Public views on a number of mental health issues has become more positive, but some less favourable views still exist, a current survey suggests. Findings from Attitudes to Mental Illness 2012, a survey carried out for the first time in England 17 years ago, suggest more people now view mental health as an illness like any other.

But less favourable views on some issues still exist – for example, one in six people believe a main cause of mental illness is lack of self discipline and will-power, about the same level as first reported in 1994.

Of the 1,741 adults interviewed in February and March 2011 for the survey:

• 77 per cent said ‘mental illness is an illness like any other’ compared to 71 per cent in 1994.
• 70 per cent would be comfortable talking to their family and friends about their mental health, compared to 66 per cent in 2009 (the first year this question was asked)
• 43 per cent would be uncomfortable talking their employer about their mental health, compared to 50 per cent in 2010 (the first year this question was asked).

Despite this reported increase in positive views, some people surveyed hold a less favourable view of people with mental health issues:

• Only one in four would trust a woman who had ever been in a mental hospital to babysit a child.
• 17 per cent think having a mental health facility in a residential area downgraded the neighbourhood
• 16 per cent believe one of the main causes of mental illness is lack of self-discipline and will-power.

To access the full survey from the NHS Information Centre click here.