Mental health is being unfairly stigmatised in Scotland with with as many as one in five people who are sufferers agreeing that to some extent they had been unfairly asked to leave their job.
See Me, Scotland’s programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination, is calling on the Scottish public to think twice when it comes to the language and actions as their study found that over two in three sufferers saying they had been treated unfairly at work.
The Scottish Mental Illness Study, a first of its kind piece of research for Scotland which explores the experiences of people with severe, enduring and complex mental illnesses relating to stigma and discrimination, found that 49% agreed they expected to be unfairly asked to leave employment, while 44% agreed that they had left employment before they were ready.
It can be revealed that the analysis which sought the views and experiences of over 400 people, found nearly two thirds said they had experienced stigma and discrimination in their employment life and 77% felt they had been treated unfairly at work.
Some 71% reported being treated unfairly by employers, supervisors or managers, and 57% agreed they had been unfairly treated by work colleagues The study that feature a survey distributed nationally for people with severe, complex and enduring mental illnesses which received almost 350 responses running between November 2021, and March, 2022 found that 20% agreed to some extent that they had been unfairly asked to leave employment.
And a high proportion agreed that they had withdrawn from opportunities to apply for employment (85%) or job promotion (71%) due to stigma and discrimination about their mental illness.
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Some 92% of participants said that they have experienced stigma in relationships with family and friends in the last year.
See Me director Wendy Halliday said: “Some of the most impactful stigma that people with mental illness face comes at work.
"People can be untreated unfairly by managers, supervisors and colleagues, they can feel pressured to hide their mental health, many have experienced being turned down for roles due to their diagnosis, and ultimately, people find themselves out of work as a direct result of stigma.
“People are often put off by language they hear in their place of work, or seeing how others are treated when they speak out about mental health, as well as experiences outside the workplace.
“Employers have a responsibility for the health and safety of their staff, and mental health is part of that. We need better workplace cultures to address bullying, judgement and stigmatising attitudes.
“Tackling stigma and discrimination at work is more than just putting up posters and arranging wellbeing sessions – there needs to be a thorough and considered drive to improve cultures, policies and practices to remove stigma.
“We are working with employers across Scotland to address stigma through our See Me in Work programme, and we hope to see more getting on board to create this cultural shift that is so desperately needed.”
The study also found that as many as eight in ten believe that the public view them as dangerous.
Some 92% believed that the public view them as unpredictable, while three quarters (75%) and 87% of sufferers believe that the public seen them as being go blame for their problems.
Angela McCrimmon, 46, from Livingston, says that the attitudes of the public hold her back from opening up about her mental health.
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Angela, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 19, says that a fear of how others may react is a major barrier for her.
She said: “I know that with mental illness, you can’t help it, you can do your best to manage it as best you can. So I shouldn’t feel like I can’t be honest with other people – but there are still times where I’m unsure of what their reaction will be, because of the stigma that’s still out there.
“The way people speak about mental health still is frustrating. Something I’ve been witness to is people who know I’m somebody who lives with a mental illness speaking about other people very derogatively – their ‘mad’ neighbour up the road, for instance. ‘Don’t got into their house, you might not come out alive,’ – things like that. I had a neighbour who wasn’t known by his name any more – he was ‘the schizo’, which was awful.
“When I hear people speaking like that, I’ve had to hold back, because I think, if you have that opinion, what’s to stop you talking like that about me? It makes me quite guarded.”
Ms Halliday added: “A lot of public stigma stems from outdated stereotypes and preconceptions relating to mental illness.
“In reality, people with mental illness are more likely to be victims of violence than perpetrators, and many are able to live full, independent lives with the right support and understanding.
“The actions of others, including the language used a round mental health and mental illness, continue to prevent thousands of Scots from reaching out and seeking help with they need it, and we know that has to change.”
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