A report published by the mental health anti-stigma programme, Time to Change, has revealed that mental health is still a topic off limits around the dinner table as nearly one in five parents feel awkward discussing it with their child as they don’t want to scare them – despite it affecting one in four of us in any given year and one in ten children.
Time to Change, which is run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, carried out a survey of 500 parents and undertook 42 in-depth interviews with adults and children in London, Birmingham and Ashford and Whitstable in Kent to find out how parents perceive their role in shaping children’s views and behaviours about mental health. The research with parents is part of a wider campaign that includes directly reaching young people both in schools and through social media and advertising, as well as those who influence their attitudes – professionals like teachers and parents, with training and information available.
The research found that while parents find it difficult to talk, encouragingly 80% also realised that they are the key influencers for their children’s attitudes and beliefs. However, findings also show that parents worried about starting a conversation as they believed their children would know more about the subject than them. This reveals a potential generational gap, with young people appearing to be able to engage better with the topic of mental health problems.
One parent commented: “I think (young people) are much more aware of the fact that it’s not something to be hidden away. You should try to sort it out. I think this was very difficult for teenagers when I was that age to find information.”
The research also found that although 84% of respondents agreed that mental health problems could affect anyone, many still felt that it’s something that happens to ‘other people’.
Using the results from this study, Time to Change will offer parents helpful and practical information and advice on how to talk to their children about mental health problems. One of the main barriers that parents report to starting conversations is lack of time, so advice may include suggestions of good times to raise the issue such as on the school run, at meal times or even when mental health is being addressed on the TV. Time to Change has worked with popular soap operas EastEnders and Emmerdale and BBC3 on their mental health season over the last year – so this has offered lots of conversation prompts.
Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said:
"We want to work with parents to help them be the positive influencers for their children by bringing mental health into their lives. We will use the findings of this research to shape new resources for parents to help them have these conversations.
"In general, young people seem to engage well with the idea of challenging unfairness and, as such, they could be the first generation to make a strong stand against mental health stigma and discrimination."
This work with parents follows on from a successful pilot project in the West Midlands, which was launched to target 14-18 year olds in the region to improve attitudes in relation to mental health. The results of this pilot will be released in October at the same time as the launch of the second pilot in Kent and the South East of England.”
Charlotte Bull, 26, experienced depression and anxiety as a teenager, said:
"It was my mum who started a conversation with me about mental health, just after my A levels, as she noticed that my behaviour was different to normal. It was really important for me that she broached the subject and recommended that we go to our local GP together. It was the first step in getting the support that I needed.
"It’s so important to talk about mental health within the family. Before I experienced depression we had never discussed it, but it would have been really helpful. Especially in trying to understand my own symptoms and how to notice others at school who had been experiencing something similar."
More information and tips for starting conversations about mental health are on the campaign website www.time-to-change.org.uk.
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For more information please contact Larissa Abl, Time to Change Senior Press Officer, on [email protected] or 0207 840 3137
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This research was carried out by Mediacom Real World Insight between 22nd March and 4th April 2013. A mix of qualitative and quantitative research was gathered across a total sample of 550 respondents. For more information, please see below.
Research carried out by Mediacom Real World Insight
The qualitative research
Completed between 22 March and 4 April 2013, the sample was made up of:
- 42 adults and 8 children
- A mix of B, C1 and C2 families
- Interviews in London, Birmingham, and Ashford and Whitstable (Kent)
These interviews were carried out as:
- 6 discussion groups between friends who are parents
Friendship groups have been found to mitigate against the tendency for people to produce ‘socially desirable’ answers in groups of strangers
- 9 in-depth interviews with parents and children
Family interviews can explore the dynamic between parents, as well as the dynamic between parents and their children.
The quantitative research
The quantitative research was a survey of 500 parents living in England, in the BC1C2 socio-economic bracket, with children aged 11 to 19 years. Of these people:
- 400 were regarded as ‘not close to’ a mental health problem (don’t have experience of mental health problems either through personal experience or someone they know)
- 100 were regarded as ‘close to’ a mental health problem (They have experience of mental health problems either through personal experience or someone they know)
Notes to Editors
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 help deliver the objective to reduce the stigma faced by people with mental health problems, in 2011 the Department agreed to support Time to Change, the anti-stigma campaign run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness. The Department of Health is providing the campaign with up to £16 million of funding together with a further £4 million from Comic Relief and £3.6 million from the Big Lottery Fund. This funding will help Time to Change continue their work until March 2015.
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 £4 million grant to Time to Change is the second time the charity has awarded Time to Change its largest UK grant and is part of Comic Relief'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.
The largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, Big Lottery Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has awarded close to £6bn to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since 2004. For full details of the Big Lottery Fund's work visit: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk