Program Against Stigma and Discrimination Because of Schizophrenia

Chairman of the Steering Committee: Prof. Ahmed Okasha
Scientific Director: Prof. N. Sartorius

|  Full Program (Website: http://www.openthedoors.com/) |

This program began in 1996 with encounters of experts representing different medical disciplines, behavioral sciences, patient and family associations, and inter-governmental organizations. This was followed by the active production of a series of materials pertinent to the conduction of field projects on stigma. More recently, the program has been piloted in Canada, Austria, Spain, China, India, Egypt, Germany, Greece and Italy. A global program against stigma was formally launched during the XI World Congress of Psychiatry in Hamburg 1999.

It is clear that stigma against psychiatry and psychiatric patients represents a major challenge to today's health and human development. At stake are therapeutic effectiveness as well as human rights and the highest ethical aspirations of our profession.

This program is supported by an unrestricted grant from Eli Lilly.