How effective would prevention be in lessening stigma and discrimination against people suffering mental illnesses?
Dr. Bornemann: I think stigma would lessen if mental health screening became a routine measure. When you go to your annual physical you are examined using a whole battery of routine tests, including blood tests, urinalysis, blood pressure, heart and lung function. That is just good medicine that has evolved overtime because those kind of diagnostic steps can indicate the overall health of a person. Why not do a routine screen for something like depression? There are pencil and paper tests that can be done in a couple of minutes that can be handed to your primary care doctor. The mind and body are inextricably linked. We wouldn’t want to learn about one organ system without trying to figure out its relationship with the rest of the body. To lessen stigma and create awareness, we also need to ramp up public health campaigns. As I have mentioned previously, other public health campaigns have been very successful in initiating change. For example, when you go home you will put on your seat
