End Stigma Surrey campaign

End Stigma Surrey is a campaign and programme to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health. End Stigma Surrey reaches out to businesses, colleges and communities, to people from different backgrounds, race, cultures and faith and across the diversity and equality spectrum.

Commissioned by Surrey County Council and working together with local mental health organisations:

• Acting Out Productions
• Catalyst
• Mary Frances Trust

The campaign aims to help reduce the stigma experienced by people who live with mental health issues. There are lots of ways you can get involved for example:

• by sharing your story as this is a proven way to help reduce stigma
• becoming a Lived Experience Champion
• helping to spot good or bad media coverage around mental health

For more information visit End Stigma Surrey.

Stigma

People who experience mental health problems often say that the stigma and discrimination they experience as a result can be a bigger burden than the actual symptoms of the mental health problem. The impact of stigma and discrimination affects many aspects of peoples' lives, for example:

• isolation, friendships can be lost
• exclusion from everyday activities
• harder to get or keep a job
• reluctance to seek help
• physical health can be affected
• financial penalties (for example difficulties obtaining certain insurance/higher premiums)

A short survey to see where people were experiencing stigma was undertaken in 2020.

Although as this survey had a small number of respondents (66), care must be taken in their interpretation and firm conclusions cannot be drawn from them.

A new more in-depth and larger sample survey will be published shortly.

The results showed the following percentage of people who reported they had been subject to mental health stigma and discrimination:

• 18% Jobcentre
• 20% Police and emergency services
• 23% benefits and housing
• 26% acute hospitals
• 26% community mental health services
• 34% GP practice
• 41% workplace
• 45% social circles

Later in the year we will be inviting people to join focus groups to discuss mental health stigma and how we can all do something to reduce it.

How could you help end stigma in Surrey?

Everyone can make mental health matter and help reduce stigma and discrimination; in our day to day lives, at work, in the classroom, with friends, family and social groups. Why not think about the different ways you could do something to raise awareness and reduce stigma around mental health, whether in your workplace, college, or community. The new Time to Change website will have stories, ideas and resources to help us all end stigma in Surrey.

Get Involved

You can also get involved in the local Surrey campaign by contacting Megan Aspel at megan.aspel@sky.com for more information.