30 January 2007
Dear Sir,
After 11 years of established disability discrimination legislation, it is sobering to see the extent of the continuing confusion and prejudice towards people with mental health problems (Living with a label, 24 January).
The British Social Attitudes Survey highlights the slow progress towards effectively tackling the stigma surrounding disability and mental health. 70% of people said they would not feel comfortable living next door to someone with schizophrenia. This statistic is shocking, and yet, not surprising. The mass hysteria created by the media implies that all those with schizophrenia are violent and dangerous yet, most violent crimes are committed by those with drug and alcohol issues.
Whilst anti-stigma campaigns are not the only answer to tackling this prejudice, they can make real headway if sufficiently resourced, targeted and sustained, such as Scotland’s “See me” campaign. However, this requires political will and cash investment far beyond that given to similar schemes in England. We hope these statistics will focus renewed attention on this as a fundamental source of inequity in our society, and attract resources which can realistically begin to tackle the scale and severity of the issue.
Moira Fraser
Head of Policy
Mental Health Foundation
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