Time to Change has been campaigning to improve attitudes and behaviour towards those of us with mental health problems for over ten years. In that time we’ve seen a dramatic change: 12.7% of the adult population (5.4m people) now have more positive attitudes. At the start of the campaign, we were a near lone voice, but in recent years we’ve seen a welcome growth in anti-stigma campaigns. But is there still a need for campaigns which encourage us to be more aware and understanding when it comes to mental health? Is the job not done?
The growth in the number of anti-stigma campaigns has sparked criticism from some quarters for encouraging tokenism, allowing people to jump on the popular mental health bandwagon without any long-term commitment to the cause. The asks are often quick and easy to carry out – share a tweet, use a hashtag, send a text. Given the difficulties people face in accessing services, why are we asking people to do such simple actions like, in the case of Time to Talk Day, have a conversation about mental health? How does that help those who are severely affected, languishing on endless waiting lists with little to no support network?
There are many improvements we want to see across the mental health field and providing people with timely access to treatment and support is an absolute priority. Time to Change’s partner charities, Mind and Rethink Mental Illness campaign tirelessly to this end, calling Government to account and offering direct support to those in need. But there are other critical issues that also need to be addressed.
A recent independent survey of 4,000 people with lived experience of mental health problems placed ‘improving public attitudes towards mental health problems’ as the second highest campaigning priority - after service improvements. The message is clear. Mental health stigma has serious consequences. The judgement that people face, or fear they face, can mean losing jobs, relationships and in the most extreme cases, lives. It’s that serious.
Large sections of the population still hold stigmatising views - making the lives of those affected much harder. It’s imperative that we reach this audience. But it’s not easy. They aren’t listening to mental health charities and may not even be outspoken about their views. However, they might just click on a Facebook post that’s gathering momentum or open a video that’s going viral. The ‘light-touch‘ asks of anti-stigma campaigns provide an entry point, enabling and encouraging these audiences to take their first step towards becoming more supportive and understanding of mental health problems. In doing so, they help to build a society where people experiencing a mental health problem increasingly feel accepted and understood.
By normalising conversations about mental health, anti-stigma campaigns also make it easier for those affected to reach out for support, preventing problems escalating further down the line. Having said that, we recognise that not everyone has benefitted equally from the progress that’s been made so far. We know that certain conditions remain heavily stigmatised which is why towards the end of the month, we’ll be focusing our efforts on dispelling many of the misconceptions that continue to surround schizophrenia, bi-polar and borderline personality disorder.
"James Harris, Associate Director of Communications, Marketing and Membership at Rethink Mental Illness argues that campaigns like Time to Talk Day strengthen campaigning efforts across the wider mental health agenda, including service provision: “To progress any aspect of the mental health agenda, Government has to feel continued pressure from the general public. The worst thing that can happen to any policy campaign is silence. Campaigns like Time to Talk Day help to keep noise levels high. They encourage everyone to feel connected to the cause, whether they have personal experience of mental health problems or not. They are also empowering, showing how simple actions which demonstrate you’re open to the topic, can make a big difference and even change lives.”
"Vicki Nash, Head of Campaigns and Policy at Mind is also an advocate of unity across the mental health community, warning of the risks of playing one agenda off against another: “When campaigning for people with mental health problems, we must be led by need, not funding. We want it all – better prevention, better treatment and an end to stigma and discrimination. A real strength of anti-stigma campaigns is that they are usually grounded in people’s experiences which helps to humanise policy debates. By encouraging openness, they also help us to understand the scale of service need. Until people feel comfortable speaking out, we can’t fully comprehend that.
"Nash adds: “Bold promises have been made by politicians these last few years and yet the reality for many is that they are still not getting the help they need. There is always a lag between talk and action but campaigns like Time to Talk Day help to fill that space - keeping interest levels high and ensuring there’s no excuse for filing ‘mental health’ away in the ‘too hard’ box. That would be the worst outcome for everyone.”
Returning to the initial question of whether anti stigma campaigns are still needed? For us, the job won’t be done until those affected tell us that ending stigma is no longer a campaign priority. And while attitudes towards mental health are improving, our research suggests we still have some way to go. Until then, we hope to continue to see a broad mix of mental health campaigns, all working together to keep mental health high on everyone’s agenda.