LOCAL mental health service provider North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is calling on people to think about how they go about their Halloween fun without causing distress to others.
In recent years leading supermarkets have come under fire for selling Halloween costumes that were said to have caused offence. As a result, such items as ‘mental patient fancy dress costume’ and ‘psycho ward’ outfit have been removed from shelves. However, similar outfits are still widely available online.
Simon Barber, Chief Executive at North West Boroughs Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Unfortunately, Halloween seems to be a time of year when people think it’s ok to trivialise mental ill-health. It is not. It’s totally unacceptable to make fun of people who are suffering, sometimes with serious conditions.
“Halloween paraphernalia depicting mental health as something to be feared and which uses derogatory terms like ‘psycho’ and ‘asylum’ is widely available. This contributes to and enhances the existing stigma attached to psychosis and other misunderstood conditions by playing on peoples’ fears which come through a lack of knowledge and understanding.
“This stigma can impact on a person’s recovery and can prevent vulnerable people seeking help in the first place.
“Mental health conditions affect one in four of us and deserve the same respect and dignity as physical health conditions. I would urge people to think carefully about how something they may see as ‘just a bit of fun’ could cause distress to someone who may be struggling with a mental illness.”
The Trust is committed to sending out a clear message to society that we should not stigmatise people with mental illness and learning disabilities. For further information on our stamp out stigma campaign, visit www.stampoutstigma.co.uk.
