"Stigma against mental illness is alive and well among health professionals"-according to expert

Expert calls for mental health shake-up

"A globally-renowned mental health expert says stigma against patients is alive and well among health professionals, and is calling for a shake-up.

Mental health sufferers are stigmatised by the professionals that are supposed to be caring for them, according to a globally-renowned expert calling for a shake-up of the system.

Professor Mike Slade, from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry, says the current attitude of mental health professionals is one of "do what we tell you to do and you will be well again."

He says stigma against mental illness is alive and well among health professionals, who continue to maintain "hope-destroying" practices.

While developed countries have closed most asylums, they've inadvertently created "virtual institutions", where sufferers who appear to live in the community are actually stuck in a "mental illness-defined bubble".

Prof Slade is calling for a shift to a 'nothing about us without us' attitude, where those affected by mental health problems are involved in the debate about their future.

"If we only listen to professional constructions and narratives, we inadvertently oppress," he told Mental Health Australia's Grace Groom Memorial Oration in Canberra on Wednesday night...."

Full article:

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/10/21/expert-calls-mental-health-shake