Promoting positive perceptions of 
mental health

"My experience of talking to the media was that it encouraged more people to be open about their experience of mental distress and several of my colleagues at work came to speak with me about it.  It helped them to realise that it was nothing to be ashamed of or scared of admitting and that made me feel good.  Being open about having experience of mental distress, talking to the media, made me feel that I was helping to remove the stigma and show that you can recover and have a fulfilling life."

Christine Lapping

"I was extremely anxious about being interviewed by a journalist and people reading about me, but I knew that if I wanted to help tackle the stigma and discrimination that surround mental health issues, then it was something I had to do.  Once the article appeared I felt good about myself and was glad I had talked about my experience."

Emma Edwards

"I had often thought about challenging inaccurate perceptions of mental health issues but was unsure how to go about it.  Talking to the media, whether giving a personal testimony or discussing an event such as Sanity Fair, has made me feel I have a positive contribution to make towards reducing stigma and discrimination.  The reaction from family, friends and members of the public has been overwhelmingly positive." 

John J Gibson 

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