Psychiatry Professor Participates In KET Program "Erasing The Stigma Of Mental Illness"

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 28, 2011) - Dr. John Neill, director of the University of Kentucky's Psychopharmacology Clinic, is part of a program currently airing on Kentucky Education Television (KET) discussing stigma of severe and persistent mental illness.

The program, "Erasing The Stigma of Mental Illness," looks at the impact of stigma on Kentuckians with illnesses such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and major depression. The program touches on the historical aspects of stigma and how those have carried over into today's society, and looks at what's being done today to help erase that long-standing stigma.

"The list of mistreatment of people with mental illness is very long, certainly up until the 17th or 18th century, they were simply locked away or if you had someone like this in the family, you would keep them concealed because there was a tremendous stigma to having the touch of insanity in your family," Neill said.

"Erasing The Stigma of Mental Illness" is part of KET's Health Three60 series, programs which present three sides of a Kentucky health issue.

The program can be viewed online at http://www.ket.org/health/healththree60-mentalhealth.htm. A broadcast schedule for the program can also be found on that page.