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Press
Release
Issued on: Friday
11 February 2000
Issued by: NSF(S)
and Scottish Users Network (SUN)
�Research into harassment of people with mental illness
NSF (Scotland) and the Scottish Users Network (SUN)
have been awarded a grant of �127,222 by the National Lottery Charities�
Board. The project funded is to research the extent and nature of harassment
of mental health service users around Scotland, and is being undertaken in partnership
with the Nuffield Centre for Community Care Studies at the University of
Glasgow.�
It is common to
read reports about the risk of violence posed to the public by people with
mental illness.� Such reporting commonly
leads to a perception, not backed up by factual evidence, that all people
with a mental illness are violent.�
This in turn perpetuates the myths and stigma attached to individuals
with a mental health problem, and in particular those with schizophrenia.
One effect of this
stigma is all too frequently made known to those working in the mental
health field. Such
agencies hear different kinds of reports from service users themselves: about
the harassment, and sometimes violence, perpetrated by members of the public
against people with serious mental health problems. This can have far
reaching effects on their lives:
�� Because I was
open within my community about having a mental illness, I had to move house.
I was shouted at in the street and had dog dirt put through my letter box.�
This research,
which will be completed in late 2001, will allow us to find out for the
first time how much harassment people with serious mental health problems
are experiencing.
ENDS
For further information please contact:
George Ronald�� Mary
Weir�������������������� Professor
Alison� Petch/Kathryn Berzins
Director������������ Chief
Executive� ����������� Nuffield Centre for Community Care Studies�
SUN���������������� NSF(Scotland)�� �����������
0141 330 5600 (Daytime-research enquiries only)
07718 908428��� 0131
557 8969��������������������
����������������������� 0131
337 1380 (Evenings)
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