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