New poll shows nearly a third of all UK adults would not be comfortable sharing a diagnosis with a friend

New campaign urges people to rethink mental illness stigma

A new initiative is encouraging more people to rethink their preconceptions and stigma towards people severely affected by mental illness*, as a new poll reveals nearly a third of all UK adults (30%) would not be comfortable sharing a diagnosis of severe mental illness with a friend. 

The poll, undertaken by YouGov, is part of a new campaign, Let’s Rethink launched by national charity Rethink Mental Illness to raise awareness of the everyday stigma and discrimination faced by those severely affected by mental illness. The poll also showed that sadly just over half (51%) wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing a diagnosis with extended family and nearly a fifth (19%) of UK adults wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing their mental illness with immediate family. 

BBC Garden Rescue presenter, Chris Hull is supporting this campaign as he has first-hand experience as a primary carer for his dad, Dave, who first started to experience symptoms of schizophrenia in his early 20s.

“I’ve found that people often have a genuine lack of understanding around mental illness. With schizophrenia, for example, there is the common misconception that people think it means you have a split personality. Even if people understand that there are common symptoms of paranoia and delusions, I don’t think they grasp how those things translate in day-to-day life, and how to support someone who is seeing and hearing things that aren’t really there.

“Understanding more about mental illness and what each person needs is so important. My Dad’s illness has shaped his life, from where he lives, to his relationships and how he spends his time. It is important that people see him for the individual that he is and enable him to get the support that is specific for his needs, however I believe that stigma around his condition can make that harder. 

“My Dad is the most genuinely thoughtful and loving person, he has a real heart of gold, but when he is unwell he can behave in ways that do not show this and you have to be able to see past it. It’s all about understanding that these behaviours are ultimately down to his diagnosis of schizophrenia. We’ve still got a long way to go when it comes to awareness and understanding around severe mental illness, but we have to tackle stigma because it has a tangible impact on people’s lives. This is a topic close to my heart and I know it affects countless other families and carers, which is why I wanted to support this campaign.”

The poll also highlighted that the stigma is prevalent in the workplace and in personal relationships with:

• Over a third (38%) of UK adults saying they wouldn’t feel comfortable in the presence of someone they believe is experiencing severe mental illness. 
• Just under a quarter (24%) of UK adults said that if they knew someone had a diagnosis of mental illness, they would reconsider using their professional services if they were a doctor, nurse, teacher, police officer etc. 
• Over 1 in 3 (34%) of UK adults wouldn’t want to live next door to someone who is severely affected by mental illness. 
• 35% of UK adults stating they would reconsider becoming someone’s friend if they had a diagnosis of severe mental illness.
• 3 in 10 UK adults would reconsider working alongside them if they had a diagnosis of severe mental illness. 
• 3 in 5 UK adults wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing a diagnosis of severe mental illness with colleagues and just over half of people (53%) wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing with a manager.

Despite the ongoing drive to improve mental health awareness, the statistics also indicated uncertainty around whether this extended to include people severely affected by mental illness. Just under 1 in 4 (24%) felt there had been no difference in the stigma around severe mental illness in the last five years, while just under 1 in 5 (19%) felt that stigma had actually increased during that time.

As part of the campaign a new downloadable free guide has been created which will help people understand the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with severe mental illness. It’s also full of advice on what to do if someone is worried about their own or someone else’s mental health.

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive at Rethink Mental Illness added: “People severely affected by mental illness should be free to go about their lives without fear of stigma and discrimination, whether that’s at home, school, work, but our survey confirms that this sadly isn’t the case. This needs to change. 

“There is a clear gap between where people think we should be as a society, and where we are in terms of perceptions and attitudes. The majority of people agree that we have not done enough when it comes to societal perceptions around severe mental illness, and there is overwhelming support for the principle that society needs to be kinder and show more understanding toward people severely affected by mental illness.

“Stigma and discrimination aren’t harmless – they hold people back from staying well and living their lives to the full. We are so grateful to Chris for sharing his and his dad’s own story and hope that this campaign will help people gain a better understanding of what people who are living with a severe mental illness face and realise just how damaging stigma and discrimination can be.” 

A new short film featuring actors has been created by the charity to highlight how we can assume that for someone is living with a mental illness it is just their own thoughts that make life hard, when in reality the judgemental thoughts of others can make life even harder.

• Over half a million people in the UK are severely affected by mental illness (NHS) 
• Three in five people living with a mental illness say the fear of how others perceive them has stopped them seeking support (Rethink Mental Illness)
• One in 100 people live with schizophrenia (Rethink Mental Illness)
• One in four people experience a mental health issue in the UK every year (NHS)

* By severe mental illness, we are referring to anyone who is severely affected by a mental health condition such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder or depression that has an impact on their daily lives.

To find out more about the campaign, the charity’s work or to download the guide, please visit Rethink Mental Illness.

To download high res images of Chris and the film please visit here.

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For more information please contact Sarah Wallace sarah.wallace@goodagency.co.uk or 07870210025

Notes to editors

About Rethink Mental Illness

Rethink Mental Illness is the charity for people severely affected by mental illness. No matter who a person is or how bad their situation has got, we are here to help them get the information and support they need to live a better life. 

We work tirelessly to ensure people living with mental illness and their carers are listened to, treated fairly and have easy access to services that meet their mental health needs and wider physical health, financial, housing, work and volunteering needs.

We do this by providing our own services, campaigning on a local and national level, and working with a wide range of other organisations to create communities that care.

About YouGov

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 2073 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 19th - 20th August 2024.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).