On average 1 in 4 of us will experience a mental health problem in the course of a year. These problems can cause real and lasting damage, both to the individual and to the community.
Fortunately the majority of people who experience mental health problems can get over them or learn to live with them especially if they get help early on.
Unfortunately many people experiencing a mental health problem don't receive the right kind of help and some don't receive any help at all.
In fact, many people with mental health problems can be shunned or discriminated against by their families, friends and the professionals who are supposed to be caring for them.
The situation is exacerbated by the media. Experience tells us that most people who understand mental health issues are unhappy about the way the media portrays them.
Ill-conceived images used by the media add greatly to the distress of having a mental health problem because they reinforce stigma and prejudice in the general public. Yet, according to newspapers and television companies, people rarely complain. This is something we would like to change.
Written in 2000
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