On 26^th January the BMJ reported on the new £18 million Time to Change campaign  " ... to tackle the discrimination and stigma that surrounds mental health ... The Time to Change initiative is funded by Comic Relief and the National Lottery. Its aim is to tell the public that it is no longer acceptable to discriminate against people with a mental illness ... The campaign's website gives details of what can be done to help people with a mental illness and how to run a local campaign to support national initiatives ... The campaign says that mental illness is one of the last taboos and that shame and stigma can stop people seeking help. It highlights the fact that mental illness is far more common than people realise with one in four people experiencing a mental health problem at some time in their life. And it promotes the message that it is possible to help people with a mental heath problem by being there for them and not cutting them out of your life ... The campaign is based on similar national initiatives in New Zealand and Scotland. The campaign has several strands, including a project to encourage physical activity; a legal helpline for people who think that they have been discriminated against in a job or in receipt of services because of their illness; and local initiatives to support service users who want to speak out about their experience of discrimination."

Time to change website.  http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/  Last accessed 16 February 2009.