World Mental Health Day 2014 shines a light on schizophrenia

Despite the fact that 26 million people are affected by schizophrenia worldwide, there is still a serious stigma around schizophrenia in particular. Many people are under the impression that people with a diagnosis of the illness are dangerous.

In an attempt to combat this all too common attitude, this year’s World Mental Health Day (10th October) focuses on the theme of living with schizophrenia.   

While a new survey by Time to Change suggests that attitudes are changing, with 62% of people agreeing that people with a mental illness are far less dangerous than most people, the Mental Health Foundation’s Chief Executive, Jenny Edwards, explains there is far more work to be done.

She said: “This most misunderstood of conditions needs to be brought into the mainstream of planning for early diagnosis and we welcome the Government’s commitment to early intervention in its 5 year plan, unveiled this week.

“But there also needs to be coordination between services so that access to the things many people take for granted—education, housing, leisure, family life and companionship is there for people with this diagnosis too.  This is what we know as holistic care.”

Increasingly, people realise that being diagnosed with schizophrenia, while of concern, can still mean people go on to have full and productive lives. According to the Mental Health Foundation, at least half of people can make a full recovery when given the right assistance.

However, Ms Edwards highlights that there are significant gaps in mental health care as it stands.

“An ongoing theme of our work has been parity of esteem for physical and mental health care. One of the great areas of inequality is for people living with a mental illness to receive active interventions on diet, exercise and smoking for their physical health to overturn the current 20 year gap in life expectancy,” she said.