Overcoming stigma: involving families in medical student and psychiatric residency education.
OBJECTIVE
The primary purpose of this article is to present a possible mechanism for increasing communication about psychiatric matters such as diagnoses, treatment, and stigma between the physicians, including psychiatrists, and the families of persons with mental illness through a NAMI presentation.


METHODS
Included are a description of a stigma-reduction presentation to junior medical students; information about an instrument to evaluate pre- and postclerkship student attitudes; and a discussion of consumer and family participation in the education of first-year psychiatric residents.


RESULTS
Moving the NAMI presentation from the freshman year to the junior year rotation and first year resident experience has been more efficacious, possibly because clinically oriented students and medical and psychiatric residents seem more receptive to communication about stigma and the family situation.


CONCLUSIONS
The educational collaborations between advocacy groups and academia show promise for increasing communication about psychiatric disorders, treatment, and stigma issues between families and psychiatric patients.
Schmetzer
Alan D
AD
Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202-4800, USA. aschmetz@iupui.edu
Lafuze
Joan E
JE
Jack
Maren E
ME
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002982:Clinical Clerkship; D003142:Communication; D003255:Consumer Organizations; D003479:Curriculum; D006801:Humans; D007196:Indiana; D007396:Internship and Residency; D011287:Prejudice; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy