Cherie Booth: 'We need to reassess stereotypes of the mentally ill'

From the Henry Hawkins lecture by the QC to the The Mental After Care Association (Maca)

Stereotyping can be a problem because it allows us very easily to treat individuals as group members who possess a given set of traits, rather than as individuals to be judged on their own merits.

Stereotyping can be a problem because it allows us very easily to treat individuals as group members who possess a given set of traits, rather than as individuals to be judged on their own merits.

And the real problem of stigma rears its ugly head when our stereotypes take the form of unfair personality attributions - the tendency of the casual mind to pick out a sample which supports its negative assumptions and then make it representative of an entire class: the disabled man lacks capacity, the mentally ill woman can't hold down a job.

Of course we should not be afraid to embrace where we come from and to acknowledge that our experiences have shaped us into the distinctive people we are. But it is at that point that we need to appreciate our limitations. There are only so many life experiences each of us has had.

Even when our gaze is open and sympathetic, what we see of another's person's life is never the full picture. We form impressions from mere glances: the aged face, the wheelchair, the white cane.

Real inclusivity can only develop when we move from this place of fixed ideas and impressions, a place where we view everything through the lens of our own values and experiences, to a place where we truly desire to appreciate diversity.

At this individual level, each of us can have a great impact. Merely by example we create an impression on our families and friends, and by simple actions we can help to realise the capacity of the mentally ill and disabled, thereby fostering a respect for dignity and acceptance of others.

I would like to urge each of us to continue reassessing our own assumptions and stereotypes in order to foster greater acceptance and inclusivity in our own communities.