There is some evidence to suggest that people who have more knowledge about mental illness are less stigmatizing ^{Footnote 101} so education about mental disorders could help to reduce stigma. However, educational campaigns need to be carefully constructed to avoid confirming or increasing stigma, ^{Footnote 102} and broad, public campaigns have generally shown limited effectiveness. ^{Footnote 103}

Because Canadians prefer to maintain a distinction between common mental health problems and serious disorders, and the research shows this tendency is quite persistent ^{Footnote 104} targeted anti-stigma campaigns may be most effective. For serious mental illness, the most effective strategies are contact-based and aimed at the needs of specific sub-groups. ^{Footnote 105} This calls for consumer involvement in anti-stigma initiatives. ^{Footnote 106} More research is needed on what works to enhance mental health literacy and to reduce stigma regarding serious mental illness. ^{Footnote 107}

For less serious mental disorders, initiatives that emphasize the commonness of mental health problems appear to be helpful; this involves soft messaging that places less emphasis on common mental disorders as illnesses and more on prevalence and shared social responsibility. ^{Footnote 108}

Because fear of stigma can deter treatment seeking, self-help interventions such as consumer guides, Mental Health First Aid training, and self-directed web-based interventions represent promising practices. ^{Footnote 109}

Workplace initiatives are needed to manage people’s concerns about disclosing mental health problems at work. Mental Health First Aid Training in workplaces represents a promising practice. ^{Footnote 110} Employment programs to re-integrate persons with mental illnesses into the workplace benefit the individuals themselves by increasing their self-esteem and self-worth, and may also increase social acceptance. ^{Footnote 111} Workplace interventions teaching people stress management skills and providing management training also show promise, but more research is needed in this area. ^{Footnote 112}

Engaging with the media to improve coverage of mental health issues may be an effective strategy for improving mental health literacy and reducing stigma. However, such efforts are likely to exert the greatest influence if they involve public/private partnerships and alliances (including consumer and caregiver voices) to negotiate collective solutions with the media. ^{Footnote 113}

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