It is an often-quoted fact that one in four of us will experience mental health problems in one year. It could be you, a family member or a friend. Yet many of us are still reluctant to talk about mental health problems due to stigma and discrimination.
We should be under no illusions of the impact of this discrimination. This stigma isolates people. It makes talking about mental illness more difficult, particularly when you fear the reaction of your friends or work colleagues.
It makes it harder to get and keep jobs. One third of people with mental health problems have been dismissed or forced to resign from their jobs while 70 per cent have been put off from applying for jobs, fearing unfair treatment.
It also prevents people seeking help, meaning all too often they will only contact mental health services in a crisis. It has a negative impact on physical health – serious mental illness can reduce life expectancy up to 10 years. For decades, mental health has been seen as the ‘Cinderella service’ – lagging way behind the standards we expect for physical health.
After many years of mental illness, I was diagnosed with cyclothymia, a mild form of bipolar disorder. In many ways it was a relief to finally put a label on the emotional rollercoaster which I had lived with since my teenage years. Standing to be a Labour councillor in May’s election, my biggest fear was how my friends, colleagues and voters would react to my illness.
I didn’t want to hide or be made to feel ashamed. The support I received from my friends, family and from everyone in Brighton and Hove Labour party was overwhelming. Council leader Warren Morgan asked me to contribute to our manifesto and on being elected I was appointed the first lead on mental health to Brighton and Hove city council.
Attitudes are slowly changing and no greater signal of this is Jeremy Corbyn’s appointment of Luciana Berger MP as shadow minister for mental health. It is recognition that mental health is not just about NHS service provision.
Mental health impacts almost every policy area. Around one in 30 children and young people have a mental health disorder, meaning schools have a vital role to play in early intervention and support of the child’s needs.
We need better support for those with mental health conditions wanting to return to work. It is not acceptable that only nine per cent of people with mental health issues, who are on ESA, have been helped back to work by the Tory government’s flagship Back To Work scheme.
In the summer Luciana highlighted the failure of the Tory government to keep its promise on mental health spending. The Department of Health has admitted that investment in children’s mental health services will fall £107m short of its pledge this year. A third of clinical commissioning groups will cut their 2015-16 budgets.
I welcome Luciana’s appointment which will be a real boost to those suffering from mental health illnesses.
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Caroline Penn is lead member for mental health on Brighton and Hove city council. She tweets @ThePennyDrops
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