SHSC And Children's Hospital Launches Campaign To Combat Mental Health Stigma, England

Main Category: Mental Health
Also Included In: Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 19 Jan 2009 - 4:00 PDT

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Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust (SHSC) and Sheffield Children's Hospital NHS Foundation Trust are joining forces with local people and national celebrities in a groundbreaking campaign aimed at reducing the stigma of mental illness.

Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust delivers integrated NHS and social care mental health services for adults and older people in the city and provides learning disability and substance misuse services. It operates in partnership with Sheffield City Council's Neighbourhood and Community Care Directorate.

The NHS Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) is part of Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust and provides specialist mental health care to young people aged between eight and 18 years old, in partnership with social services and youth offending teams. It is recognised as a model of best practice by other CAMHS services across the country.

Time to Change, which launches on 21 January 2009, is a national programme being run by a coalition of mental health charities. The campaign is targeting people across the UK in a bid to change attitudes to mental health and stop stigma ruining lives.

The £18m project, which aims to reduce discrimination against those with mental health problems by 5per cent by 2012, will feature a high-profile advertising campaign and involve local people who have suffered discrimination as a result of mental health problems.

Stephen Fry said: "One in four people, like me, have a mental health problem. Many more people have a problem with that. I want to speak out, to fight the public stigma and to give a clearer picture of mental illness most people know little about. Once the understanding is there, we can all stand up and not be ashamed of ourselves, then it makes the rest of the population realise that we are just like them but with something extra."

Ruby Wax said: "One in five people have dandruff, one in four people have a mental health problem. I've had both. It's so common, it could be anyone. The trouble is, nobody wants to talk about it. And that makes everything worse. We need to take the stigma out of mental illness. People shouldn't be ashamed of it."

Kevan Taylor, Chief Executive of SHSC said: "Mental health problems affect twenty five per cent of the population and a around 90 per cent of those affected are stopped from seeking help, applying for jobs and doing normal things like going to the shops because of stigma and discrimination. This not only makes recovery that much harder but it also amounts to a great social injustice, one which we aim to work with all parts of our community to tackle."

Dr Nevyne Chalhoub, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist at Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust said: "It's crucial that people understand that mental health affects everyone. It's not something to be embarrassed or ashamed of. Sadly, a lot of people are afraid to get help if they have a mental health problem and that comes down to the stigma associated with it. Hopefully this campaign will change this and help us move towards a brighter future for mental health.

Notes



1. Time to Change is England's most ambitious programme to end the discrimination faced by people with mental health problems, and improve the nation's wellbeing. Mental Health Media, Mind, and Rethink are leading this diverse programme of 35 projects, funded by £16m from the Big Lottery Fund's Well-being programme (http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk) and £2m from Comic Relief, and evaluated by the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College, London. The programme is founded on an international evidence base, and has people with direct experience of mental health problems at its heart.

2. 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some stage in life - Office for National Statistics

3. 9 out of 10 people with a mental health condition are affected everyday by stigma - Rethink: 'Stigma Shout' survey of almost 4,000 people, 2007.

Time to Change

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