The Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT), in collaboration with Harvard Medical School's McLean Hospital, has launched an Israeli iteration of McLean's global campaign to combat the stigma surrounding mental health.
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Deconstructing Stigma, a project which debuted at Boston's Logan Airport in 2016, has officially launched in Israel. Its pop-up installations are on display in Jerusalem at JCT's Tal and Lev Campuses and at Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
The display features life-sized posters of individuals with mental health challenges who volunteered to publicly and boldly share their personal struggles. The goal of the campaign is to highlight the complexity of living with a psychiatric disorder, seeking treatment, navigating insurance and healthcare systems, and facing stigma.
"The goal of Deconstructing Stigma is to bring to life what occurs behind closed doors," said Dr. David H. Rosmarin, director of the spirituality and mental health program at McLean Hospital and an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "There's a lot of mystique around what happens with people who have a mental illness. With this initiative, our volunteers are proudly coming forward and saying, 'Here I am. This is what happened to me, this is how I deal with it, and this is how I'm thriving.' In doing so, we humanize what mental illness looks like."
Inspired by seeing the posters at Logan Airport, Stuart Katz, founding director of OGEN–Association for the Advancement of Mental Health in Israel, was determined to bring the initiative to Israel and helped spark the partnership between McLean and JCT. Katz and Dr. Zvika Orr, a senior lecturer at JCT's Selma Jelinek School of Nursing, are spearheading the campaign in Israel.
Mental health is an acute problem globally, and Israel is no exception. Nationally, the Israeli Ministry of Health reports that suicide is the second-most common cause of death for Israeli males ages 15-24, and third-most common for young females. Further, nearly half of Israel's population suffers at some point in life from mental health issues, with anxiety and depression being the most common challenges.
"In Israel, we are constantly told to be the 'gibor' (hero) and not show any weakness. This makes mental health stigmas particularly felt here," Katz said, explaining why he felt it was critical to bring the campaign to Israel.
However, the Covid-19 pandemic has opened space for changing attitudes to some degree, since many were suddenly burdened by newfound feelings of depression and anxiety — creating a need to address mental health stigmas on a national scale.
In an effort to localize the campaign for an Israeli audience, the installation features a diverse array of Israelis from various religious backgrounds and locations, including groups particularly vulnerable to stigma such as Haredim and Muslims.
Dr. Orr and other JCT faculty are working with Dr. Rosmarin and Dr. Steven Tzvi Pirutinsky, an associate professor at Touro University, to conduct an in-depth research project measuring how the attitudes of JCT's students, faculty, and staff regarding those with mental illness have changed following the campaign.
The JCT iteration of the Deconstructing Stigma installation was in the works for more than a full academic year, prior to its launch.
"JCT is an ideal setting for Deconstructing Stigma in Israel, since its Selma Jelinek School of Nursing has a special track for Haredi female students," said Rosmarin, who explained that nurses are often agents of change within the medical system, and society at large. In addition to the Deconstructing Stigma poster installations, JCT has created a special curriculum for its nursing students, who helped conduct in-depth interviews with those who volunteered for the public posters about their mental health struggles.
Dr. Orr said that early data indicates that the participating students are already experiencing meaningful changes in their attitudes about mental health.
"We hope our students come out of this project forever changed," Orr said. "Instead of judging or being fearful of those with mental illness, many of them are now sharing that they understand these are common struggles. They are developing empathy and affinity for the brave men and women who participated in this campaign."
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