Rebecca Evans AM, Assembly Member for Mid and West Wales, has called for an end to the stigma surrounding mental ill health. Speaking in a debate on mental health in the National Assembly, the Labour AM argued that mental health charities “make a really compelling case for parity of esteem between mental ill health and physical ill health” adding that for her “they have always had parity”.
Mrs Evans told AMs that treating people with mental health problems with the same dignity, respect and courtesy as people with physical problems should be a given in all services.
She said: “Unfortunately, Mind Cymru tells me that this is not always the case. For example, it still witnesses poor standards of cleanliness and maintenance on some mental health in-patient settings compared with physical health settings. I call on health boards to investigate and address this disparity because, quite simply, there is no excuse for it.”
Mrs Evans warned that parity does not necessarily exist in the minds of all practitioners yet either. Gofal, a mental health charity, has undertaken a survey to evaluate progress on the Welsh Government’s mental health actions through the lens of a patient. It showed that there is a very welcome increase in the proportion of people who say that their GP is ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ understanding and empathetic to mental health issues.
Mrs Evans said: “It is still concerning that around a fifth of respondents felt that their GP was only ‘slightly’ or ‘not at all’ understanding of mental health conditions. The good news is that Welsh Government policy and legislation is taking us steadily forward in the right direction, but we should build on that momentum. I look forward to next year’s survey revealing further progress.”
Mrs Evans warned that parity of esteem between physical and mental health does not exist in the media.
She said: “I was shocked, when speaking at an event regarding supporting people with dementia in primary care settings, to hear the health Minister saying he could probably count on one hand the number of times he had been asked by journalists about mental health.
“In some of the London-based media, people with mental ill health are routinely called ‘mental patients’ and I wince every time I hear that phrase, which should have been consigned to history’s dustbin back in Victorian times. Physical illnesses are just not subject to the same sneering, cruel language. Who can forget ‘The Sun’s’ ‘1,200 Killed by Mental Patients’ headline last year, suggesting very little editorial progress since its ‘Bonkers Bruno Locked Up’ story a decade before?”
Mrs Evans said that if there were parity of esteem among the public and among employers, there would be no need for campaigns such as the Welsh Government-backed ‘Time to Change Wales,’ which seeks to challenge stigma and discrimination.
Speaking in the debate, Mrs Evans asked: “When was the last time someone even contemplated turning up to a fancy-dress party dressed as a person with asthma, arthritis or as someone who was hearing impaired? It just does not happen, but still ‘fancy dress’ is in the top 10 internet searches for the popular term ‘mental patient’, alongside ‘kills’, ‘jokes’ and ‘experiments’.
“That is why it is so important to challenge the stigma and stereotypes. But it will take generational change, which is why I welcome the plans to continue the work of the ‘Time to Change Wales’ campaign beyond its current funding allocation, and to extend its reach to children and young people, so that we can hopefully reach a situation where parity of esteem between physical and mental health goes without saying.”
