Hello, I watched both of the films today on this website and listened to one of the radio adverts - all great!
I'm really happy with the films because they target the people who most urgently need to be informed about mental health issues - the people who think 'psychotic' means 'dangerous'. A lot of these things can end up 'preaching to the already converted' and this breaks away from that.
I would really like to see more stuff like this - perhaps on the TV - perhaps using the word 'psychotic', perhaps giving a bit more info on what psychosis is (symptoms and the fear they cause) once the viewers have some idea of what it isn't (violence, evil).
Submitted by stollard on Mon, 05/10/2009 - 3:22pm.
I press the button for events near you and what do I get:
What's Going On Near You?
Sorry, no events found.
I give up. Since this organisation was set up I've been trying to highlight the importance of addressing rural problems, many of which are different from urban problems and which need different solutions.
Submitted by suebrown on Sun, 27/09/2009 - 8:17pm.
I thought the idea of the schizo film really hit the mark,this is because sadly sometimes people with schizophrenia have committed murder and when this happens those headlines are remembered,even though so called 'normal' people also murder.This is what the majority of people know of the illness.They dont know that the majority of people with this illness are often struggling to rebuild shattered lives with very little help from friends or family. I was really pleased this film dealt with schizophrenia as I think this is the 'big one 'that people really have very little concept of.
SAw an article in Mental Health Practice highlighting the fantastic work you guys are doing. The Videos are excellent, although they're reaching quite a large audience, i beleive that some TV air time would assist greatly in catching the attention of the public.
Submitted by DeeDee29 on Wed, 26/08/2009 - 11:10pm.
I wanted to thank Andy for speaking out on this issue. I'm in the exact same position and it was reassuring to get a little perspective on things and know it's not just me that finds things difficult. I lost my job after becoming depressed and being signed off for a year in total regardless of the fact that I had 25 years excellent attendance and performance before that. Now the DWP sends for me to attend monthly meetings to get me back to work but I never even get called for interviews as all the applications ask for details of the last 12 months sick records. And the ludicrous thing? I was a civil servant. So I have one government department telling me I cant keep being employed because I had too much time off and another telling me they dont understand why I cant get a job as I'm well qualified.
Submitted by sarahaevanchizo... on Sun, 16/08/2009 - 6:22pm.
As a mental health nurse I was horrified to see the ad ' schizo ' on facebook and was all set to complain to the highest authority so imagine my surprise when I clicked on it to see the preview! I think this video is excellent and highlights peoples misguided perception of mental health problems and how these negative stereotypes are reinforced by media and the ignorant...keep up the excellent work!!
Submitted by schizo_jon on Sun, 16/08/2009 - 2:08pm.
As a Schizophrenia sufferer myself, I am glad TtC has made these short films/ads.
For far too long we have all been branded serial killers or murderers on TV and in Films – which I believe has led to the stigma or negative stereotype. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a programme on TV with Schizophrenia in its title or review, where the content has been all about serial killers or stuff of horror. I do especially like the “schizo” film, as I believe it starts with the media stereotype and uses the door as a gateway to reality of schizophrenia, in an attempt to change misconceptions about the illness.
There is still a long way to go, especially with the poor classification of mental health problems and fact that mental health is far from being an exact science. Any work to change people's and especially employer's negative perceptions should be welcomed by all sufferers.
Will TfC also be mentioning the achievements of medication?
I totally agree with the above. I think the Schizo film is excellent and does exactly the opposite to what the first two commentators feel concerned about.
Submitted by chava2uk on Wed, 12/08/2009 - 10:31am.
Upon reflection, I am even more upset about this betrayal. Your TV ads and stunts so far have been really good. Now this. Do we really need to sink to this level to get a point across? A similar movie about black people or any other group would be seen as discrimination. So why is this acceptable? I understand the point and what you are trying to do, but I cannot agree it is right, nor can I promote it. How do I present TTC now as something to get involved with when they do something like this without warning?
Please rethink this.
Please reassure me that you have given some thought as to how you would help and support people like me if this goes wrong. If we get trouble because of your video are you willing to stand with us and take responsibility?
Submitted by chava2uk on Tue, 11/08/2009 - 2:09pm.
I have seen the new videos, and I am disappointed that you would do somethong so irresponsible. How dare you associate me with tacky horror movies? I will be one of those hurt in the fallout if this goes wrong. Did you give any thought to what you would do in that case?
Have you the resources to deal with such a failure or will we be left to get on with it?
We made the films following substantial research with the general public. What we found was that most people don't think mental illness affects their lives and they feel fearful even thinking about it. We need to win over these people and to do this, we have to connect with their current attitudes to mental illness and then show them the truth. We think the films do this-we've certainly had a lot of good feedback so far. We will be evaluating the impact of the films and we'll let you know about the results online.
If the results did show that they harmed people (we think this is unlikely), we would take this very seriously and change our strategy for the future of the campaign.
We're sorry they're not your cup of tea but our research suggests this is the best way to convince the millions of peopkle we need to reach that schizophrenia and all mental illnesses are something to talk about, not to fear and stigmatise. Our research with over 3,000 service users and carers found that people wanted us to do something hard-hitting (you can read the Stigma Shout Survey findings here:http://www.rethink.org/how_we_can_help/campaigning_for_change/time_to_change/stigma_shout.html ) , so we have really tried to follow the wishes of people with mental illness and their families.
Submitted by chava2uk on Fri, 14/08/2009 - 7:56pm.
I wanted something hard hitting. I was one of the people that said that, but this is offensive. There is a difference. My son filled out your survey too. My son is now afraid to go out now because the videos have made him think he will be taunted as people who know him will associate him with tacky horror movies. It goes much further than this not being "my cup of tea"!
What preparations did you make in case this backfired? That question was not rhetorical. When you evaluate the impact will yo remember my son and me?
We carried out testing with the target audience of the video to find out what sort of preconceptions this audience already had, what language they might use, and what would work to change their mind. The reason for using 'tacky horro movies' is because this is exactly the sort of image people already have - and therefore one we want to subvert - literally tun it on its head, expose its inaccuracy and to provoke people into questioning their own prejudice around the often-used word ‘schizo’.
The key to the video comes when Stuart reveals his side of the story. He says "Hi there, I'm sorry to disappoint you if you were expecting a lunatic with a knife on some sort of rampage ... people like me with a diagnosis of mental illness face stigma and discrimination everyday."
There are many damaging negative portrayals of mental health in the media, on film and in society – which are nothing new. The point of the film is to show that schizophrenia has nothing to do with tacky horror movies – just the opposite. We are confident that it is doing just that, as is the media coverage we have got of the film.
Your comments will certainly go into our evaluation, along with the survey we do regularly of the general public’s attitudes to mental illness, to check if the film has made a difference.
Submitted by robertadshead on Tue, 11/08/2009 - 1:11pm.
Hi,
I'm a prospective medical student interested in finding out if there are many cases where people clinically diagnosed with depression receive poorer treatment for non-mental health issues; in other words, your GP or hospital doctor when you approached them with symtoms too readily put it down to depression once they noticed depression on your medical records.
I know of one woman who was being treated for ongoing depression complained for some time of feeling unwell and that something was wrong prior to her death but had been repeatedly told it was due to her depression. She was in fact riddled with cancer. It begs the question, if she was not labelled as depressed would doctors have behaved differently?
I'm particularly interested to know if clinical judgement and behaviour is different when patients have a record of depression. For example, could it be investigations into non-mental health conditions are delayed compared to patients without depression which results in less successful treatment outcomes.
I think the videos are excellent, and I like the way the word 'schizo' has been challenged by using the 'violent schizophrenic' stereotype. Nice to have a real person up there as well, and not an actor, and reading about his story really brings it home how everyday people and the media reinforce those negative lables.
Oh wow! After a mention on Breakfast news I just went to your website and viewed both the new films. Absolutely stunning and really nails the message. Brill work. As someone with mental health issues I really think you really "grasped the nettle" on this one. Great production values too, which really helps. Well done!!
Good advertising
Hello, I watched both of the films today on this website and listened to one of the radio adverts - all great!
I'm really happy with the films because they target the people who most urgently need to be informed about mental health issues - the people who think 'psychotic' means 'dangerous'. A lot of these things can end up 'preaching to the already converted' and this breaks away from that.
I would really like to see more stuff like this - perhaps on the TV - perhaps using the word 'psychotic', perhaps giving a bit more info on what psychosis is (symptoms and the fear they cause) once the viewers have some idea of what it isn't (violence, evil).
Rural exclusion
I press the button for events near you and what do I get:
What's Going On Near You?
Sorry, no events found.
I give up. Since this organisation was set up I've been trying to highlight the importance of addressing rural problems, many of which are different from urban problems and which need different solutions.
How has Open Up/Time to Change responded?:
As above................
schizo film
I thought the idea of the schizo film really hit the mark,this is because sadly sometimes people with schizophrenia have committed murder and when this happens those headlines are remembered,even though so called 'normal' people also murder.This is what the majority of people know of the illness.They dont know that the majority of people with this illness are often struggling to rebuild shattered lives with very little help from friends or family. I was really pleased this film dealt with schizophrenia as I think this is the 'big one 'that people really have very little concept of.
SAw an article in Mental
SAw an article in Mental Health Practice highlighting the fantastic work you guys are doing. The Videos are excellent, although they're reaching quite a large audience, i beleive that some TV air time would assist greatly in catching the attention of the public.
People's stories
I wanted to thank Andy for speaking out on this issue. I'm in the exact same position and it was reassuring to get a little perspective on things and know it's not just me that finds things difficult. I lost my job after becoming depressed and being signed off for a year in total regardless of the fact that I had 25 years excellent attendance and performance before that. Now the DWP sends for me to attend monthly meetings to get me back to work but I never even get called for interviews as all the applications ask for details of the last 12 months sick records. And the ludicrous thing? I was a civil servant. So I have one government department telling me I cant keep being employed because I had too much time off and another telling me they dont understand why I cant get a job as I'm well qualified.
online film
As a mental health nurse I was horrified to see the ad ' schizo ' on facebook and was all set to complain to the highest authority so imagine my surprise when I clicked on it to see the preview! I think this video is excellent and highlights peoples misguided perception of mental health problems and how these negative stereotypes are reinforced by media and the ignorant...keep up the excellent work!!
New Short Films / Adverts
As a Schizophrenia sufferer myself, I am glad TtC has made these short films/ads.
For far too long we have all been branded serial killers or murderers on TV and in Films – which I believe has led to the stigma or negative stereotype. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a programme on TV with Schizophrenia in its title or review, where the content has been all about serial killers or stuff of horror. I do especially like the “schizo” film, as I believe it starts with the media stereotype and uses the door as a gateway to reality of schizophrenia, in an attempt to change misconceptions about the illness.
There is still a long way to go, especially with the poor classification of mental health problems and fact that mental health is far from being an exact science. Any work to change people's and especially employer's negative perceptions should be welcomed by all sufferers.
Will TfC also be mentioning the achievements of medication?
new film
I totally agree with the above. I think the Schizo film is excellent and does exactly the opposite to what the first two commentators feel concerned about.
Upon reflectioon
Upon reflection, I am even more upset about this betrayal. Your TV ads and stunts so far have been really good. Now this. Do we really need to sink to this level to get a point across? A similar movie about black people or any other group would be seen as discrimination. So why is this acceptable? I understand the point and what you are trying to do, but I cannot agree it is right, nor can I promote it. How do I present TTC now as something to get involved with when they do something like this without warning?
Please rethink this.
Please reassure me that you have given some thought as to how you would help and support people like me if this goes wrong. If we get trouble because of your video are you willing to stand with us and take responsibility?
I have seen the new videos,
I have seen the new videos, and I am disappointed that you would do somethong so irresponsible. How dare you associate me with tacky horror movies? I will be one of those hurt in the fallout if this goes wrong. Did you give any thought to what you would do in that case?
Have you the resources to deal with such a failure or will we be left to get on with it?
Re: I have seen the new videos, from chava2uk
Thanks for your feedback on the videos chava2uk
We made the films following substantial research with the general public. What we found was that most people don't think mental illness affects their lives and they feel fearful even thinking about it. We need to win over these people and to do this, we have to connect with their current attitudes to mental illness and then show them the truth. We think the films do this-we've certainly had a lot of good feedback so far. We will be evaluating the impact of the films and we'll let you know about the results online.
If the results did show that they harmed people (we think this is unlikely), we would take this very seriously and change our strategy for the future of the campaign.
We're sorry they're not your cup of tea but our research suggests this is the best way to convince the millions of peopkle we need to reach that schizophrenia and all mental illnesses are something to talk about, not to fear and stigmatise. Our research with over 3,000 service users and carers found that people wanted us to do something hard-hitting (you can read the Stigma Shout Survey findings here:http://www.rethink.org/how_we_can_help/campaigning_for_change/time_to_change/stigma_shout.html ) , so we have really tried to follow the wishes of people with mental illness and their families.
You can find some more information on the Q and A page here: http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/what-we-are-doing/our-campaign/summer-2...
Time to Change Web Administrator
Survey
I wanted something hard hitting. I was one of the people that said that, but this is offensive. There is a difference. My son filled out your survey too. My son is now afraid to go out now because the videos have made him think he will be taunted as people who know him will associate him with tacky horror movies. It goes much further than this not being "my cup of tea"!
What preparations did you make in case this backfired? That question was not rhetorical. When you evaluate the impact will yo remember my son and me?
Re: Survey
We carried out testing with the target audience of the video to find out what sort of preconceptions this audience already had, what language they might use, and what would work to change their mind. The reason for using 'tacky horro movies' is because this is exactly the sort of image people already have - and therefore one we want to subvert - literally tun it on its head, expose its inaccuracy and to provoke people into questioning their own prejudice around the often-used word ‘schizo’.
The key to the video comes when Stuart reveals his side of the story. He says "Hi there, I'm sorry to disappoint you if you were expecting a lunatic with a knife on some sort of rampage ... people like me with a diagnosis of mental illness face stigma and discrimination everyday."
There are many damaging negative portrayals of mental health in the media, on film and in society – which are nothing new. The point of the film is to show that schizophrenia has nothing to do with tacky horror movies – just the opposite. We are confident that it is doing just that, as is the media coverage we have got of the film.
Your comments will certainly go into our evaluation, along with the survey we do regularly of the general public’s attitudes to mental illness, to check if the film has made a difference.
From Time to Change Web Administrator
WHat contingency plans did you make?
You still have not said what you will do if this goes wrong. People are already suffering because if this.
Second Class Health-care for Non-mental Health Issues?
Hi,
I'm a prospective medical student interested in finding out if there are many cases where people clinically diagnosed with depression receive poorer treatment for non-mental health issues; in other words, your GP or hospital doctor when you approached them with symtoms too readily put it down to depression once they noticed depression on your medical records.
I know of one woman who was being treated for ongoing depression complained for some time of feeling unwell and that something was wrong prior to her death but had been repeatedly told it was due to her depression. She was in fact riddled with cancer. It begs the question, if she was not labelled as depressed would doctors have behaved differently?
I'm particularly interested to know if clinical judgement and behaviour is different when patients have a record of depression. For example, could it be investigations into non-mental health conditions are delayed compared to patients without depression which results in less successful treatment outcomes.
Please contact Robert on:
mental_discrimination@yahoo.co.uk
New film
Fantastic video - I think most people are blissfully unaware of their own stigmatising behaviour - the 'horror' is that very realisation...
Time to Change online films
I think the videos are excellent, and I like the way the word 'schizo' has been challenged by using the 'violent schizophrenic' stereotype. Nice to have a real person up there as well, and not an actor, and reading about his story really brings it home how everyday people and the media reinforce those negative lables.
New films
Oh wow! After a mention on Breakfast news I just went to your website and viewed both the new films. Absolutely stunning and really nails the message. Brill work. As someone with mental health issues I really think you really "grasped the nettle" on this one. Great production values too, which really helps. Well done!!
Julia