Latest research shows a record number of people in England saying they would be willing to live, work and have a relationship with someone who has experience of a mental health problem. Public attitudes have also improved by 6% over the last three years , which equates to more than 2.5 million people with improved attitudes towards people with mental health problems.

The National Attitudes to Mental Illness survey, released by Time to Change, the mental health anti-stigma campaign run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, has been conducted annually by TNS since 1993, with additional analysis carried out by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London since 2009. The reported improvements in attitude change of 6% - against a 5% target between 2011 and 2014 - have happened despite the risk of deterioration during times of economic hardship.

The survey asks a number of questions to track how public attitudes are changing over time. In 2009, questions were introduced to measure the public’s intended behaviour towards people with mental health problems. In this most recent study levels of reported and intended behaviour have reached their highest level since then:
•    9% increase in willingness to live with someone with a mental health problem (57% to 66%)
•    8% increase in willingness to live nearby to someone with a mental health problem (72% to 80%)
•    7% willingness to continue a relationship with a friend who had a mental health problem (82% to 89%)
•    7% increase in willingness to work with someone with a mental health problem (69% to 76%).

The number of people acknowledging that they know someone close who has had a mental illness increased from 58% in 2009 to 65% in 2014, possibly the result of decreasing stigma and greater levels of openness about mental health problems amongst the population. Encouragingly, over two thirds (68%) of respondents also said that they now know what advice to give a friend to get professional help for their mental health problem.

Generally, the survey shows that people are becoming more tolerant and understanding of people with mental health issues. Nine in ten people (91%) agreed that we need to adopt a more tolerant attitude towards people with mental health problems in our society, and 78% agreed that people with mental health problems have for too long been the subject of ridicule.  

Despite these significant improvements, the statistics also show that there’s more work to be done to reduce mental health stigma and discrimination. Although 40% of people said they would be comfortable talking to their employer about their mental health problems, nearly half (48%) said they would feel uncomfortable. When asked about how to describe someone who has a mental illness, nearly 40% agreed that they are prone to violence, when in reality people are far more likely to be the victims of crime rather than the perpetrator.

Sue Baker, Director of Time to Change, said:

“The latest National Attitudes towards Mental Illness survey shows that, as a society, we have continued to shift our thinking about mental health and how we behave towards those of us with experiences of mental health problems.

“The driving force of the momentum built in recent years is the movement of thousands of people and organisations who are working tirelessly to tackle stigma, overturning old stereotypes and out-dated attitudes, and helping to give mental health a higher profile.  People openly sharing their mental health experiences, in all walks of life, is key to this change. Despite this progress we also know that stigma and discrimination are still common experiences which requires a sustained focus on effective strategies.”

Minister of State for Community & Social Care, Alistair Burt, said:
 
“It’s good to see that society’s attitudes to mental health are changing for the better, but we have a long way to go. I want to lend my support to all those who face or help challenge stigma and lack of understanding. With three-quarters of mental health problems in adult life starting before the age of 18 it is vitally important to help improve public awareness and understanding from a younger age.”

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said:

“Over the last decade we have made great strides in changing public attitudes about mental health for the better. More people than ever before tell us they feel confident in sharing their mental health experiences with friends and family. We’re also witnessing a remarkable social movement of people feeling empowered to tackle stigma and discrimination when they see it. Mental health will no longer remain in the shadows. We have started to see real change happen but we won’t stop until the shame and fear that has for too long been associated with mental health becomes a thing of the past.”

Mark Winstanley, CEO of Rethink Mental Illness, said:

“It’s really encouraging to see attitudes towards mental illness improve year on year. Recently we have seen a definite shift where people feel empowered to speak up against negative stigma, through social media in particular. And while it’s still not perfect, we are also seeing more responsible reporting of mental illness in the press, and where this is not the case, there is now often a huge public backlash, which wouldn’t have happened ten years ago. Time to Change is doing a fantastic job in galvanising us to all play our part in ending the negative stigma of mental illness, to ensure people get the support they need and don’t suffer in silence.”   

The full evaluation report is available from the Mind website.

Ends/

For more information please contact Hayley Richardson-Roberts, Communications Manager 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.

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, £33 billion has been raised and more than 450,000 grants awarded.