Karnataka Mental Health Manas Samvaadha: Effectiveness of Human Libraries in a Contact-based Intervention for Minimising Stigma and Prejudice against Mental Health in the Communitites: A Pilot Program from Karnataka

This is a pilot interventional study evaluating the effectiveness of Human Library, a contact-based intervention for reducing stigma and prejudice against mental illness in community settings. The study involves persons with lived experience of mental illness delivering 30-minute interactive sessions to groups of community members across 12 libraries in three districts of Karnataka: Bangalore Rural, Chikballapur, and Ramanagara. Participants with lived experience receive structured 7-day training prior to delivering interventions covering mental health awareness, stigma reduction, communication skills, and crisis management. Community members participate in sessions and complete assessments at three time points: baseline, immediately post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Primary outcomes include changes in stigma levels measured by Stigma Scale, social distance measured by Social Distance Scale, and perceived devaluation and discrimination measured by PDD Scale. Secondary outcomes assess mental health knowledge through MAKS and RIBS scales and measure behavioral intentions toward persons with mental illness. The study targets 72 community participants from three districts. This pilot study aims to establish the feasibility and effectiveness of contact-based interventions for mental health stigma reduction within community library settings.