An investigation into the way stigma affects people struggling with their mental health – the first study of its kind in Scotland –could reset the way support for people is offered.

According to Jo Finlay of the Mental Health Foundation, the survey came from knowing there was a “lack of evidence available to help us better understand experiences of mental health stigma and discrimination”.

The study is the first of its kind in the UK, following the success of similar research in Australia’s National Stigma Report Card. Anybody over the age of 18 and struggling with complex mental health issues is encouraged to take part.

Wendy Halliday, director of See Me Scotland, said: “The Scottish Mental Illness Stigma Survey will allow us, for the first time ever, to build a more complete picture of the stigma and discrimination that those with the most serious, complex mental health conditions in Scotland face.”

It is hoped the study, being carried out jointly by the Mental Health Foundation, Glasgow Caledonian University and social research agency The Lines Between on behalf of See Me Scotland, will bring out people who find that other people’s attitudes, rather than simply a lack of resources or access to services, pose their biggest barrier to society.

In many cases, as Liam Rankin found, the biggest barrier to acceptance is other people. Mental illness is still not widely understood, which can lead to people leading more difficult lives than they would otherwise. The study, says Halliday, is “looking to find out more about where people are stigmatised or discriminated against, how it makes them feel, and to get their views on what can be done to make things better”.

One area of focus is self-stigma, where someone applies outside stigmas to themselves. Wider society affects us all, and people with mental health conditions may find themselves held back by their own perception of themselves.

Halliday says: “We hope that the study will give us a better understanding of the stigma and discrimination that people with long-term mental illnesses face.”

This means everything about stigma – where and when people experience it, how they feel about it, and more. See Me Scotland and associated groups will then use it to guide their work over the coming years to influence services and support nationwide.

The research will be taken forward into more groups. They in turn can, according to Finlay, use “the findings to tackle stigma and discrimination in Scotland in an informed way”. In the future, there will be a “wider programme of work” to help ease problems caused by mental illness and stigma.

It is hoped this study will “provide a clearer picture of what that stigma and discrimination looks like, how it affects people, and help us to start to plan how to tackle it.”

Current methods for combatting mental health issues are focused around how to better enable people with these conditions to remain in society. This study focuses on how other people and their attitudes might act as a barrier. The results should allow the various groups involved to shape their approach to combatting mental health.

Finlay says that the partnership is “aiming to reach a minimum of 250 people from all across Scotland”, either with a formal diagnosis or not, to take part in the survey. There is support available for anybody who needs it, through phone, video, and more.

We don’t have a total percentage for people in Scotland who live with mental health issues. This study is open to those with formal diagnoses and those without in an effort to include everyone with issues in the future work to bring these issues to light.

The study is not yet complete, but See Me Scotland is confident that when the results come out in Spring, they will make a huge difference.

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