The results of the ‘Public Attitudes Towards Mental Health Problems’ survey, commissioned for the new mental health stigma and discrimination reduction campaign, See Change and co-funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention and the National Disability Authority were revealed at the ‘Partners on the Ground’ event held in Dublin on the 17th June. The survey is a benchmark study on Irish public attitudes to mental health problems in advance of the roll-out of See Change’s activities over the next two years.
The study revealed significant levels of mental health stigma among Irish farmers. 57% of Irish farmers surveyed would not want others to know if they had a mental health problem, and 42% of farmers would hide a diagnosis of a mental health problem from friends. 45% of farmers would not know what to do to help someone with mental health problems, and 27% would delay seeking help for fear of someone knowing about it.
Other findings in the report include
- 33% of the Irish public thinks that someone with schizophrenia should not have children
- 2 in 3 strongly agree that those with mental health problems should have the same rights as others but only 46% say this is in respect of job rights
- Over 1 in 2 think mental health issues very common but not well understood
- 16% would hide diagnosis from their family
- 7% say a partner would break up with them as a result of diagnosis
You can get more information on this research here
