13.12.17
A fight worth fighting
Professor Wendy Burn, president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych), laments the current lack of public understanding about severe mental illness and argues we must do more to spread awareness of treatment.
We have come a long way in how we talk about mental illness. The work done in recent years to tackle stigma has been astounding, and I could not be prouder of the open culture we’re fostering around mental health.
The public, celebrities and even politicians feel more comfortable than ever to share their experiences of depression, anxiety and other common mental disorders. Reducing stigma and raising awareness has been vital in encouraging people to seek help by making them less afraid to come forward when their mental health is deteriorating.
I’ve worked as a psychiatrist for over 30 years, and the explosion of interest in the illnesses I have spent my life treating is wonderful to see. But it doesn’t end here. We still have a long way to go.
Societally we might think we’re ‘clued-up’ on mental health, but recent data from the RCPsych shows less than a quarter of the public know addiction to opioids is more deadly than cervical cancer, and 42% do not know that a psychiatrist is the specialist who diagnoses bipolar disorder.
The public poll revealed a clear lack of understanding about severe mental illness.
Why does that matter? Well, where people do understand severe mental illness and access the right support their life trajectories can be much improved.
When it comes to mental illness, our focus on the milder end of the spectrum means we have not done enough to educate the public on severe mental illnesses such as bipolar, addictions, eating disorders or schizophrenia. Stigma and misunderstanding still pervade around severe mental illness – and some conditions are more readily accepted than others.
Yes, those in the public eye are talking more often and more comfortably about their mental health issues. But when was the last time you heard a celebrity talking about their diagnosis of schizophrenia?
The public also are not aware of how serious mental illness can be. Only 59% of the public expect a referral to a consultant for an eating disorder, compared to 86% for cancer.
This is a problem because we know that early intervention is key to the best chance of recovery. If people know the early signs of a severe mental illness, and know who to look to for support, a great deal of suffering can be avoided. But currently I worry that the general lack of awareness is leading to worse outcomes for people who do not seek help from experts in the field of mental health: psychiatrists.
There is effective help for those who need it. But the system is creaking at the seams, with not enough consultant psychiatrists and those who make up the teams of specialists, such as clinical psychologists, mental health nurses, occupational therapists and social workers.
Despite the vital role of psychiatrists in treating mental illness, in the last five years the number of psychiatry consultants increased by just 1.7% while the number of consultants across the rest of the NHS has increased by over 20%.
We need to educate the public on how serious mental illness can be and on the crucial role of a psychiatrist in treating such conditions.
Only then will people understand that unless more students choose psychiatry, we cannot support people with severe mental illnesses.
Only then will people stand up for a system which places equal importance on mental health as it does physical health.
Only then will people see that this is a fight worth fighting – destigmatisatising mental health conditions and ensuring services are well-funded and well-staffed is how we provide our patients with the high-quality services they deserve when they need it.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
W: www.rcpsych.ac.uk