| Despite public awareness campaigns highlighting | | | | through. For example, mental health problems can |
| the issues facing people with mental health | | | | occur as an isolated case in relation to a specific |
| problems and the fact that no one is immune to | | | | set of circumstances and once treated, will never |
| developing a mental illness, people with mental | | | | happen again, some types of mental illness are |
| health problems are still facing unfair discrimination, | | | | episodic in nature, and most people who seek help |
| prejudice and stigma every day of their lives, not | | | | for mental health problems do go on to lead full |
| just from members of the public but also from | | | | and normal lives. Probably the most important |
| businesses, banks, employers and even when it | | | | point is that just because someone is suffering |
| comes to taking out an insurance policy. | | | | from a mental health problem doesn't |
| The truth is, any one of us can develop a mental | | | | automatically mean they pose a greater risk than |
| illness, regardless of our age, gender, location, | | | | anyone else. Insurance companies calculate their |
| occupation or social status. Actually, the statistics | | | | insurance premiums on the level of perceived risk, |
| show that at least one in four of us will | | | | which is supposedly based on medical evidence. |
| experience some kind of mental health problem in | | | | Perhaps this is the area that needs to be |
| the space of any one year. Mental health | | | | addressed. |
| problems can be hugely diverse in nature and can | | | | So what can you do about it? Certainly, if there is |
| range from mild cases of depression and anxiety | | | | a case of unfair discrimination then it is possible to |
| to more serious cases of bipolar depression and | | | | sue under the Disability Discrimination Act but |
| schizophrenia with the types of symptoms and | | | | according to Mind, the leading UK charity for |
| the degree of intensity of these symptoms | | | | mental health, only a small number of cases are |
| varying from person to person. However, there | | | | taken out under this Act and of these, few are |
| are problems to face in the outside world too. | | | | ever successful. Similarly, the Citizen's Advice |
| Possibly one of the most distressing aspects of | | | | Bureau (CAB) report that most claims against |
| mental illness is the isolation and social exclusion | | | | payment protection insurance fail when mental |
| often experienced by the sufferer purely as a | | | | illness is involved as it is a common exclusion in |
| result of ignorance and misunderstanding on the | | | | many insurance policies. |
| part of other people and it is this that needs to | | | | It isn't all doom and gloom though, people do |
| change. If we consider insurance for example, | | | | seem to be waking up to the fact that something |
| something that most people take for granted, but | | | | has gone wrong somewhere and that people with |
| not if you have had a mental illness in the past or | | | | mental illness deserve to have the same rights as |
| are suffering from a mental health problem at the | | | | anyone else. Over in the USA for example, a |
| moment. | | | | study by the Mental Health America Association |
| The findings of a major report on discrimination | | | | found that the majority of Americans believe that |
| against the mentally ill showed that Insurance | | | | people with mental health problems should no |
| companies will often deny insurance or place | | | | longer be subjected to discrimination by health |
| exemptions on an insurance policy when there is a | | | | insurance companies. In fact, some 96% of |
| history of mental health problems, even if those | | | | Americans believe that health insurance should |
| problems existed many years ago and are no | | | | also cover mental health. Here in the UK the |
| longer an issue. This applies to any type of | | | | government are aware of the issues surrounding |
| insurance and not just life insurance either, travel | | | | mental health and exclusion and are tightening up |
| insurance, mortgage insurance, employment | | | | legislation to protect people from unfair |
| insurance, payment protection insurance, all | | | | discrimination. |
| become more difficult to obtain if you have a | | | | In the meantime, we would all do well to |
| mental health problem or a history of mental | | | | remember that mental health problems are not |
| illness. | | | | only common, they are treatable, and can affect |
| This would appear to suggest that insurance | | | | any one of us at any time. Until we insist that |
| companies as well as many others still do not | | | | people with mental health problems receive the |
| understand the issues or the facts surrounding | | | | same rights in society as everyone else, the |
| mental illness or the information just isn't getting | | | | problem with insurance will persist. |