The study by the campaign group Time to Change, led by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, also found that one in ten of the young people questioned for the survey said they would stop being friends with a classmate if they found out they had a mental health problem.?
The campaign group also interviewed 186 young people with mental health problems as part of the research. ?Of those young people, nine out of ten said they are affected by stigma, and half said they experience negative attitudes from their parents and teachers. ?
Sue Baker, director at Time to Change, said: “We know that attitudes around mental health are formed at an early age and it’s so important that we reach young people before their views become entrenched.
“Unfortunately, these statistics show how many have already formed negative attitudes towards peers with mental health problems and this is something we desperately need to change.”
Teenager Michael Crump, who has obsessive-compulsive disorder and lives in Birmingham, said: “I have faced all types of stigma over the years. Mainly other classmates making fun of me and the symptoms of my illness. It had a huge effect on my confidence and can be one of the hardest parts of dealing with a mental health problem.”
A spokesman for the mental health charity Young Minds said all children’s services professionals must be trained in child and adolescent psychological development, mental health and the negative role that stigma plays in young people’s developing self esteem.
“This training needs to be part of their continuous professional development because our knowledge and understanding of children and young people’s mental health and psychological wellbeing is developing all the time,” he said.
He added that professionals should focus on developing emotional literacy in families, while “whole-school approaches” should be developed to build understanding about mental health and tackle stigma among pupils.
Time to Change has meanwhile produced a film called The Stand Up Kid, in a bid to tackle stigma relating to mental health.
