With 25 years of experience at Queen’s and a focus on mental health stigma research, Dr. Heather Stuart aims to uphold the department’s integrity and address pressing issues in mental health.
Heather Stuart was appointed as the Interim Head of the Department of Public Health Sciences after former head, Dr. Bradley Stoner, decided to take a leave of absence from Queen’s to work at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Stuart will serve as interim head until June 30 of next year, while the faculty searches for a long-term head.
In an interview with The Journal, Stuart discussed her professional background both within and outside of Queen’s University, highlighting her current role as the Bell Canada Mental Health and Anti-Stigma Research Chair and her position as a Professor in Public Health Science at Queen’s.
Before her time at Queen’s, Stuart worked at the University of Calgary, where she collaborated with the World Health Organization on creating a global anti-stigma program.
“We pilot tested off international experts’ ideas about how to reduce stigma, and we tried a bunch of different things, including things we thought wouldn’t work. Our goal was to make as many mistakes as we could order to find out what those are and document them so that when this [program] rolls out to other countries, they don’t make the same mistake,” Stuart said in an interview with The Journal.
Her experiences working at a mental health hospital shaped her understanding of mental health issues, and fueled her desire to conduct stigma research as she gained deeper insights into the challenges faced by individuals and the community.
“As I grew up and grew older, I realized that’s not how everybody thinks about people in the mental hospital and I couldn’t quite understand why they were always so afraid,” Stuart said.
She recounted instances when she mentioned her workplace to others, often encountering the assumption that she should be scared because of the stigma surrounding mental health. This perspective puzzled her, and she would respond, “No, actually, they’re quite nice.”
With a Master’s degree in sociology and a PhD in epidemiology—the study of health determinants, occurrence, and distribution in defined populations—Stuart examines stigma through various lenses, including structural stigma, public stigma, and self-stigma.
Structural stigma is what organizations and societies do at a very broad level, looking at laws or policies that might discriminate against certain groups, such as a law saying that people with mental health problems can’t work in certain organizations.
Stuart argues structural stigma needs to be targeted at face value, by removing laws or policies that are harmful. She mentioned addressing structural stigma will help address other issues as people often “act within their structures.”
Another aspect of stigma is its publicity and how the public perceives individuals with mental illness. Stuart explained that these perceptions ultimately influence how people interact with those facing mental health challenges.
To combat public stigma, Stuart emphasized the effectiveness of “-based education,” where individuals with mental illness share their experiences and demonstrate how they have overcome their challenges. One example she provided is presentations in schools, though she noted that there are many other ways to implement this approach.
Self-stigma refers to the internalized stigma where individuals blame themselves for their illness, leading to feelings of shame, unworthiness, and decreased self-esteem. Stuart noted this creates a “why try effect,” where individuals adopt a mindset that discourages them from pursuing opportunities, such as seeking employment due to a belief they won’t be hired anyway.
While self-stigma is a less researched field, Stuart pointed out there is a program in Kingston, referred to as Cooking Connections, that helps deal with it.
In this program, participants cook a meal together and sit down over lunch to discuss their personal feelings, which helps bring light to problems that feel isolating.
As the interim head, Stuart stated her intent to maintain things as they are and keep a primary focus on preserving the department’s integrity and providing leadership for any emerging issues.
Corrections
A previous version of this headline and story incorrectly stated Dr. Stuart’s position at the University.
Incorrect information appeared in the Sept. 27 issue of The Queen’s Journal.
The Journal regrets the error
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Harold A Maio
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That is a curious approach- would it not be wiser to tackle (educate) those taught and teaching there is a stigma?
“There is” a stigma to mental health issues is accurately editorially/educationally represented as “there are” people taught and teaching there is. Which view you take matters.
Harold A Maio