Rethink has created a petition calling for the new UK Parliament to act to improve things for people affected by mental illness. I just signed it, and rather than e-mailing everyone, I thought I’d post it here.
The pledge is simple, ‘we care about mental illness and need a government that will act’. Rethink wants to ensure new Members of Parliament don’t forget that 1 in 4 people are affected by mental health problems, and many are STILL:
- missing out on basic treatments and information
- facing discrimination in everyday life and
- too often locked up in prison without any healthcare.
They’re aiming to collect 10,000 signatures to take to Downing Street as soon as the election results are in. Sign it here: http://e-activist.com/ea-campaign/clientcampaign.do?ea.client.id=32&ea.campaign.id=5721
Personally, I think the information available to people when they’re diagnosed is shocking, as is the way in which we treat people as different when they cross the “mental health” line. We all have minds, and we’re all in this together. Mindapples isn’t about mental illness. But it is about mental health, and if we get looked after when we get cancer, or break our leg, then we should be building a society which looks after us when our minds get sick too.