'Thankyou for a superb
campaign. You are not only changing minds, but also lives.'
- member of the public
Who supports the campaign?
"Help kill the stigma" says rock star Adam Ant.
Adam is a keen supporter of the College's
anti-stigma campaign and wants more famous people to talk openly
about their experiences of mental health problems. Adam recently
featured in a Channel 4 documentary in which he talks openly about
his manic depression and being stalked. So please watch this space
and support Adam in campaigning against discrimination and
stigma.
Who else supports the campaign?
The Declaration of Intent
- We, the Council, Fellows and Members of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists, are seriously concerned at the stigma encountered by
people suffering from mental disorders, their relatives and those
who care for them.
- The experience of our patients is that discriminatory attitudes
are widespread within the general public of all ages, the media,
the medical profession, employers, banks, insurance companies,
building societies, educational bodies, housing authorities, and
many other organisations.
- The Royal College has launched a new Campaign - Changing Minds:
Every Family in the Land which will:
- increase public and professional understanding of
- anxiety
- depression
- schizophrenia
- alcohol and drug misuse
- dementia
- eating disorders;
- emphasise how all of us may be affected directly or through
those close to us;
- reduce the stigma attached to those disorders and
discrimination arising from it;
- narrow the gap between the beliefs of health care professionals
and the public about the nature and effectiveness of
treatment.
- The Campaign will challenge inaccurate representation, in the
media and elsewhere, based on stigmatising attitudes and
stereotypes ("nutter", "psycho", "schizo"), myths ("all people with
schizophrenia are violent"), misunderstandings ("mental illness
cannot be cured") and discriminatory attitudes ("I don't want
nutters living in my backyard").
- The Campaign will stress the importance of mental health
promotion as an issue for all of us. It will re-affirm the role of
diagnosis and treatment - psychological, social and physical - in
the effective management of mental disorders.
- Within the Campaign, the College will work collaboratively with
other organisations to seek changes, not only in attitudes and
behaviour, but also in legislation. We aim for the same success as
that achieved against discrimination based on race, gender and
sexuality. There should be no room for stigma in the third
millennium.
The Declaration of Intent has been
signed and endorsed by over 2,500 members of the Royal College of
Psychiatrists. In addition, the following have pledged their
sympathy and support for the Campaign:
Individuals
The Rt Hon Tony Blair MP
The Rt Hon Charles Kennedy MP
The Rt Hon Michael Howard QC MP
Adam Ant
Jane Asher
Lord Ashley of Stoke CH
Alan Ayckbourn
Michael Cashman MEP
Helena Bonham Carter
Sir Chris Bonington CBE
Sir Bobby Charlton
Michael Crawford
Sir Peter Davis
The Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP
Dr Liam Fox
Alan Froggatt
Peter Gabriel
The Rt Hon William Hague MP
Sir Graham Hart KCB
Sir Ian Holm
Glenda Jackson
Geraldine James
Mike Leigh
Joanna Lumley
Miriam Margolyes
Geraldine McEwan
Sam Mendes
Paul Merton
Alan Milburn MP
Baron David Puttnam
Claire Rayner
Alan Rickman
William Roache MBE
Nick Ross
Jacqui Smith MP
Imelda Staunton
Juliet Stevenson
David Suchet
Jayne Torvill
Zoë Wanamaker CBE
Ruby Wax
Organisations
Alcohol Concern
Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern
Ireland
Association of Directors of Social Services
Association of Educational Psychologists
Association of Therapeutic Communities
British Medical Association
Carers National Association
Catholic Agency for Social Concern
Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Childline
College of Occupational Therapists
Community Practitioners' & Health Visitors' Association
Community Psychiatric Nurses' Association
Confederation of British Industry
Department of Health
Depression Alliance
Disability Alliance
Doctors' Support Network
Eating Disorders Association
Fellowship of Depressives Anonymous
Glasgow Media Access Centre
Guild of Health Writers
Hearing Voices Network
Institute of Directors
The Long-term Medical Conditions Alliance
Manic Depression Fellowship
Medical Council on Alcoholism
Mental Health Act Commission (as a body and
individual members)
Mental Health Foundation
Mental Health Media
Mentality
Nacro-Mental Health Unit
National Children's Bureau
National Schizophrenia Fellowship
National Union Teachers
National Voices Forum
NHS Confederation
NSPCC
Press Complaints Commission
Royal College of General Practitioners
Royal College of Nursing
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
Royal College of Physicians
The Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health
Samaritans
The Sir Robert Mond Memorial Trust
Terence Higgins Trust Lighthouse
Young Minds
The Zito Trust
The Royal College of Psychiatrists is
very grateful to the following for their generous support of the
Changing Minds Campaign:
Action on Addiction
Allied Zurich
AstraZeneca
Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals
Cairns Charitable Trust
Citigroup Charities Committee
Co-operative Bank
Corporate Shipping Ltd
Department of Health
DfEE
Eli Lilly and Company Limited
Esso Petroleum
Gwent Healthcare NHS Trust
P J Harper Trust
Janssen-Cilag Ltd
Jarvis (Harpenden) Charitable Trust
John Lewis Partnership
Joron Charitable Trust
Lundbeck
J L Manson & Partners Ltd
Medicom International
NHS Mental Health Trusts
North West London Mental Health NHS Trust
Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust
Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK
Partnerships in Care Ltd
Pfizer
Pharmacia and Upjohn
PPP Healthcare Medical Trust
Priory Healthcare Medical Trust
Royal Society of Medicine
St. George’s Hospital Special Trustees
Sanofi-Synthelabo
See the Person National Disability Campaign (DfEE)
Sir Robert Mond Memorial Trust
Sir Siegmund Warburg’s Voluntary Settlement
Southern Derbyshire Mental Health Trust
Stelios Haji-Ioannou
The Stone Foundation
Unum
WCRS
Warner Brothers
West London Health Promotion Agency
Westminster Healthcare
Wyeth Laboratories
Members of the College
Members of the general public