34th anniversary of The Forgotten Illness
In 1986 – some 34 years ago – journalist Marjorie Wallace wrote a series of campaigning articles in The Times about schizophrenia and other severe mental illness.
The articles were published under the title The Forgotten Illness and focused on misconceptions about mental illness, the anguish and neglect of sufferers and families, and the failures of the community care policy.
The response to the articles at the time was the largest The Times had ever received on a home news subject. As a result of this Marjorie founded SANE.
Marjorie Wallace, Chief Executive of SANE, comments on the anniversary:
“Thirty-four years ago I exposed the suffering and despair of people living with schizophrenia on the fringes of society.”
“Little has changed and thousands still face neglect and under-treatment like David, who took his own life after being repeatedly failed by mental health services in the 1980s.”
“Until we ensure there are sufficient local beds and address the desperate shortage of experienced, qualified nurses and doctors, people will continue to suffer in silence.”
