Objectives: Cooperation/exchange of European and US research groups in key areas of mental health (participation, citizenship, recovery, stigma and health policy/public policy)

Partner: University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK; Mental Health Foundation, Glasgow, UK; New York University, US; Finnish Association for Mental Health, Helsinki, Finland; Yale University, US; Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, US

Funding and duration: EU (RISE), 2016-2019

Co-project lead: Nathalie Oexle, Nicolas Rüsch

Study coordination: Lea Mayer

Funding: Eckhard Busch Stiftung

Duration: 07/2019 – 06/2021

Summary:
People who have survived a suicide attempt often experience stigma and discrimination, and secrecy is a common strategy to avoid stigma. However, secrecy and disclosure of a suicide attempt both have pros and cons. Interventions can support people with a history of suicide attempt in their disclosure decisions.

“Honest, Open, Proud” (HOP) is a peer-led group intervention to support people with mental illness in their decisions whether to disclose or not. HOP has already been adapted for suicide attempt survivors in the USA (“To Share or Not To Share”, 2Share).

The aim of the current study is to evaluate 2Share in a German clinical setting. Feasibility and efficacy of the program will be tested in a pilot RCT.

Co-project lead: Nicolas Rüsch, Nathalie Oexle

Study coordination: Lea Mayer

Cooperation with:
Dr. med. Sabine Müller, Consultant at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ulm
Dr. Ulrike Hoffmann, head of research group „Transfer of Knowledge, Dissemination, E-Learning" at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Ulm

Duration: 07/2019 – 06/2021

Summary:
Parents of children with mental illness often experience stigma and discrimination, and keeping a child’s mental illness secret is a common strategy to avoid stigma. However, disclosure and secrecy of a mental illness of one’s own child can have pros and cons for both parents and their children. Interventions can support parents of children with mental illness in their disclosure decisions.

“Honest, Open, Proud” (HOP) is a peer-led group intervention to support people with mental illness in their decisions whether to disclose or not. HOP has already been adapted for parents of children with mental illness in the USA and Australia (“Starting the Conversation”, STC).

The aim of the current study is to evaluate STC as a webinar and test its feasibility and efficacy in a pilot RCT in Germany.