Time to Change is urging more people to join the movement after a new global study, published in The Lancet, has revealed that over three quarters (79%) of people with depression report experiencing some form of discrimination.
The study, led by Professor Graham Thornicroft at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) – who also evaluates the progress of Time to Change - found that over a third (34%) of participants reported that they had been avoided or shunned by other people because of their mental health problems. Anticipated discrimination had prevented over a third (37%) of participants from initiating a close personal relationship, and a quarter (25%) had not applied for work at some point because they expected that they would be discriminated against.
However, the researchers also found that people who anticipated discrimination did not necessarily find that their experiences confirmed this, with nearly half (47%) of participants who said they anticipated discrimination in finding or keeping a job, and 45% who anticipated discrimination in their personal relationships, saying that they did not actually experience discrimination in these situations.
Almost three quarters (71%) of participants said that they actively wished to conceal their depression from other people, leading to concerns that people with depression may be put off from seeking treatment due to fears of discrimination if they disclose their condition.
Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said: “Sadly this study doesn’t tell us anything surprising, but it does show that despite improvements in England since Time to Change began, there is still a long way to go until everyone with a mental health problem can live life free from stigma and discrimination. It’s a tragedy that despite mental health problems being incredibly common, many people still feel the need to hide them. This prevents people from seeking help, and from having full and active lives making use of their skills and talents.
“Time to Change is working to change this in England in partnership with people with mental health problems and a wide range of organisations and employers. Our campaign focuses on changing the attitudes and behaviour of those close to people with mental health problems, alongside work to empower people with mental health problems to speak out about it. The evidence we have shows this to be working, but we have generations of stigma and prejudice to overturn.”
Professor Thornicroft, Head of the Health Services and Population Research (HSPR) department at the Institute of Psychiatry at King's says: “Previous work in this area has tended to focus on public attitudes towards stigma based on questions about hypothetical situations, but ours is the first study to investigate the actual experiences of discrimination in a large, global sample of people with depression. Our findings show that discrimination related to depression is widespread, and almost certainly acts as a barrier to an active social life and having a fair chance to get and keep a job for people with depression.”
To find out more about the report please visit the Institute of Psychiatry website
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For more information please contact Hayley Richardson, Time to Change Senior Media Officer, on [email protected] or 0208 2152 358/ 07789 721 966. Follow Hayley on Google+