January 31, 2008
by Adam James

....

Those behind an £18m campaign to combat the stigma of mental ill health are unlikely to need reminding of the scale of the problem. But, just in case, readers of one regional news website have done just that.

After a report of a small fire at a psychiatry unit at a Southampton hospital was posted on Monday at thisishampshire.net, it prompted a string of offensive comments from visitors. These included “what does one expect…bunch of nutters” and “could of turned out to be a nut roast”.

But thankfully, other posters were quick to reprimand such "thoughtless” and “immature” comments.

One reader responded: "It would be a different story if you had a friend or a family member admitted in the hospital. Then you would be concerned. People shouldn’t have such ignorance against mental health.”

A campaign, run by the charities Mental Health Media, Mind and Rethink together with the Institute of Psychiatry, aims to reach 30 million people, and could include anti-stigma television advertisements.

See also:
Jan 16, 2008: Stigma is no laughing matter - Adam James profiles Sue Baker, head of the largest ever campaign to tackle the stigma linked to mental health
Big Issue - Service Provision

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