One in ten children and young people – around three in every class – suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder [1]. London has an overwhelmingly young population, with 31% of residents under the age of 24, and research suggests that 18% percent of the capital as a whole will experience a common mental health problem – compared with 16% national [2].

 

Since launching in 2007 with funding from the Big Lottery Fund and Comic Relief, Time to Change, an ambitious campaign to end the stigma and discrimination faced by people with mental health problems, has built up the support of more than 89,000 people.

 

And now the programme, run by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, is turning a new chapter, to focus on how children and young people in the capital are affected.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was recently joined by celebrities including cricketer Marcus Trescothick, TV presenters Fiona Phillips and Trisha Goddard and writer Alastair Campbell at a special reception to mark the campaign’s achievements so far and urge Londoners to pledge their support for this new phase, called ‘It’s time to talk. It’s time to change’.

 

 

Time to Change has seen a 4% reduction in the discrimination that people with mental health problems report experiencing since it was first launched. In real terms, that equates to 23,500 more people living their discrimination-free live [3].

 

But, new statistics from the campaign show there is still a long way to go:

• Younger people between 18 and 24 years are twice as likely (27%) to hide how they’re feeling compared to those aged 65 and over (12%)

• Only 15% of the British public admit to being truthful all of the time about how they’re really feeling

• Further results show, a third of people confess the reason they’re not always honest is because they don’t want to depress other people (37%) or don’t like talking about how they’re feeling (35%).

 

Marcus Trescothick, himself a sufferer of depression, has backed the new phase of the campaign. He said, "Time to Change has done an amazing job at challenging the stigma that surrounds mental health problems. I hope we can continue to work together to ensure more people are able to speak out about their mental illness, just like I did."

 

Time to Change’s initial aim was to change adults’ attitudes and behaviour towards people with mental health problems. This was done through social marketing campaigns, community engagement and targeted work with professionals and employers.

 

Now it has received further funding from the Department of Health and Comic Relief to continue its groundbreaking work until 2015. This will include a focus on tackling stigma amongst children and young people and in addition, a new grant fund for 75 local community-led projects will be launched alongside targeted work with black and minority communities.

 

 

Director of Time to Change, Sue Baker, said, “We have proved that change is possible. Over the next four years our movement will work with new audiences including young people; one in ten children are affected by mental health problems, and sadly with that comes the terrible burden of stigma. We must make sure that people of all ages and in all communities feel able to openly discuss mental health issues with ease and the expectation of support and understanding. It will take more than a few years to overturn decades of prejudice – this is the work of a generation.”

 

The Deputy Prime Minister added, “Time to Change has been instrumental in changing attitudes to mental health across the country. This success has only come about because of those who have put so much energy into backing the campaign and been so brave in coming forward with their own very personal and sometimes harrowing stories. It is only thanks to their courage in speaking out that we can encourage others to do the same."

 

“Challenging attitudes and behaviour is essential if we are to ensure that people with mental health problems feel able to talk openly about their illness, just like other physical illnesses.”

 

Pledge your support to the campaign

myhealthlondon users can play their part in the campaign by pledging their support to stamp out discrimination by talking openly about mental health. You can go to this page to pledge your support. http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/

 

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