Should we be doing more to reduce stigma?

Abstract

The Moving People Programme (MPP) (www.movingpeople.org.uk/) is a four-year evidence-based programme aimed at improving mental and physical well-being for people in England, and at tackling the growing discrimination faced by people with mental health problems (MIND, 2007). This campaign is an important movement towards de-stigmatising mental health difficulties, particularly when one considers that the lifetime incidence of mental health problems is estimated to be around one-in-four (Department of Health,2007). Within today’s increasingly stressful society, this campaign is a timely initiative to combat the negative associations of mental distress. This paper aims to review the literature surrounding stigma towards mental health difficulties and assesses the need for initiatives such as the MPP. The difficulties faced by service providers with regard to their own mental health and help-seeking behaviour will be highlighted and recognition will be given to how counselling psychologists could contribute to such initiatives.