Understanding schizophrenia

One in 100 people will experience schizophrenia; it’s not as uncommon as you think. And while attitudes to mental health have changed, the stigma surrounding schizophrenia remains stubbornly high. Doctors often describe schizophrenia as a type of psychosis. This means a person might not be able to tell the difference between their thoughts and reality.

National Schizophrenia Awareness Day takes place annually on 25 July. It’s an opportunity for us to shine a light on the challenges faced by hundreds of thousands of people living with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in the UK. It sets out the steps we can all take to break down the stigma and discrimination surrounding this much-misunderstood illness.

To help raise awareness about Schizophrenia, and mental illness in general, our Mental Health Champions have been discussing common myths associated with this illness. and sharing information and resources across our Employee Facebook Group. This can spark engagement and conversation about mental illness, or provide people with the opportunity to find information and support that is available.

We have created an ‘Understanding Schizophrenia’ to collate a range of resources, guides and videos; as well as external signposts to organisations including the Mental Health Foundation, Rethink Mental Illness, and MIND Cymru.