Back to Basics: Understanding Mental Health Literacy
Back to Basics: Understanding Mental Health Literacy
Wednesday, May 4, 2022
3:15 ET / 12:15 PT
We have often heard the term – “mental health literacy,” but how many of us understand what it truly means or how critical it is to our mental well-being? Mental health literacy has been defined as the knowledge and beliefs people have about mental health conditions, which helps in their recognition, management, or prevention. It is important because it influences when and how people seek help and mental health outcomes. Healthy People 2030 saw that it was important enough to separate its definition into a personal definition and an organizational definition. Mental health literacy is also important for reducing stigma. Poor understanding of our own mental health can lead to discrimination and unhealthy coping behaviors and prevent people from asking for help. We must implement mental health literacy in all our outreach and education efforts to help individuals recognize the warning signs and develop their ability to maintain good mental health.
During this webinar, we will explore the importance of mental health literacy, its cultural impact in the United States, and how to successfully implement it in your outreach and education efforts.
This webinar is designed to help you:
- Describe health literacy and the principles of health literacy.
- Explain why mental health literacy matters.
- Analyze the cultural impacts of mental health literacy in the U.S.
- Prepare you to include mental health literacy in outreach.
Meet the Speaker:
Pierluigi Mancini, Ph.D., is the president of the Multicultural Development Institute, Inc. He is one of the most sought-after national and international consultants and speakers about mental health and substance use disorders. His areas of expertise are cultural and linguistic responsiveness, immigrant behavioral health, social and racial justice, health equity, and health disparities.
In 1999, Dr. Mancini founded Georgia’s only Latino behavioral health program, which serves the immigrant population by providing appropriate mental health and addiction treatment and prevention services in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
Nationally, he has provided expert content to clients at the local, state, and federal levels. Internationally, he has provided consulting in Mexico, Italy, Colombia, Cuba, and Kosovo. He recently led a project to train clinicians in Latin America, who are taking care of over 4 million displaced Venezuelans in the region.
Dr. Mancini’s public service announcement and documentaries addressing Latino underage drinking, suicide rates, and prescription drugs have won a combined six Emmy ® awards. Dr. Mancini has been named one of the 50 Most Influential Latinos in Georgia; honored with the NLPA Star Vega Distinguished Service Award; the UnidosUS (NCLR) - Helen Rodríguez-Trías Award for Health; and the Mental Health America “Heroes in the Fight” Award, among others.
He serves as the secretary/treasurer on the Board of Directors for Mental Health America National, Wellstar Atlanta Medical Center, the Georgia Council on Substance Abuse, and R.I. International.