Sometimes, our faith in human nature can be rewarded. A recently published study by The Lancet Psychiatry Journal seems to show that Time to Change - Mind and Rethink Mental Illness's mental health anti-stigma programme - is having a positive effect on public attitudes. Furthermore, the study posits that mental health stigma and discrimination might have been more prevalent without the campaign.
Considering the current social and economic privations we continue to experience in this country, it's heartening to see some indications that society, at least in some quarters, is resisting the urge to retreat into states of self interest. Indeed, with a little bit of awareness raising, our capacity for empathy, tolerance and understanding is proving to be an enduring set of values.
Findings suggest a significant improvement in attitudes related to prejudice and exclusion.
Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said: “This is really encouraging further evidence of positive changes in attitudes in England. It is always difficult to estimate where we might have been without the influence of Time to Change and all of our campaign supporters, but this data suggests that we would not have seen these levels of change if the campaign had not been active with social marketing and local events and activity.
“Of course there is a huge amount of work to do until we can confidently say that no one has to face stigma and discrimination because of a mental health problem in any community and in any walk of life.”
A staunch supporter of Time to Change, the Department of Health has also played a significant role in continuing efforts to change attitudes and reduce stigma in mental health. In 2011, we launched 'No health without mental health', a cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages. It espouses the twin aims of keeping people well and improving their mental health and, when not well, improving their health outcomes through high-quality services.
Take a look at the full Lancet article for more details of the survey and do use the comment function beneath this post to let us know if you feel public attitudes are changing for the better.
2 comments
Comment by termite posted on
This all sounds good but every time there is a NHS funding cut, mental health tops the bill.
Millions are slashed off mental health budgets then time has to be spent finding ways of saving the money without cutting services ... an impossible task ... time that could be spent caring for patients ... so do the government really care ... of course not!
Will they ever care ... of course not!
Mental health care hasn't moved out go the dark ages, a day on a ward is the same today as it was fifty years ago, staff have to 'tick boxes' every time they talk a patient, if indeed they have time to do that.
Fund mental health care so that there are not good but excellent staffing levels on each ward, give nurses the time to spend with patients without constant demands for ticking boxes,make patients feel they really matter!
We can all talk but let's see some action from this government and the funding made available to meet the real needs of patients and the care systems that supposed to be there to help them.
Comment by joe hannigan posted on
As an erstwhile charge-nurse in a very good psychiatric hospital I always regarded the need of some if not all for asylum ie removal from current stressesand support towards healing. This servise requires adequate funding,staffing etc probably EQUAL to that accorded to physical illness. The true art of psychiatric care is the timing of the discharge of the patient and the arranging of support in the communityand the quality thereof. Finally if the community is not cared for then it may be unable to support its vulnerable with charity in all things. Pace, Eric Pickles and Ian Duncan -Smith!