title: Reducing mental illness stigma in mental health professionals using a web-based approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of a web-based mental disorder stigma education program for mental health professionals.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 205 individuals who were either residents or specialists in psychiatry. Participants were contacted through a national web-based e-mail group that consisted of professionals in psychiatry, who were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received an informative e-mail which contained a general account of "stigma" before they were asked to respond to an Internet-based questionnaire which was designed to predict their stigmatizing attitudes towards individuals with mental disorders. Control subjects, on the other hand, were asked to respond to the same Internet-based questionnaire without having been given the aforementioned informative e-mail.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The experimental group, compared to the control group, demonstrated a lesser stigmatizing attitude towards individuals with mental illness, as measured by the Internet-based survey which utilized the "social distance" concepts of stigma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that such "anti-stigma" campaigns using the potential of the Internet might be an effective tool in the fight against the stigmatization of persons with mental illness.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Cerrahpaşa Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Aksaray, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mahmut Reha
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bayar
authors.forename: Burç Cağri
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Poyraz
authors.forename: Cana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aksoy-Poyraz
authors.forename: Mehmet Kemal
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Arikan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003479:Curriculum; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011287:Prejudice; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000193:education*; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey