Mental health issues touch all of us. For example, anxiety and mood disorders appear in nearly every family; suicide rates are climbing; rates of ADHD and autism spectrum disorders are soaring. Although our understanding of, and treatment options for, mental illness have expanded dramatically over the past 60 years, public attitudes have largely remained unchanged. Stigma persists, preventing too many people from getting the help they need.

Stephen Hinshaw, professor of psychology at UC Berkeley and of psychiatry at UCSF, will present a systemwide webinar about the social and personal costs of the stigma surrounding mental illness — especially what can be done to open dialogue and ensure access to needed treatments. Hinshaw will share insights about mental health and stigma gathered both through his distinguished research career and his family history, explored in his 2017 book “Another Kind of Madness: A Journey through the Stigma and Hope of Mental Illness.”