The Sun’s latest sensationalist headline, claiming that “Mental Patients” have committed 1,200 homicides, offers a hugely inaccurate portrayal of people affected by Mental Health Issues in the UK today.

The paper’s ‘exclusive investigation’ comes just weeks after supermarket chains Tesco and Asda have withdrawn two Halloween outfits dubbed “mental patient” and “psycho ward” after they were criticised for stigmatising people with mental health issues, and understandably the paper has received similar backlash.

While The Sun may claim its findings are based on fact, its source - an academic report produced by The Centre for Mental Health and Risk at the University of Manchester titled “The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness” has been taken wildly out of context by the paper, seemingly for no other reason than to create a sensational headline which further stigmatises those in living with real mental health issues everyday.

After taking a closer look at the report it is clear to see that the figures and information have been manipulated to fit the paper’s agenda.

In the story, the tabloid states, “The crisis has been highlighted by the killing of Christina Edkins - knifed to death by paranoid schizophrenic, Philip Simelane”. A fine example of how one sentence can fuel the stigma that people suffering with mental illness pose a threat to society. However The University’s report clearly states “There has been a decrease in the number of homicides committed by people with schizophrenia since 2004” which begs the question, why did The Sun decide to release this story now?

The report found that out of all recorded homicides by people with mental illness, 19% of victims were strangers, 21% were a family member or spouse and 41% of victims were an acquaintance.

While the article might suggest that the mentally ill are currently roaming the streets looking for their next victim like zombies on the hunt for fresh meat, findings from a three year study conducted by mental health charities Victim Support and Mind, suggest that people with severe mental illness are actually five times more likely to experience assault, and severely mentally ill women were 10 times more likely to be assaulted. (BBC NEWS)

While not plucked from thin air, the 1,200 statistic offered by The Sun is actually taken from a period totaling 10 years. It is hardly surprising that this was the figure used, rather than the 72 reported homicides committed by the mentally ill over the past year; big numbers make bigger headlines.

When we consider that at least one in four people will suffer some kind of mental health problem in a year, it is easy to see why such a wide generalisation has caused so much outrage.

The high profile advocates of removing the stigma from metal health are many, and just this week former number 10 spin doctor, Alistair Campbell took to twitter to express his outrage with the national paper, “Will the Sun tomorrow do an exclusive investigation on numbers killed by what they would call 'normal people'?”

Research demonstrates, quite comprehensibly, that violent crimes committed towards strangers by mental health patients are not as regular as the sensationalist press would have us believe, MP Kevan Jones pointed out that “The Sun also forgets those with untreated mental illness are more at risk of taking their own lives than some one else's”

Self-harm statistics for the UK show one of the highest rates in Europe: 400 per 100,000 population (mentalhealth.org.uk) and 90 per cent of people who die through suicide in the UK are experiencing mental distress.

The headline states that this is a result of a failing system, however the same report from which this so called ‘evidence’ is gathered, suggests that the 1,200 figure includes both patients and people who could have been suffering from an abnormal mental state and were not in mental health care.

To claim that 1,200 perpetrators were “high risk patients” is simply another inaccurate point used to sell a story through scare mongering, surely we can’t place fault on the failure of the system when the perpetrator of the crime was not part of the system in the first place?

This is not the first time The Sun has caused such outrage with an article. In April 1989 they faced wide spread criticism in their reporting on the Hillsborough disaster after expressing certain “truths” on its front page, relating to fans involvement in the tragedy.

The Sun have since apologised for this false report but it highlights the responsibility the media has in how it defines the truth and not manipulating facts.

Amongst a host of misconceptions, exaggerated statistics and facts out of context the most important finding from the report - that failed to make it into The Sun’s article - is that there is no evidence to suggest that any symptoms of mental health lead directly to homicide.

In other words there was nothing to suggest the alarm created by The Sun’s misquoted article a point seconded by the lead author of the report, Professor Louis Appleby, “Our figures on homicide by m/health patients misquoted in @TheSunNewspaper today. Correct figures @NCISH_UK”

Considering the reaction and fall out following just one poorly researched article on mental illness, the fact that nine out of ten people with mental health issues have reported a negative impact on their lives through stigma and discrimination, is a sad but not a shocking statistic.

The stigma will continue to play a part in many people not feeling able to speak out about their problems if sensationalist stories like this exist.

If only people could talk about mental health as easily as we talk about the weather.

We’ve been working with the NHS trust in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear to create a campaign that will remove the stigma surrounding mental health by encouraging more people to speak openly about it.

Every day the weather is discussed as a polite topic of conversation but with 1 in 4 people in the UK struggling alone, talking about mental health is still seen as taboo.

Our campaign with the NHS is designed to reach out to those looking to change their outlook – starting with feeling empowered enough to talk about what’s bothering them without fear of judgment from peers and colleagues.

We’ve come up with a campaign that uses the weather to describe how people are feeling metaphorically whilst also enabling those suffering to talk about their problems in everyday conversation.

Offering statistics and descriptions on mental health issues that effect such a significant proportion of the population also serves to lessen the taboo and stigma surrounding the subject, creating an understanding culture in our communities, so we can better support people struggling with mental illness everyday.

The Northumberland Psychological Wellbeing Service (NPWS) provides a range of therapeutic interventions delivered in Primary Care Centers, GP practices and community settings.

If you want to have a chat about your outlook, please call 0191 566 5454 or email us at spws@ntw.nhs.uk, you could also ask your GP to refer you.

Visit www.ntw.nhs.uk and download our free self help guides and sign up to become a member. You can also download the NTW App free from the App store.