‘Worse than the condition itself’: Lancet panel calls for radical action to end stigma and discrimination around mental health

Recent estimates suggest that one in eight people, almost a billion people worldwide, are living with a mental health condition. This rises to one in seven between 10 and 19 years. These people experience a double threat: the impact of the condition itself and the harmful social consequences of stigma and discrimination. There was an online launch event for the Commission report at WHO on the occasion of World Mental Health Day (10 October)

the COVID-19 The pandemic helped shine a light on the urgent mental health situation around the world, with an estimated 25% increase in the prevalence of depression and anxiety in the first year of the pandemic. However, despite the high incidence of mental health conditions worldwide, stigma and discrimination related to mental health are also widespread, leading to the exclusion of people from society and the denial of basic human rights, such as job and educational opportunities and access to health care. , including mental health care.

The new Lancet Commission is the result of the work of more than 50 contributors from around the world, including people with lived experience of a mental health condition, according to the report.

With testimonials and poems from people with lived experiences, the Commission reviewed the evidence on effective interventions to reduce stigma and called for immediate action from governments, international organizations, employers, health care providers and media organizations, along with active contributions from people with lived experiences, work together to eliminate stigma and discrimination related to mental health.

“Many people with lived experiences of mental health conditions describe the stigma as ‘worse than the condition itself. There is now clear evidence that we know how to effectively reduce and ultimately eliminate stigma and discrimination. Our Commission makes eight radical, practical and evidence-based recommendations for action to free millions of people around the world from social isolation, discrimination and human rights violations caused by stigma”, Co-Chair of the Commission, Professor Sir Graham Thornicroft of King’s College. London has said in the report.

Co-author Charlene Sunkel, Founder/Executive Director of the Global Mental Health Peer Network, South Africa and a person with lived experience of schizophrenia, said in the report: “The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an increased number of people experiencing conditions of mental health. and urgent action is needed to ensure that these people do not also experience the potentially serious consequences of stigma and discrimination. We must empower and support people with lived experiences of mental health conditions to play an active role in stigma reduction efforts, and for this reason, our Commission includes voices that whisper, speak or shout about their experiences in poems, testimonials and quotes.

Thara Rangaswamy, Commissioner of The Lancet and Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF), ChennaiHe said in an official statement that there is still a lot of stigma in India, although it is gradually reducing. The main issues here are that women diagnosed with a serious mental disorder face more stigma, as do their family members. Stigma is also closely related to marriage and employment that impede social inclusion. Indian media, especially visual media like TV series, still continue to portray mental illness PLEs in a negative light. In this context, the Lancet Commission’s guidelines and suggestions will be very helpful in challenging these stereotypes and initiating a stigma reduction programme, Rangaswamy said.