer, she said in a written statement. And they don't choose addiction or mental illness, either.
"Reducing stigma breaks down barriers to seeking treatment for many Ohioans afflicted by mental illness," said Sandy Stephenson, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health.
"Treatment is effective and people recover to live full and productive lives."
The two agencies are behind the new initiative.
They will unveil the "Think Outside the Stigma" campaign today in Columbus before a group of Ohio lawmakers and mental health and addiction specialists from across the state.
Local agencies will use the message in literature they send out in the coming year while the state develops public-service announcements for radio and TV.
"We're in the process of building a marketing campaign," said Amanda Conn Starner, spokeswoman for the Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services. "We're going to be actively looking for partners - businesses organizations, nonprofits, foundations - to help us with this."
The campaign could, in the end, save money, too.
Every dollar spent on prevention saves $7, according to a state study. That money goes to hospitals, prisons and other institutions that end up caring for those who don't get treatment, Starner said.
Multiply that by the number of people affected and the cost adds up quickly.
More than 2 million Ohioans - nearly one in five - experience some mental illness or emotional disturbance each year, according to the mental health department.
And an estimated 880,000 Ohio residents needed, but did not receive, treatment for alcohol or drug abuse in 2005, according to a national survey conducted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Loretta Geyer, a social worker from Euclid who helps adults with mental illness and lives with a mental illness herself, called the campaign a great idea.
"The last acceptable stigma seems to be against people with mental illness," she said. "And it's so important that we all work together to change that.
"If we don't believe in recovery and have the support and treatment in place that help people live the fullest life possible, just think of how much we're losing in terms of the talents and the skills and all the other things those people have to offer."
© 2007 The Plain Dealer