A comprehensive survey of discrimination due to mental illness has been undertaken by the Mental Health Foundation as part of the Like Minds project.

785 people with experience of mental illness were asked to comment on their experiences of discrimination across a broad range of situations, including employment; education and training; housing; mental health services and other health services; government agencies and local government services; banks, insurance companies and other financial institutions; sports clubs and other organised activities; parenting; friends and family; community harassment; and fear of discrimination.

The survey found that people who have experienced mental illness have also often experienced discrimination in all aspects of their lives, including:

• Rejection by friends and family members was the most often reported form of discrimination (59%). This included being left out of activities, abusive language and being cut out of people's lives completely.
• Almost half of respondents (46%) said they had not done something for fear of being discriminated against. This included not applying for courses, and not going to a social club.
• 34% of respondents had been discriminated against while looking for a job and 31% had been discriminated against within a job. This happened during application, interview and job offer stages, as well as some people losing their jobs, and being abused or rejected.
• 24% of respondents said they had been discriminated against as parents. Parent's ability to parent was unfairly judged and some lost custody of, or access to, their children.
• Discrimination, when it occurred several years ago, made a lasting impression and still impacts on people's lives today.
• The fear of discrimination (often based on past experience) is as incapacitating as discrimination itself.
• Disclosure of an experience of mental illness is an issue in all areas of life.
• People tend to believe and act on stereotypes of people with experience of mental illness as being incompetent or dangerous.

This information will be used in Like Minds work to influence develop and change policies and practices to reduce discrimination.

To obtain a full copy of the discrimination survey results, go to Research.