BBC Garden Rescue presenter, Chris Hull, backs Lets Rethink

Photo credit: Suzy Slemen

BBC Garden Rescue presenter, Chris Hull, is backing Let's Rethink, our campaign to encourage more people to rethink their preconceptions and stigma towards people severely affected by mental illness.

According to a YouGov poll undertaken as a part of the Let's Rethink campaign, nearly a third of all UK adults (30%) would not be comfortable sharing a diagnosis of severe mental illness with a friend. 

It 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. 

Chris 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.”

Mark Winstanley, Chief Executive at Rethink Mental Illness added: “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.”