"Serious mental illness is a two-edged sword: It challenges those affected not only with disability but also with unjust social stigma, which denies them opportunities to work, live independently, and pursue other goals. Written by participants and first-rate social scientists in the Chicago Consortium for Stigma Research, On the Stigma of Mental Illness: Practical Strategies for Research and Social Change explores the causes and ramifications of mental illness stigma and possible means to eliminate it. The book translates basic behavioral research, especially from social psychology, to an issue of prime importance to clinical psychology. At the core of many problems facing people with mental illness is public reaction to their disabilities (e.g. landlords may not rent to and employers may not hire someone with a serious mental illness). The authors explore the causes of such stigmatizing attitudes, including media images and a culture that does not respect people with mental illness. Living within such a culture often leads to self-stigmatization as well. Although laws such as the Americans With Disabilities Act have decreased the impact of discrimination, contact between those with mental illness and those without may be one of the most effective ways to diminish stigma. This book includes practical strategies for dealing with public stigma and self-stigma, including deciding when and how to disclose one's psychiatric history to others"--Jacket. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved)