The Mental Health Foundation, See Me and Glasgow Caledonian University are undertaking a new research project to better understand how people living with severe, complex and/or enduring mental illnesses experience stigma and discrimination.

Researchers would like to speak with people aged 18 years old and over to find out:

what stigma and discrimination people have experienced, and how often
where in their lives people have experienced it and to what extent
what impact these experiences have had on their lives and behaviours
how people experience self-stigma
what needs to change to improve the lives of people experiencing complex mental illnesses

This research, the first of its kind to be carried out in Scotland, will look to address some of the most pervasive and severe stigma and discrimination that people in Scotland with mental illnesses face.

The project is open to people in Scotland who, within the last year, have experienced a severe, complex and/or enduring mental illness, or illnesses, including:

schizophrenia or other primary psychotic disorder
bipolar or related disorder
obsessive-compulsive (OCD) or related disorder
disorder specifically associated with stress (eg. post-traumatic stress disorder)
dissociative disorder
feeding or eating disorder
personality disorder
severe and/or treatment-resistant depressive disorder
severe and/or treatment-resistant anxiety or fear-related disorder

Both people who have received a formal diagnosis, as well as those who have not been diagnosed formally but believe they may be experiencing one or more of these mental illnesses, are invited to take part.

If you would like to participate, you will be asked to read important information about the survey, give your consent to take part and fill in a short screening form. You will then be invited to complete a survey – either online, by phone or via video call with one of the researchers. This should take around 40 – 50 minutes.

For further information, please visit the See Me website, or contact Jo Finlay by email: jfinlay@mentalhealth.org.uk