September 14, 2015

expert reaction to news that Luciana Berger has been appointed shadow Minister for Mental Health

The new leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has announced his shadow cabinet which includes a shadow minister for mental health.

Prof. Chris Chambers, Senior Research Fellow at Cardiff University, said:

“This is an important move by the Corbyn shadow cabinet that should help support sufferers of mental illness as well as overcoming the social stigma associated with depression and other psychiatric conditions. It is a sad truth that even in 2015, the reality and impact of mental illness remains under-recognised in British society. Berger’s voting record on issues such as climate change, vaccination and mitochondrial donation suggests that she will bring to this brief a welcome focus on evidence-based policy.”

Prof. Jamie Hacker Hughes, President of the British Psychological Society, said:

“I’d like to congratulate Luciana Berger on her appointment today as Shadow Minister for mental health. Luciana is an experienced campaigner on mental health, and we look forward to working with her.”

Prof. Sir Simon Wessely, President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said:

“We welcome the creation of a single portfolio for mental health, but of course recognise also that mental health affects so many other areas as well – education, employment, defence, DWP, local government and many more.”

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