Press Release Issued on: Tuesday 22 June 1999 Issued by: National Schizophrenia Fellowship (Scotland) National Office For immediate release Living with Schizophrenia People with direct experience of mental illness, their carers and professionals will be meeting in Glasgow on Thursday to talk about Living with Schizophrenia. In particular, the conference will focus on the stigma attached to schizophrenia - a stigma which leads to secrecy and isolation and serves only to compound the many difficulties experienced by individuals and their families. Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness which is estimated to affect over 20,000 Scots at any one time. NSF (Scotland) and the National Psychosis Unit of the Maudsley Hospital, London, will be hosting the 'Living with Schizophrenia' Conference at the Kelvin Park Lorne Hotel, 923 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow on Thursday 24 June, from 9.00 a.m. - 4.30 p.m. Graham Morgan, a service user with schizophrenia, says, 'The shame and hurt of mental illness exists throughout our society. It is fixed within the culture of our playgrounds, in our stories, in our jokes, in our myths and histories and in our psyches. The consequences of such attitudes can lead to harassment, discrimination and abuse.' And Susanna Williams, a carer, says that 'instead of the big 'C' - cancer, we now have the big 'S' - schizophrenia. The causes of the stigma are the same - fear and ignorance. If the law has created Acts of Parliament which aims to shape public opinion and actions in the context of race and gender, why not mental illness?' ENDS For further information please contact: Susan Kirkwood Mary Weir Ian Harper Chairman Chief Executive Information Officer NSF(Scotland) NSF(Scotland) NSF(Scotland) 01224 630979 - home 0131 557 8969 0131 557 8969