Mental Health Stigma in Healthcare Setting & Provider Gender
Towards Loving Mind Institute’s aim to bridge science and community to promote scientific literacy and appreciation among the public and impacted populations we serve, LMI Outreach Coordinator Amara Davis conducts an engaging and personable interview with Jenesse Kaitz, Ph.D., first author of the publication, Influence of Provider Gender on Mental Health Stigma. Dr. Kaitz, a post-doctoral fellow and licensed clinical psychologist at the Veteran’s Affairs Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research (CHOIR), discusses important findings of her paper, what attracted her to research, and benefits of conducting research at the VA. Dr. Kaitz also notes that the VA frequently serves low-income patients, providing mental healthcare for those who might not otherwise have access. A driving force for the paper in her words was “a needs assessment for quality improvement in an initiative to assess and pilot an intervention specifically to target mental illness related stigma in our mental health providers”. To overcome stigma in provider care, she informs us on the need for a combination of both targeted and cultural interventions to build awareness on the prevalence of stigmatizing beliefs in clinicians that treat mental health related illness. Her paper found prejudicial views to be most prevalent in male practitioners with the strongest stigma being towards people with schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Dr. Kaitz calls our attention to remember that “mental health is a spectrum… we all may face mental health challenges at some point in our life…and breaking down these stereotypes is part of our responsibility”. When asked what patients can do to ensure unbiased care, she expresses the importance of having a good fit with the provider.
To see Amara Davis’s full interview with Dr. Jenesse Kaitz, see video below or view it on the LMI YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ik-0sTuV8U
Definition: Provider
A health care provider is an individual health professional or a health facility organization licensed to provide health care diagnosis and treatment services including medication, surgery and medical devices. Health care providers often receive payments for their services rendered from health insurance providers (Wikipedia).
Kaitz, J.E., Steinhilber, K.M. & Harris, J.I. Influence of Provider Gender on Mental Health Stigma. Community Ment Health J (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-021-00849-y