Mental Health in Academia and Society Seminar Series. Dr. Roy Richard Grinker "Nobody's Normal"

We are delighted to present All for One and One for All: Public Seminar Series on Mental Health in Academia and Society. All for One and One for All talks will shine the light on and discuss mental health issues in academia across all levels – from students to faculty, as well as in wider society. Seminars are held online once per month on Wednesdays at 5pm CEST/ 11am EST and free for all to attend. Speakers include academics, organisations, and health professionals who’s work focuses on mental health. Live Q and A sessions will be held after each talk. For live webinar schedule please visit https://www.epfl.ch/labs/lashuel-lab/... Follow us on Twitter: @LashuelLab The first conversation is between Dr. Roy Richard Grinker and Dr. Hilal Lashuel, with support from Galina Limorenko. Mental health experts and advocates tell us that "stigma" is the major barrier to mental health care throughout the world. But where did stigma come from? And how can we begin to eradicate it? Dr. Grinker, a cultural anthropologist, specializing in psychological anthropology will discuss his new book, Nobody's Normal. Drawing on research in sub-Saharan Africa, the U.S., and South Korea, as well as his own history as the son, grandson, and great-grandson of psychiatrists, Dr. Grinker writes that we are on the cusp of ending the marginalization of people with mental illnesses and developmental disorders. Topics of the conversation include: 1. Discussion of the book “Nobody’s Normal: How Culture Created the Stigma of Mental illness.” o What is normal, and Who is normal? o What is a mental illness, and how do we distinguish or draw the line between what is a form of personal suffering and a disease or an illness? o What is stigma and are we better off without the word stigma? o We have made great progress in destigmatizing autism. What are the main lessons we have learned from autism? And has the progress we have made in destigmatizing autism help in normalizing the conversation about mental health and mental illnesses? o Is there a boundary between mental challenges and mental illness? o What is the mental health spectrum/continuum? o What can we do to help normalize the conversation about mental health? o Social media: Has the emergence of social media and its vast platforms increased stigma and judgment around mental illness or lessened it? 2. Mental Health in Academia o Why it took so long to talk about mental health in academia? o How are mental health topics perceived in academia? o Have academic institutions approach offering advice or help in tackling mental health in academia? o What would you tell academics who are struggling? 3. Audience QnA Production and editing by Galina Limorenko, with technical support from EPFL SV IT. Images by Unsplash (free license).