The New York Times (3/3, Bajaj) reports One of Us, an initiative run by the Danish government, “works with people who have mental health challenges – the program calls them ambassadors – to share their stories in schools, hospitals and police stations, with a focus on their recovery.” The goal is to “change how the public sees mental illness.” The Times highlights how “stigma is one of the stubborn realities of mental illness: In a European Union survey in 2023, three-quarters of respondents said that people with mental illness are treated as less capable and as contributing less to society than others are.” Although no research has “examined whether One of Us has changed the public’s attitudes or societal stigma against mental illness,” some evaluations “have suggested that the program has shifted attitudes among key gatekeepers.”
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— The New York Times (requires login and subscription)