Survey finds mental health still carries stigma

Stigma around mental health issues is still stopping people in need from accessing support, medics have warned.

A survey to mark World Suicide Day found almost a third of people would not willingly accept someone with a mental health problem as a close friend.

And 62% admitted they would discriminate against hiring someone with a history of mental illness on the grounds they may be unreliable.

St Patrick’s University Hospital in Dublin warned it is crucial vulnerable people can get high quality care from a service they trust.

Some 525 people died from suicide in Ireland last year, up from 486 in 2010.

Paul Gilligan, chief executive of the mental health and addiction facility, said: “Data from the World Health Organisation indicate that approximately one million people worldwide die by suicide each year.

“This translates to one death by suicide every 40 seconds.”

Read more of the Irish report here. 

10th September 2012