Mental health problems affect 95 per cent, our survey finds

MORE than half of people in Coventry who have suffered from mental health problems said they had to deal with stigma or discrimination as a result, according to a Telegraph survey.

Three in four Telegraph readers who answered our survey into mental health for World Mental Health Day said they personally had suffered from a condition.

Another 20 per cent said a family member had suffered from a mental health problem instead, meaning 95 per cent of people who took part in our survey had been closely affected by the issue.

Of those who said they had a mental health condition, 54 per cent said that they personally had experienced stigma or discrimination as a result.

In a related question, 20 per cent of these people said they had been treated unfavourably at work in relation to their mental health, while 25 per cent said their employers were aware of their condition but did not provide any support.

Telegraph readers did not rate the mental health services available to them very well in our survey.

A total of 57 per cent of people rated mental health services in their local area as ‘very poor’ or ‘somewhat poor’, with only 19 per cent saying they were good or very good.

When asked what could be done to improve them, 78 per cent of people said that access to counselling should be made easier while a similar number said more money was needed.

Taking medication emerged as the most common way for people in Coventry to manage their issues. This was closely followed by talking to friends and family.

We timed our survey to coincide with World Mental Health Day today.

It aims to bring attention to the importance of mental health and the scale of people dealing with various conditions.

This week, Telegraph has teamed up with Mind, the mental health charity, to feature a number of articles focused on mental health. Keep an eye out for our Health Matters page every day in the Telegraph.