On Monday (20 January) the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will be making a significant public announcement* addressing the stigma and discrimination that people with mental health problems face. On the same day, the anti-stigma programme Time to Change releases the results of its biggest ever survey of people’s experiences of stigma, to launch its latest advertising campaign.

The survey of almost 5,000 people with mental health problems shows that over a third (34%)1 say they come up against stigma and discrimination on a monthly or weekly basis. Shockingly, one in ten people even say they face it every single day.

Time to Change, which is run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, also found that over half of people said that stigma and discrimination was as bad as or worse than the illness itself (58%)1.

Other findings include:

• 28%1 waited for more than a year to tell their family about their mental health problem

• 22% waited more than a year to talk to their GP about their mental health problem

• 44% said that stigma and discrimination has stopped them from looking for or returning to work

• 61% of people have experienced stigma and discrimination from friends and in their social life.

However, as public attitudes have started to improve2 the survey also shows signs of improvement with 61%1 of people saying they now find it easier to talk about their mental illness compared to previous years, and over a third (34%)1 reporting that when they did finally tell someone, the response was better than they expected.

The new findings are released at the start of the new advertising campaign and in the run up to the first national Time to Talk Day being held on 6 February which aims to spark a million conversations about mental health. Time to Talk Day is part of Time to Change’s latest campaign – It’s time to talk, which highlights the little things that make a big difference to someone going through a mental health problem – such as sending a text, having a chat over a cup of tea, or giving them a call.

The campaign is working with employers and supporters to generate a million conversations on the day - whether this is at work, in school, on the playing fields and terraces, in churches, at social events or at home - to ensure that the message is heard by all communities and all ages.

Time to Change Director Sue Baker said, “These new figures show that stigma and discrimination are still life limiting and for some people, who feel they can’t ever talk about mental health, life threatening. What is encouraging to see is the number of people who feel it is getting easier to talk more openly about their mental health, and that when they do the response is more positive than expected.

“However we have a long way to go until we can talk about mental health and expect others to respond in the same way that they would towards someone with another common health issue like cancer, diabetes or asthma. Find out how you can get involved or register your interest at www.time-to-change.org.uk/talkday”

For more information on getting involved in the Time to Talk Day on 6 February and for tips, tools and conversation starters go to www.time-to-change.org.uk/talkday or tweet #TimetoTalk to find out more.

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Notes to Editors

1 The Time to Change survey was conducted online using SurveyMonkey between 11 December and 6January 2013 and was completed by a total of 4840 people in the UK with experience of a mental health problem. A link to the survey was distributed via Time to Change Facebook fans and on Twitter.

2 Attitudes to mental illness report 2013 

*The Deputy Prime Minister’s speech will be taking place from 9.20am. Interviews and photographs with Sue Baker will be available before the event or on the day.

For more information please contact Larissa Abl, Time to Change Senior Press Officer, on [email protected] or 0207 840 3137

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 £16million, 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