On the road again
Time to Change has attracted national attention to its campaign to reduce the stigma and prejudice associated with mental health difficulty. But what do the public think of the campaign? One in Four sent Laurie Penny along to their roadshow to find out.
As Time to Change set up its stall outside Surrey Quays Shopping Centre in south London, visitors were immediately attracted by its sleek, well-designed appearance. “It looks like they’re selling a product, with the open tent in the sunshine and all the laptops everywhere,” said Mark. “It’s really inviting.”
“I work in sales myself and the presentation is excellent,” agreed Belinda Padbury. “I have three friends who suffer from depression. There’s a huge cross section of people coming over and that makes you wonder if there might be more people with these problems than you think.”
Local people with mental health difficulties were on hand to answer questions and explain more about mental health difficulty. “I’m volunteering here for a day because I want to make mental health awareness a positive experience for people,” said Jason Harris, a local service user.
Many who visited the stall to pick up leaflets and have their picture taken for Time to Change’s ‘visual promise pledge’ had personal experience of mental health difficulty. “I have ADHD, so I was happy to have my photo taken for their Facebook page,” said Harry. “If you’ve got something wrong with you, people do tend to look at you funny. I reckon this campaign is great.”
“Normally I wouldn’t have my picture taken for anything, but for this, I’ve made an exception!” said Joyce Johnson. “I have two people with mental health issues in my family. They don’t feel they can tell anyone what’s wrong with them, and with anything else that wouldn’t be the case. This campaign makes people more aware of the problem.”
Some visitors who had mental health difficulties themselves or who worked in mental health said they found the event less helpful. “The video was really good, and the volunteers were friendly but they didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know,” said Julie who works for a disability rights group.
“I went to the stall because I thought they might be able to advise me about some problems I’m having,” said Tommy. “They didn’t seem very keen to talk, and that’s a shame as I really just wanted someone to talk to. But they did give me a self-referral form for the local NHS.”
“The event is a really good idea but there could definitely be more information about where to go if you need help,” agreed Leon.
“None of us are doctors, but we sometimes have an on-site psychiatrist in case anyone does need help. We don’t have one today,” explained Laura May, the Time to Change team leader.
This news story appears in the Winter 2009 edition of One in Four magazine
