According to a survey, conducted by the charity Rethink, of more than 3000 mental health service users, 87% reported the negative impact of stigma on their lives. Research found that nearly 9 out of 10 people with mental health problems have been affected by stigma and discrimination, with two thirds saying they have stopped doing things because of the stigma they face.

Rethink reported: “Stigma stops people with mental health problems from doing everyday things such as applying for jobs, making new friends, and going out to pubs and shops. It can even prevent people from reporting a crime”.

An article on the Guardian highlighted this with reference to employment: “One-third of people with mental health problems report having been dismissed or forced to resign, and, according to a report published in 2004 by the Social Exclusion Unit, just 24% of people with long-term mental health problems are in employment, despite them having the highest “want to work” rate of any group.”

According to the charity Rethink, the message service users want to convey, is: “We are people. See me, not the illness.” It is stigma that makes this difficult.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 6th, 2008 at 10:20 am and is filed under Mental Health. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.