A message from Stephen Fry for Time to Change

On hearing the good news about our new funding, possibly our most famous supporter Stephen Fry, gives us a special message.
He talks about how the Government's funding will help Time to Change to address "the single most important feature of mental health in this country...and that is the mental health, not of those who suffer from some disorder or other, but the mental health of the nation, who for some reason or other, continue to have a view of those who are mentally unwell, which amounts to stigmatising, and stigma it seems to me is the thing we most have to address."

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Stephen Fry
• Time To Change
• stigma
• discrimination
• mental illness
• mental health
• depression
• schizophrenia
• bipolar
• campaign
• charity
• Rethink Mental Illness
• Mind

[EyetoEye2008]

I was born with my disorder but it took them 35 years before they gave me a proper diagnoises, I'm now 40 and have still not received the correct help - I have 4 long term disorders - I have fought all my life against peoples attitudes and ignorance, and will continue to do so, have been sacked many times for being ill and different - so I started my own business - believe in yourself no matter how hard life gets - Don't let them grind you down

[majormotoko2010]

hope this helps everyone to know that even if u have a mental health problem,it makes u no different than anyone else. u will find people will find it hard to understand, but try to give them the benefit of the doubt and try help understand. weather ur the person with it or the person who doesn't have it.

[BipolarBabble]

GREAT news, as far as I know my government (Dutch) does NOT have any campaign going against stigmatizing people with mental disorders. :(

[soshapely]

Is stigma 'the thing we most have to address'? as Stephen Fry declares. 'Recovery takes place regardless of symptoms and problems' (New Horizons research). If we insist on people's diagnoses being taken into account before anything else, we are in danger of missing out on things like aspirations, goals, hopes, dreams, gifts and skills. We are also in danger of patronising people with mental health conditions, as we insist on disclosure on their behalf without consulting them first.

[MrZetteke]

@soshapely That makes no sense to me.. explain please.

[soshapely]

Fighting stigma is another way of perpetuating it. 

[TheDarkAngelDani]

@wepul I haved lived with severe depression and social anxietioes for more then 11 years, It has been due to what a 'diagnosis' could say about me why i haven't had treatment, Until this year. I'm at a point where i can not leave my house without my partner on a good day, Can not use the phone, answer door etc etc. It's Only since seeing a psych, due to it elevating to hallucinations, That i'm finally getting a true diagnosis, the right medication and real help.

[wepul]

The UK government has recently introduced e-petitions online.

Please sign this ‘Abolish ECT’ e-petition and relegate this barbaric 'treatment' to the history books along with lobotomy. We need 100,000 signatures to get it debated in parliament.

To sign an e-petition, you must be either:

• a citizen of the UK (can live abroad)

• a resident in the UK (you normally live in the UK)

It only takes a minute! Please pass this on.

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petit­ions/16278

Thanks

[wepul]

@TheDarkAngelDani I don't quite understand you! Perhaps you are unaware that 'diagnoses' are not scientificbut are just opinions. Psychiatrists should concentrate on treating individual symptoms and not try to lump symptoms together to make an unscientific 'diagnosis. The DSM IV is a fairy tale fantasy book of 'diagnoses' which are created by consensus between a group of psychiatrists not through scientific testing. Psychiatric drugs make people permanently disabled. ECT is worse. breggin.com

[TheDarkAngelDani]

@wepul And doctors with the same attitudes are the reason it's taken 11 years for anyone to start thinking about a diagnosis, 11 years of being passed from pillar to post with no one daring to diagnose. By all means hit out about too quick, unnecerssery diagnosis, but when someone suffers from a psychiatric problem, and no one will diagnose it due to these fears, makes that person life a ,lot harder then some idiot thinking it means they're deranged.