Clegg attacks NHS Mental Health Care

Nick Clegg has launched a strong attack on how the NHS treats mental health patients.

In a BBC interview, the deputy prime minister said it was "just plain wrong" to treat the illness as the "poor cousin" of physical health in the NHS.

There remains, he says, "too much prejudice, too much discrimination" around the issue.

Mr Clegg was speaking ahead of a major conference at which the government will unveil its mental health strategy.

A poll from the charity, Time To Change, highlights some of the problems faced by patients.

Its survey of almost 5,000 people with mental health problems found:

• More than half said that stigma and discrimination associated with mental health was as bad or worse than the illness itself
• More than a quarter waited for over a year to tell their family about their problem
• Nearly a quarter of young people said discrimination and stigma stopped them going to school

Mr Clegg said: "There is too much ignorance, too much prejudice, too much discrimination.

"We've got to take this out of the shadows."

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