1 in 4: The anti-stigma strategy in Andalusia (Spain)

Topic outline

• General
  

  General

  “1 de cada 4” (1 in 4) is a cross sector anti-stigma strategy that started in 2007 as a part of a global approach that include the improvement of social & mental health services based on recovery and human rights principles. The general aims of 1 in 4 are:

  • Fight stigma, discrimination and human rights violation experienced by people with mental health conditions.
  • Support service users and relatives in their recovery journey.

  1 in 4 is co-ordinated by the Awareness Group  that is part of the Comprehensive Mental Health Plan of Andalusia, formed by service users and carers, whose direct experience with discrimination is essential to determine the strategy and the actions that should be taken, as well as mental health professionals, sociologists and journalists. The members of this group belong to the following agencies:

  	Andalusian Federation of People with Mental Health Lived Experience (En Primera Persona)  Andalusian Federation of Relatives and People with Mental Illness (FEAFES-Andalucía Salud Mental)  Andalusian Health Service (SAS)  Andalusian Public Foundation for Social Integration of People with Mental Illness (FAISEM)  Andalusian School of Public Health (EASP)

  
  The cross sector actions are addressed to general population, young people, professionals from several sectors (media, health, social service, and policy & other security forces), workplaces and people with mental health conditions and relatives. Since 2011, actions have been taken in order to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) within social & mental health services.

  Actions addressed to general population:

  • Video-spots championship
  • Anti-stigma championship
    
  • Personal recovery experience video-documentary 
  • Stigma & mental health video-documentary
  • Anti-stigma exhibition ‘Don’t judge by the face’
  • 1 in 4 campaign

  Actions addressed to media professionals:

  • Recommendation guide
  • Training workshops
  • Media seminars
  • Media observatory

  Actions addressed to workplace:

  • Employment video-documentary 
  • Toolkits to support people with mental health conditions

  Actions addressed to health & social care professionals:

  • Human Rights & mental health awareness publication
  • Stigma and general health video-documentary
  • Personal experiences with staff in mental health services guide
  • Stigma, human rights & recovery training courses

  Actions addressed to young people:

  • Awareness workshops in secondary schools “Let's talk about it”
  • Awareness workshops in secondary schools “Get minded”
  • Training events with university students 

  Actions addressed to police & other security forces:

  • Training courses

  Actions addressed to people with mental health conditions and relatives:

  • Mental Health Advanced Directive procedure and guide
  • Peer support group network
  • Human Rights users’ guide
  • Sports and physical activities initiatives
  • Creativity & art activities
  • Recovery & peer support training (Peer2Peer)
  • Empowerment training programme (Prospect)
  • Families’ Schools

  Also, 1 in 4 promote local actions based on social contact, with the leadership of users and relatives:

  • Against Stigma Awards

  An overview of the strategy until now tell us that the joint forces actions between all the main actors was highly valued, and that the cross-over actions and working on a long term basis with different audiences give a greater credibility, both to public and policy makers.

  One of the strengths of 1 in 4 is that it serves as a baseline for the development of local actions involving local key actors, and probably the main milestone is the direct outcome for users who reached empowerment and recovery.

  A PDF with this information is available to download here (925 Kb).