Beat the Stigma with education about addiction
Public and private partnership in Ohio work to Beat the Stigma
By: Nationwide
Tork Barayan is one of thousands of Ohioans all too familiar with the stigma surrounding mental health and addiction. Barayan lost his brother to a drug overdose. He likens his family’s experience to something everyone can relate to.
“If you have a toothache, you go talk to somebody about it and you take care of it before it gets out of hand,” he said. “But what if we treated that toothache the same way we treat addiction? What if that person felt ashamed about having a toothache and they just didn’t talk to anybody about it and then a few months later that tooth has to come out? That’s a permanent situation to be in—you no longer have a tooth. In my situation, I no longer have a brother.”
The Barayans aren’t alone. One in every 13 Ohioans has a substance abuse disorder. A new education campaign called “Beat the Stigma” aims to address the stigma and dispel the myths surrounding mental health and addiction. Backed by the Ohio Opioid Education Alliance in collaboration with Recoveryohio, the campaign is the outcome of a public/ private partnership between the state and the Alliance, led by the Nationwide Foundation.
Governor Mike Dewine was so impressed with the effectiveness of the Alliance’s previous statewide advertising campaign, “Denial, Ohio,” that he asked the same marketing experts, led by Nationwide, to help with the anti-stigma efforts.
“I asked the team to bring the same level of careful, deliberate messaging to this campaign that they did in “Denial, Ohio” and I’m very proud of their work,” said Governor Dewine. “’Beat the Stigma’ and its message is a great example of what can be accomplished when both the public and private sectors join forces to tackle societal issues.”
The new campaign uses a fictional gameshow to address the issue and features contestants playing “Beat the Stigma.” All the stigmas featured in the campaign are based on actual stigmas that Ohioans in recovery, and their families, have faced.
“Stigma can be devastating to those living with addiction and mental illness,” said Lori Criss, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. “This new education campaign directly addresses the impact of stigma and asks us to challenge what we think we know about these diseases.”
The Alliance hopes to match the state’s $9.75 million commitment with additional private funds to amplify the message.
“While the campaign is powerful, we need to raise additional financial resources to amplify the message to reach all corners of the state,” said Chad Jester, Nationwide Foundation president.
At the Hocking County Municipal Drug Court in Logan, Judge Fred Moses sees the impact of stigma and addiction in his courtroom every day.
“Most people who come through our specialized dockets aren’t bad people,” he said. “Everybody has a worth, and everybody has value. We should look at those values and stop just assuming what we know about somebody.”
Tork Barayan agrees. “I think [my brother] would still be here today if that stigma and shame around addiction just didn’t exist anymore.”
If your business would like more information on how it can join the Alliance and amplify the campaign, contact the Alliance via the Nationwide Foundation.