Today, Health Minister, Alistair Burt will announce that Time to Change, the mental health anti-stigma programme run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, will be launching a major national campaign this November to reduce mental health stigma among young people and parents.

Building on an existing programme of work with young people (14-18 year olds) and parents, the £660,000 investment from the Department of Health will see Time to Change deliver a national social marketing campaign and work alongside the charity Young Minds to deliver training in 30 schools across three areas in England.

1 in 10 children will experience a mental health problem, that’s about three children in every classroom. A survey has shown that 90% of those young people will experience stigma and discrimination as a result.[1] It also found that stigma prevents young people from doing the everyday activities that are part of teenage life: hanging out with friends (54%), and even stop them going to school (40%). Worryingly, 26% said negative reactions from others had made them want to give up on life.

The new social marketing campaign will target young people to raise awareness of mental health problems and the stigma that many face.  It will also target parents, to make sure they feel equipped and have the confidence to speak with their children about mental health.

Sue Baker Director of Time to Change, said:

“With three children in every classroom experiencing mental health problems, and the latest ONS figures showing 1 in 8 children aged 10 to 15 reporting symptoms, we have to create a new era of openness and support. Young people have told us that stigma is life-limiting - it affects friendships and school life, and for a quarter it even makes them want to give up on life. This has to be the generation for change.  

We have already seen significant attitude and behaviour change amongst adults in England, and we've seen positive results from the work we’ve been doing with children and young people and schools in recent years, but this campaign will drive new conversations across England with 14-18 year olds and parents, through a high profile national campaign and an in-school programme which we will be delivering with Young Minds.

We know from our research that we'll need to work with both children and young people and their parents in order to help them have more open conversations at home, and our young champions will be delivering sessions in secondary schools as part of a whole a school approach.”

Nikki Mattocks, 18, from Croydon is a young champion for Time to Change. She said:

“I have been involved with Time to Change for years and have shared my story in lots of different ways to help break down the stigma and misunderstanding that surrounds mental health problems. We have come a long way, but I still find that I am discriminated against because of my mental illness and this needs to change. I hope that this new campaign will help everyone, especially young people, to talk more openly about mental health without being judged. It is truly incredible how much we can achieve just by talking.” 

Health Minister, Alistair Burt, said:

"I am proud to announce the biggest transformation to young people’s mental health and one of the greatest investments the sector has seen.

“The largest ever national anti-stigma campaign for young people and their parents will launch next month. We will be working alongside Time to Change on a campaign specifically targeted on the places where young people spend their time online.”

 

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For more information please contact Emma Warren, Senior Media Officer at Time to Change at [email protected] or call 0208 215 2358 or 07789 721966.

 

Notes to Editors

** For access to a range of free images to accompany mental health news stories please visit: https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/getthepicture. These images have been developed by

the anti-stigma campaign Time to Change, run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and funded by the Department of Health, Comic Relief and the Big Lottery Fund.

Time to Change

Time to Change is England's most ambitious programme to end the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems. The programme is run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, and funded by the Department of Health, Comic Relief and the Big Lottery Fund.

 

For more information go to www.time-to-change.org.uk

 

Department of Health

On 2 February 2011 the Department of Health launched No health without mental health, a cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages which has the twin aims of keeping people well and improving their mental health and, when people are not well, improving their outcomes through high-quality services.

The strategy is based on six shared objectives, developed with partners from across the mental health sector, and focuses on recovery and the reduction of stigma and discrimination as overarching themes. 

To reduce the stigma faced by people with mental health problems, the Department has been supporting Time to Change, the anti-stigma campaign run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, since 2011.

Comic Relief

Comic Relief is committed to supporting people living with mental health problems. The projects Comic Relief funds ensure people with mental health problems get their voices heard in the decisions that affect their lives and get the help they need to recover. Comic Relief also helps people to promote their rights and reduce the stigma and discrimination they face so that they feel more included in society. The funding of Time to Change represents

Comic Relief’s largest UK grant and is part of the organisation’s long standing commitment to this issue. For more information go to www.comicrelief.com.

Big Lottery Fund

Big Lottery Fund supported the first phase of Time to Change with funding of over £20million, and in 2013 awarded the programme a further £3.6m from its Well-being programme to build on its success and work with targeted communities. Big Lottery Fund also supported the campaign’s roll out across Wales. They will be providing a further £1.1m to support the Time to Change campaign in 2015-16.
 

The Big Lottery Fund supports the aspirations of people who want to make life better for their communities across the UK. We are responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised by the National Lottery and invest over £650 million a year in projects big and small in health, education, environment and charitable purposes.

Since June 2004 we have awarded over £6.5billion to projects that make a difference to people and communities in need, from early years intervention to commemorative travel funding for World War Two veterans.

Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £34 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.