Cambridge Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health

The persistence of stigma of mental illness and seeking therapy perpetuates suffering and keeps people from getting the help they need and deserve. This volume, analysing the most up-to-date research on this process and ways to intervene, is designed to give those who are working to overcome stigma a strong, research-based foundation for their work. Chapters address stigma reduction efforts at the individual, community, and national levels, and discuss what works and what doesn't. Others explore how holding different stigmatized identities compounds the burden of stigma and suggest ways to attend to these differences. Throughout, there is a focus on the current state of the research knowledge in the field, its applications, and recommendations for future research. The Handbook provides a compelling case for the benefits reaped from current research and intervention, and shows why continued work is needed.

'The Cambridge Handbook of Stigma and Mental Health provides an authoritative, up-to-date overview of stigma and mental health research written by leading researchers from around the world. It provides a classic and current overview of research as well as future directions.' Nursel Topkaya, Associate Professor, Ondokuz Mayis University, Turkey, 'This book will be an invaluable resource to students and researchers delving into the vast field of mental health stigma. Chapters on specific topics within the stigma field, such the measurement of stigma and discrimination, stigma among military personnel, and the relationship between stigma and masculinity, written by experts in those topics, will be extremely useful to many seeking information in those areas. I can't wait to have this resource available for my students and myself!' Philip Yanos, Professor and Director of Clinical Training, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, USA, 'I have been involved in research on stigma, mental health, and help-seeking, and I am so glad to see that we will have the 'go-to' resource for researchers, students, teachers, and practitioners. This handbook provides the most updated collaborative research efforts in understanding the process of stigma, with great breadth and depth. It also offers ways to overcome stigma toward mental illness and seeking therapy.' Hsin-Ya Liao, Washington State University, USA

David L. Vogel is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Communication Studies program at Iowa State University. He founded the Self-Stigma Research Collaborative to assist scholars from around the world in conducting cutting-edge research on self-stigma and its relationship with mental illness and help-seeking. Nathaniel G. Wade is Professor of Psychology and Director of the Counseling Psychology program at Iowa State University. He has developed and tested interventions to reduce stigma associated with seeking therapy and to promote forgiveness of self and others.