Join us to help end physical and mental health care injustice

Mental health charity Rethink today (September 14) backed the Disability Rights Commission‘s (DRC) call for better healthcare for people with mental health problems and called on its supporters to join its ‘e-campaign’ on this vital issue.

The DRC has today released its report on physical health and people with severe mental illness and learning difficulties today. The report uncovered a shocking level of discrimination, and found that:

• Women with schizophrenia are 42% more likely to get breast cancer .
  
• People with schizophrenia are almost twice as likely as other citizens to have bowel cancer - the second most common cause of cancer death in Britain.
  
• People with schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder or depression have far higher rates of obesity, smoking, heart disease, diabetes, respiratory disease and stroke than other people.
  
• Despite this evidence, GP surgeries and health trusts are breaking the law by not implementing the Disability Discrimination Act.

Rethink’s Director of Public Affairs Paul Corry said: “This report uncovers the shocking - and sometimes illegal - discrimination people with mental health problems face.

“The report backs up our own campaigning work on this vital issue, and we very much support its conclusions. Sadly its findings are all too common for mental health service users and carers.

“It is an outrage that having a diagnosis of schizophrenia should double your chances of getting bowel cancer. Government must act now to end this. We urge everyone who has internet access to back our online e-campaign to help end this injustice. “