International Survey on Emotional Distress and Diagnosis Launched

18 May International Survey on Emotional Distress and Diagnosis Launched

If you’re a reader of this blog you know I’m an advocate for diverse ways to support people who are experiencing emotional distress and for broadening the scope of treatment options. And that I work with many others not only to bring the voices of ordinary people into the dialogue on mental health but to involve them in creating new kinds of conversations on the topic.

Toward this end, I’m very pleased to announce the launch of the Survey on Emotional Distress and Mental Health Diagnoses http://goo.gl/forms/pMJdbRBxcf.

The survey was designed to be completed either online or through in-person interviews. As you’ll see, it consists of seven open-ended questions, asks for simple demographics, and is anonymous.

Unlike the few public opinion polls on such topics, this survey doesn’t prescribe how you should be thinking in order to answer the questions. It doesn’t presuppose an illness model or any other understanding of the experience of emotional distress. It doesn’t ask you to choose among given options but rather invites you to reflect and share how you think and feel in your own words. And it wants to hear from you whoever you are rather than being limited to a specific population or category (e.g., “those in treatment,” “mental health professionals,” “psychiatric survivors,” etc.).

Pease take the survey now! And share it with others in any ways you can—post it, forward it, give it out at events, keep copies in your office, conduct interviews. Let’s give 1000s of people the opportunity to have their voices heard. We want our data to be international, so translate the survey if you wish.

I’d love to hear your response to this campaign and how you and your friends and colleagues are participating in it. You can leave a comment here or email me at lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org.

And check back often for progress reports on how the campaign is going.

The Survey is based on earlier surveys conducted at two NYC street festivals. The details and results of this pilot study appear in “A Report on Community Outreach: Lay Opinions on Emotional Distress and Diagnosis.”