In recent years we’ve seen an enormous shift in public attitudes on mental health, and thankfully this has increased our national understanding and openness. More people than ever feel comfortable talking about mental health. In fact, since Time to Change – the anti-stigma campaign run in partnership by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness – began in 2007, there has been a 9.6 per cent improvement in public attitudes. That’s 4.1m people with more positive views on mental health.
But for all the steps forward we’ve seen there are still some outdated ideas that hold back progress, and this is particularly true when it comes to the subject of violence and mental health. We often see links made between violence and mental health, particularly in the media, and increasingly so when it comes to incidents of terrorism. But we know that often these media diagnoses are speculative and can serve to increase stigma.
Over a third of people think that people with a mental health problem are likely to...
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