[UK] Politicians hide mental illness to avoid stigma

A new report published today by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health, with support from the Royal College of Psychiatrists has shown that one in five Members of Parliament (MPs) surveyed has experience of a mental health problem but fears disclosing this because of the stigma and discrimination associated with mental health issues.

An anonymous questionnaire completed by 94 MPs, 100 Lords and 151 parliamentary staff has revealed that:

• 27% had personal experience of a mental health problem including 19% of MPs, 17% of Peers, 45% of staff
• 94% had family or friends who have experienced a mental health problem
• 86% of MPs said their job was stressful
• 1 in 3 said work-based stigma and the expectation of a hostile reaction from the media and public prevented them from being open about mental health issues.

The report is critical of the law the forcing MPs to give up their seat for life if they are involuntarily detained (sectioned) under the Mental Health Act for six months. By comparison, if an MP is physically incapable of working for six months due to a serious illness they would not be forced to stand down. The majority of MPs who responded thought this rule was discriminatory and urgently needs to be changed.

All three joint chairs of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health, Lynne Jones MP, Tim Loughton MP and SanDr Gidley MP, unanimously agreed that the perception that an MP would damage their career by being open about an experience of mental distress needs to be challenged.

SanDr Gidley MP said: "Greater openness at Westminster about mental health problems would have a significant impact in challenging stigma and discrimination. When the former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik publicly disclosed his experience of depression, it did not affect his popularity. He went on to be re-elected and proved that people who have experienced mental health problems can recover and manage a challenging job."

Despite significant numbers of people working in Parliament experiencing mental distress, over half of MPs did not think they had sufficient understanding of the Disability Discrimination Act to make reasonable adjustments for a staff member with mental health problems and only 17% had received any mental health awareness training.

The All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health's recommendations include:

• the urgent need to repeal laws that prevent people with experience of mental health problems from standing for Parliament
• a review of laws that force MPs to automatically lose their seat if sectioned under the Mental Health Act for six months
• encourage MPs and Peers to be more open about their experiences of mental health problems and to introduce a protocol that would support individuals to be transparent about dealing with mental health issues in public life
• ensure that MPs, Peers and staff have the opportunity to undertake mental health awareness training
• ensure that the health check offered to MPs includes a discussion with a relevantly trained clinician on mental health issues.

Commentng on the report the President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dinesh Bhugra said: "We congratulate the All Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health for carrying out this project. It confirms that every family in the land is affected by mental health problems and that, sadly, stigma is still widely prevalent. Mental illness comes in many forms across the age span, and is everyone's business. Mental health and physical health cannot be parted. We applaud this effort to start talking more openly about mental illness. MPs occupy a privileged position in the public eye, and greater openness has the potential to lead to a better public understanding of mental health issues. The College looks forward to working with MPs and the Government to reduce stigma and engage policy makers in raising awareness in future. "