NSF(S): National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland)

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Stamping out Stigma
The [people too] campaign has been officially launched as See Me. Call them on 0131 624 8945 for leaflets or on [email protected]. NSF (Scotland) is one of the organisations which run the campaign.
Experiencing mental health problems is bad enough. Facing prejudice and discrimination as a result is unfair, unjustified and, since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act, could be illegal too. As part of a new drive to push mental health and wellbeing up the public agenda, the Scottish Executive has thrown its weight behind Scotland’s first nationwide anti-stigma campaign.
The National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland) has joined forces with the Scottish Association for Mental Health, Penumbra, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Highland Users Group (HUG) in an anti-stigma alliance, [people too].
They have been awarded initial funding to March 2004 to run an anti-stigma campaign which will combine high profile publicity with local action.
Campaign Director, Linda Dunion, took up her post in January and her first task is to gather information from across Scotland about individuals’ experiences of stigma and of existing anti-stigma work. [people too] knows that it will be vital to work alongside individuals, organisations and agencies from all sectors to get the anti-stigma message across throughout Scottish society.
Commenting on her new role, Linda Dunion said: 'Stigma has been identified by people with mental health problems, professionals and government as a deep-rooted and damaging issue which must be tackled at a national level. Over the coming months I will be going round the country talking to people with experience of mental health problems and of tackling stigma at a local level.
'Their expertise will be vital in shaping the campaign and ensuring that whatever we do supports and stimulates local action.

'We don’t underestimate the difficulties involved in breaking down stigma. The initial funding until 2004 will help us get the campaign underway but we know that a long-term, concerted effort will be necessary to bring about real change in people’s attitudes and behaviour.'
The campaign is due to be officially launched in the autumn by Health and Community Care Minister, Malcolm Chisholm MSP, who is taking an active role in supporting and promoting the National Programme to Improve the Mental Health and Wellbeing of the Scottish Population, of which the anti-stigma campaign is a key element.
While a detailed campaign strategy has still to be developed, it has been decided to pay particular attention to the media. Influencing the way in which newspapers, radio and television report stories related to mental health and mental illness will be a key objective of the campaign.
Research shows that the media is where most people get their (mis)information about mental health problems so its influence cannot be underestimated. The aim will be to put an end to the use of offensive language, misleading reporting and alarmist headlines. It has been done in other areas such as race and gender and, given time, we can do the same.
If you have information or experiences which you think would be relevant to the development or implementation of the anti-stigma campaign, Linda Dunion would like to hear from you. She can be contacted at 9-13 Maritime Street, Leith, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 624 8945. Email: [email protected].
Return to Stigma home page

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	Stamping out Stigma The [people too] campaign has been officially launched as See Me. Call them on 0131 624 8945 for leaflets or on [email protected]. NSF (Scotland) is one of the organisations which run the campaign. Experiencing mental health problems is bad enough. Facing prejudice and discrimination as a result is unfair, unjustified and, since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act, could be illegal too. As part of a new drive to push mental health and wellbeing up the public agenda, the Scottish Executive has thrown its weight behind Scotland’s first nationwide anti-stigma campaign. The National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland) has joined forces with the Scottish Association for Mental Health, Penumbra, the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Highland Users Group (HUG) in an anti-stigma alliance, [people too]. They have been awarded initial funding to March 2004 to run an anti-stigma campaign which will combine high profile publicity with local action. Campaign Director, Linda Dunion, took up her post in January and her first task is to gather information from across Scotland about individuals’ experiences of stigma and of existing anti-stigma work. [people too] knows that it will be vital to work alongside individuals, organisations and agencies from all sectors to get the anti-stigma message across throughout Scottish society. Commenting on her new role, Linda Dunion said: 'Stigma has been identified by people with mental health problems, professionals and government as a deep-rooted and damaging issue which must be tackled at a national level. Over the coming months I will be going round the country talking to people with experience of mental health problems and of tackling stigma at a local level. 'Their expertise will be vital in shaping the campaign and ensuring that whatever we do supports and stimulates local action. 'We don’t underestimate the difficulties involved in breaking down stigma. The initial funding until 2004 will help us get the campaign underway but we know that a long-term, concerted effort will be necessary to bring about real change in people’s attitudes and behaviour.' The campaign is due to be officially launched in the autumn by Health and Community Care Minister, Malcolm Chisholm MSP, who is taking an active role in supporting and promoting the National Programme to Improve the Mental Health and Wellbeing of the Scottish Population, of which the anti-stigma campaign is a key element. While a detailed campaign strategy has still to be developed, it has been decided to pay particular attention to the media. Influencing the way in which newspapers, radio and television report stories related to mental health and mental illness will be a key objective of the campaign. Research shows that the media is where most people get their (mis)information about mental health problems so its influence cannot be underestimated. The aim will be to put an end to the use of offensive language, misleading reporting and alarmist headlines. It has been done in other areas such as race and gender and, given time, we can do the same. If you have information or experiences which you think would be relevant to the development or implementation of the anti-stigma campaign, Linda Dunion would like to hear from you. She can be contacted at 9-13 Maritime Street, Leith, Edinburgh. Tel: 0131 624 8945. Email: [email protected]. Return to Stigma home page
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