Mental health charity launches anti-stigma campaign in Northern Ireland

Mental health charity Rethink has launched an anti-stigma campaign in Northern Ireland, featuring its first ever  TV commercial.

Titled “Down the Pub” the advert, featuring Coronation Street’s Simon Gregson, aims to encourage people to rethink their attitudes to severe mental illness by focusing on a group of friends speaking about schizophrenia while in the pub.

The initiative follows the success of the charity’s month-long anti-stigma campaign in Norwich last March. A poll conducted after the campaign found twice as many people were prepared to admit they had a mental illness than before

The month-long Northern Ireland campaign will also encompass outdoor advertising, a film festival and a touring play.
 
Rethink’s head of marketing and communications, Nikki Mugford said: “At Rethink, people who use our services tell us that the stigma surrounding mental health is sometimes worse than the illness itself.”

Mental health information