On Monday, September 27, 2021, Dr. Stephen Hinshaw presented a webinar to define the concept of stigma as it pertained to individuals experiencing mental disorders and discuss severe mental illness in a family context. Dr. Hinshaw explained: “By blending science and narrative I hope to give voice to the family suffering involved when stigma reigns, and to what a future could look like when open attitudes, evidence-based treatments, and humanization can prevail”. This presentation was recommended for students in grades 7 and up, their families, and the general public.
Dr. Hinshaw’s research focuses on developmental psychopathology, clinical interventions with children and adolescents with attention deficits and hyperactivity, and both understanding and reducing mental illness stigma. He has received over $20 mil- lion in NIH funding and an equal amount in foundation support. He currently serves as co-director of the UCSF-UC Berkeley Schwab Dyslexia and Cognitive Diversity Center, and he heads the Awareness & Hope (stigma reduction) arm of the UCLA Depression Grand Challenge. Dr. Hinshaw has authored over 370 articles and chapters, plus 12 books. His memoir, Another Kind of Madness: A Journey Through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness (St. Martin’s 2017) was awarded Best Book in Autobiography/Memoir by the American Book Fest in 2018. He has received numerous national and international awards for his research and contributions. In addition, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2021. His work has been featured regularly in the media, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Huffington Post, Wall Street Journal, Today Show, CBS Evening News, ABC World News Tonight, PBS, CNNand many more.
A quote from Dr. Hinshaw in his memoir, Another Kind of Madness: A Journey Through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness, summed up the essence of the webinar he presented on September 27: “In the end, I hope that the material herein provides solace, inspiration and courage to all individuals affected by mental illness, either in themselves or in those close to them – in other words, to everyone.” The talk concluded with strategies for overcoming stigma.
Mental Health Association for Chinese Communities (MHACC) https:// www.mhacc-usa.org collaborated with Alan Hu Foundation to provide instant Chinese interpretation.
We were honored and privileged that Dr. Hinshaw shared his wisdom of decades of devoted research on stigma and stigma reduction as well as his family stories with us. We were grateful to our audience for spending precious one hour with us. Thank you for tuning in across America as well as from Australia, Canada, China, India, and Taiwan. We were thankful to Pleasanton Mayor Karla Brown and Fremont Vice Mayor Dr. Yang Shao for joining us to promote mental health. Thank you, MHACC Founder and President Elaine Peng. Thank you, Ida Shaw for simultaneous Chinese interpretation.