Despite the increase in publicity surrounding mental health
and mental health issues, there is still a lack of
understanding about mental health in general. For example,
a research survey published by the government "Attitudes to
Mental Illness 2007" reported that 63% of those surveyed
described someone who is mentally ill as suffering from
schizophrenia, and more than half believed that people with
mental illness should be kept in a psychiatric ward or
hospital. Overall the results showed that positive
attitudes to people with mental health had actually
decreased since 1994 which is worrying indeed.
Amazingly, many people still don't understand that mental
health problems affect most of us in one way or another,
whether we are suffering from a mental illness ourselves or
not. If we bear in mind that a quarter of the population
are suffering from some kind of mental health problem at
any one time, then the chances are, even if we personally
don't have a mental illness, we will know someone close to
us who does, so it is our responsibility to understand what
mental illness is and what can be done about it.
Many people with mental health problems will often feel
isolated and rejected and too afraid to share their
problems with others purely because of the way they might
be perceived. This lack of understanding means they are
less likely to get the kind of help and support they need
and are in danger of slipping even further into depression
and mental illness. People need to understand that mental
illness need not be a barrier to a better quality of life
and that help is available and that most people with a
mental health problem can regain full control over their
lives if they get the support they need.
A new guide to mental health
The Royal College of Psychiatrists has produced a new guide
to mental health which was published in November 2007 and
is aimed at informing the general public about what mental
illness is and is a big step towards tackling the stigma
that is still attached to mental illness.
The guide is written in an easy to understand format and
over 60 mental health experts have contributed to it. The
Mind: A User's Guide contains chapters that cover a whole
range of mental illnesses and includes a section on how the
brain works, how mental illness is diagnosed, and how to
cope with it.
A Scottish survey
In Scotland, a national survey of public attitudes to
mental health Well? What Do You Think? (2006) was published
in September 2007 and highlighted that although people
living in socially deprived areas have a higher incidence
of mental health, the level of stigmatisation is still no
lower than in other areas. This suggests that being
confronted with mental illness is not enough to change the
attitudes towards it.
There are also gender differences too. According to the
Scottish survey, men with a mental health problem were more
likely to be treated with suspicion than women and were
also more inclined to avoid social contact with someone
else with a mental health problem. Even out of those who
displayed a positive attitude towards people with mental
health problems, many said they would be reluctant to tell
anyone if they had a mental health problem themselves which
just goes to show that there is still fear surrounding
other peoples' perceptions of mental health.
A CIPD Survey
A recent study conducted by the Chartered Institute of
Personnel and Development and KPMG consultants surveyed
over 600 employers and reported that doctors are not doing
enough to help people with mental health problems return to
work and that this is costing the business world billions
of pounds. For example, only 3% of the participants rated
doctor support as "very good".
It may be that doctors really don't know what else to offer
someone suffering from depression and anxiety other than
drugs and time off work. Even more worrying was the fact
that 52% of employers maintained that they never hired
anyone with a history of mental illness which serves to
perpetuate the stigma. On a more positive note, of those
that did hire someone with a mental health problem, more
than half said the experience had been "positive".
Changing attitudes
A lot is being done by governments and organisations to try
to change public attitudes towards mental health but is it
enough? Until we all recognise that mental illness doesn't
discriminate, it can affect any one of us at any time
regardless of our age, gender or social background, the
stigma attached to mental illness is likely to persist.
Mental illness doesn't discriminate, it can affect any one
of us at any time regardless of our age, gender or social
background, and yet the stigma attached to mental illness
still persists. Although a number of government
initiatives, awareness campaigns and organisations have
been set up specifically to tackle mental health stigma and
change our attitudes towards mental health in general,
there is still a long way to go.
It is therefore up to each and every one of us as
individuals to make sure we are well informed and
understand the issues involved because only when the public
are fully aware of the facts will mental health stigma
become a thing of the past.
----------------------------------------------------
Depression and anxiety are serious mental health conditions
that can strike anyone at anytime. For more information
about depression and selp help come and visit
http://www.fightingdepression.co.uk
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