CURRENT NATIONAL INITIATIVES TO REDUCE STIGMA
Over the last 10 years, stigma toward mental disorders has been acknowledged as a barrier to mental health treatment and recovery. In 1999, the Surgeon General called for approaches to overcome stigma as a priority for the new millennium. In April 2002, President George W. Bush launched The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.
The President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health (2007) strives to help individuals with mental disorders lead normal lives similar to individuals without mental disorders. Both the Surgeon General's Report on Mental Health and The New Freedom Commission on Mental Health affirm that overcoming stigma is the key to
improving access to mental health treatment and supporting recovery.