People with mental health problems deal with bigotry daily. What training is being offered to public sector workers to address this?
At any one time, one in six of us will have a mental health problem. The majority of us will surely have had some contact with someone who has personal experience of mental ill health. Yet stigma and discrimination are widespread and stop many people from admitting to mental health problems and doing things that the rest of us take for granted: applying for jobs; going out and meeting new friends; going to clubs and the shops; and even using public services like buses and libraries.
Every year the Department of Health carries out a public attitudes survey to gauge beliefs and attitudes towards people with mental illness. The 2008 survey found that one in eight people would not want to live next door to someone with a mental health problem, while a third thought those with mental health problems should not have the same rights to a job as everyone else.
The new statutory disability equalities duty (part of the Disability Discrimination Act) and the government-led social inclusion agenda are spurring public services to ensure people with mental health problems have equal access to mainstream services, from housing and transport through to education, arts, health and sport.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
Showing posts with label discrimination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discrimination. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
People With Schizophrenia Say Bias Is Part of Their Lives
People with schizophrenia often expect to be discriminated against, and are, in various aspects of their life, new research finds.
The study, which included 732 people with schizophrenia in the United States and 26 other countries, found that 47 percent reported discrimination in making or keeping friends, 43 percent from family members, and 27 percent in intimate or sexual relationships. Also, 29 percent of the participants said they experienced discrimination while trying to find or keep a job.
What the study referred to as positive discrimination was reported by less than 5 percent of the participants.
The researchers also found that 64 percent of the participants didn't bother applying for work, training or education because they expected to fail or to face discrimination, and 55 percent anticipated discrimination when seeking a close relationship. However, more than a third of participants who expected these types of discrimination did not actually experience it.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
The study, which included 732 people with schizophrenia in the United States and 26 other countries, found that 47 percent reported discrimination in making or keeping friends, 43 percent from family members, and 27 percent in intimate or sexual relationships. Also, 29 percent of the participants said they experienced discrimination while trying to find or keep a job.
What the study referred to as positive discrimination was reported by less than 5 percent of the participants.
The researchers also found that 64 percent of the participants didn't bother applying for work, training or education because they expected to fail or to face discrimination, and 55 percent anticipated discrimination when seeking a close relationship. However, more than a third of participants who expected these types of discrimination did not actually experience it.
READ MORE @ WASHINGTON POST
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Nine out of 10 people with mental illness suffer discrimination, says report
Nine out of 10 people with mental health problems do not go out or apply for jobs due to the stigma associated with their condition, a report said today.
They feel most discriminated against by their family (36%), followed by their employers (35%), neighbours (31%) and friends (25%), according to the survey by the mental health charity Rethink.
The groups most likely to be accepting are children, teachers, shopkeepers and public transport workers.
The results of the survey, which consulted more than 3,000 people in England, have been released ahead of an £18m mental health anti-stigma campaign that will be launched across the UK in January.
Paul Corry, Rethink's director of public affairs, said: "Our research clearly shows that stigma and discrimination are ruining people's lives. People with mental health problems have enough on their plates without facing additional pressure caused by other people's archaic and bigoted opinions.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
They feel most discriminated against by their family (36%), followed by their employers (35%), neighbours (31%) and friends (25%), according to the survey by the mental health charity Rethink.
The groups most likely to be accepting are children, teachers, shopkeepers and public transport workers.
The results of the survey, which consulted more than 3,000 people in England, have been released ahead of an £18m mental health anti-stigma campaign that will be launched across the UK in January.
Paul Corry, Rethink's director of public affairs, said: "Our research clearly shows that stigma and discrimination are ruining people's lives. People with mental health problems have enough on their plates without facing additional pressure caused by other people's archaic and bigoted opinions.
READ MORE @ THE GUARDIAN
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