Acta psychiatrica Scandinavica
-
Acta Psychiatr Scand · Jan 2011
The impact of a national mental health arts and film festival on stigma and recovery.
This study aims to evaluate the impact of a national mental health arts festival for the general public, encompassing a wide variety of art forms and themes. ⋯ The paper argues that the arts can change stigma by constructing shared meanings and engaging audiences on an emotional level. Carefully programmed, collaborative, community-based arts festivals should form an integral part of national programmes to address stigma and to promote mental health and wellbeing, alongside traditional social marketing and public education approaches.