‘Alarming rise’ in mental health stigma in England, research shows
The number of people in England who are frightened of living near people with mental health problems has nearly doubled to one in seven, which experts warn reflects an “alarming rise in stigma”.Even if the mentally ill person had recovered, one in 10 people said they would be unwilling to live next to them, according to new research from the mental health charity Mind.The survey, by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London, found that only 63% of people were comfortable about mental health services operating in their community instead of in psychiatric units, down from 70% in 2015.The figures showed that 14% of people were frightened of those with poor mental health living in their neighbourhoods, up from 8% in 2017, while 16% of people believed mental health services “downgraded” a neighbourhood, up from 10% in 2019.The number of respondents who agreed that being part of a community was the best therapy for people with mental health problems was the lowest since the research was first conducted in 2008, at 68%.
Dr Sarah Hughes, the chief executive of Mind, said: “The rise in stigma is alarming.We have seen a change in language, people telling us their family’s attitudes are changing, as well as increasing narratives around benefit claimants and some very difficult and terrible instances of violence linked to mental illness – it feels like a lot of things have come home to roost.”She said the charity was “hearing from mental health services who are getting challenges from neighbours like frequent complaints, objections in planning applications or operating in inhospitable environments”.The survey also showed a significant drop in the number of people who – correctly – believe people with severe mental illness, such as schizophrenia or psychosis, can fully recover.The figure stood at 67% in 2019, and is now 53%.
Prof Claire Henderson from the IoPPN said the survey showed that although people’s attitudes towards specific individuals with mental illness had improved, their attitudes towards mental illness generally had declined “back to baseline”,She said recent high-profile criminal cases involving perpetrators with mental illness, such as Valdo Calocane, who has paranoid schizophrenia and fatally stabbed three people in Nottingham in 2023, could have increased stigmatisation,“There is this fear about people who are visibly unwell, and there has been a push to more coercive care, whereas really it’s about having the resources to be able to respond to people when they are in crisis,” she said,“But if you have a neighbour who’s very unwell and not getting treated, or if you’re on the bus and somebody is yelling for no clear reason and you’re with small children, people worry,It’s not fair just to say that people are ignorant or prejudiced.
”She said difficulty accessing services was adding to pessimism about whether therapy worked.“We asked people: ‘Can medication work? Do people recover?’ And if you don’t see that happening, then you will not answer positively to those questions,” she said.Henderson said a growing “negative discourse about young people with mental health problems” was “trivialising” some conditions, and feeding misconceptions about benefit claimants.The findings were released as part of Mind’s annual Big Mental Health report, which found there were 1.66 million people waiting for community mental health care in England and Wales in the third quarter of 2024-25.
Jenny Tan, 22, a psychology student who waited years to receive treatment for anorexia, said she had faced stigma and unfriendliness when disclosing her mental ill health.“There are so many more celebrities now coming forward and talking about this.I thought society was a lot more accommodating, a lot more understanding,” she said.“But when people think of mental illness, they stereotypically think of disorders that are presented as being dangerous in the media, things which have been associated with violence.“But I think if people actually understood what it was like to have a mental health condition, their reaction would not be disgust and running away.
”
The IMF reckons the global economy remains ‘in flux’, but the Trump effect is real – and Australians aren’t fooled | Greg Jericho
The latest IMF world economic outlook released on Wednesday does not mention “Trump” once in its 166 pages, but he is all over the report as his economic policies continue to make life difficult for everyone. But while the IMF reports Trump’s impact on the global economy is yet to be fully realised, Australian holidaymakers have already made their judgment and are deserting the US in droves.The IMF always likes to be polite. It titled the October 2025 world economic outlook “Global Economy in Flux, Prospects Remain Dim” rather than as I would have: “Trump remains dim, so who the hell knows what will happen”.Perhaps the worst aspect of Trump is how his actions, whether political, economic or social, are regarded with initial concern, but then many in the media, and even our government, desperately try to suggest nothing has changed
Shein warns on Trump tariff uncertainty after profits slip
Shein has reported a 20% rise in global revenues to $37bn (£27.7bn) but profits have fallen as the fast-fashion retailer faced increased costs, even before it felt the impact of recent changes to US tax laws.The Singaporean parent company of the rapidly growing retailer said pre-tax profits had fallen by 13% to $1.3bn last year from $1.5bn in 2023 after an increase in selling and marketing costs, according to new accounts
Global government debt on course to hit 100% of GDP by 2029, IMF warns
Government debt across the world is on course to hit 100% of global gross domestic product (GDP) by 2029, according to analysis by the International Monetary Fund, the highest level since the aftermath of the second world war.In its Fiscal Monitor report, the IMF said aggregate government debt had risen more rapidly than expected before the Covid pandemic, when policymakers stepped into protect citizens and bail out hard-hit businesses.It urged governments to switch spending to growth-friendly areas such as infrastructure and education to help bolster the world economy and make debts more sustainable.A 100% global debt-to-GDP ratio would be the highest since 1948, when the world’s large economies had been devastated by six years of war and the costs of rebuilding their ravaged countries.The report named the UK as among the G20 countries whose ratio would peak above 100% of GDP on the IMF’s definition in the coming years – alongside France, Japan, Canada, China and the US
Banker bonuses to be paid faster after UK regulators loosen rules
UK regulators will speed up bonus payouts for high-earning bankers, watering down another important change introduced after the 2008 financial crisis.Since 2015 senior bankers have had to wait eight years before receiving their full bonuses to ensure individuals could be held financially accountable for any wrongdoing that came to light years later, or even after they left the bank.On Wednesday, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said they were halving that to four years.The watchdogs also went further than a previous consultation, saying they would now require a much smaller proportion of bonuses to be withheld from high-earning staff over the period. From Thursday, only 60% of the payout that falls above £660,000 will have to be deferred
Capita fined £14m for data protection failings in 2023 cyber-attack
The outsourcing company Capita has been fined £14m for data protection failings after hackers stole the personal information of 6.6 million people, including staff details and those of its clients’ customers.John Edwards, the UK information commissioner who levied the fine, said the March 2023 data theft from the group and companies it supported, including 325 pension providers, caused anxiety and stress for those affected.The £8m fine for Capita and £6m penalty for its Capita Pension Solutions arm come as UK businesses battle a wave of cyber-attacks in the recent wave that has crippled companies such as M&S and Jaguar Land Rover.Capita discovered the attack within 10 minutes but did not shut down the device that had been targeted by a malicious file for 58 hours, during which time the attacker was able to exploit its systems
Vets could be made to cap prescription prices after UK watchdog investigation
Vets in the UK could be forced to cap prescription prices after an investigation by the markets watchdog found pet owners may be paying twice as much for some common medicines from practices than online.The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found pet owners pay 16.6% more on average at large vet groups than at independent practices. It said the £6.3bn market was not fit for purpose and needed to be modernised
Nature groups rebuke Reeves for ‘cynical’ 11th-hour planning bill changes
Pressure on Downing Street to release evidence in collapsed China spy case
Digital ID: Danes and Estonians find it ‘pretty uncontroversial’
Keir Starmer back on familiar ground after walk-on part in the Trump show in Egypt | John Crace
Starmer says he expects debate about ‘full horror’ of what happened in Gaza when media allowed in – as it happened
Farage, not Marxism, risks ‘poisoning our kids’ | Letters