Public attitudes to mental health (Assignment 2 - Article 1)

The British public have improved their attitudes towards sufferers of mental health conditions – but there is still work to be done.

The Department of Health found last year that 90% of people have a sympathetic attitude towards those who suffer from mental health conditions and that four out of five people are of the opinion that there should be a more tolerant approach to people with cognitive problems that can be of detriment to, or disadvantage them.

A further nine in ten also think that there is a social responsibility to provide such individuals with the best professional care possible.

Even more encouraging figures showed that four in five people disagreed with the opinion that mental health sufferers are a burden on society.

47% of people have also admitted to knowing someone with mental health problems, an indication that people are now feeling more at ease to be open about the subject.

Despite these positive statistics, the minority that still exists suggests that there are still prejudices within certain members of society according to Ivan Lewis, Health Minister, speaking after the revelation of the results showing public opinion. "As a government, we are committed to providing the support people need to recover safely in the community. As a society, we need to break down the barriers, like prejudice, that can make this difficult.” He added.

Ad campaigns have been used by the NHS in recent years to try and inform the public about negative attitudes towards those who could be suffering from depression or from some form of psychosis.

The ads confront issues such as mental illness in the workplace and forms of depression or psychosis in young people.

Despite the ads and increased awareness of mental health, many British people are still unsure on what policy the NHS has with regards to mental health and do not know what treatments are available or how it can be accessed. This provokes concerns that there is still a stereotype that surrounds mental health problems.

People in Preston City Centre give their veiws on mental health.

Over the past year 11 projects have been working to allow those with anxiety or depression to have access to better and more immediate access to psychological therapies.

The projects had funding of £2.2million between them and were launched all over the country.