Channel 4 challenges schizophrenia taboo

Mental health organisation Mind have congratulated Channel 4 for screening a documentary on the work of maverick psychologist Rufus May.

They describe The Doctor Who Hears Voices, to be shown Monday, as 'a groundbreaking new documentary' which 'challenges the stigma and prejudices that so commonly surround mental health problems like schizophrenia, and shows that it is possible to lead a full life and a demanding job while managing your mental health issues'.

This documentary focuses on Rufus, who has schizophrenia himself, and his treatment and support of Ruth, a junior doctor who is suspended from her job after she starts to hear a voice telling her to kill herself. It follows their 18-month journey as Ruth is determined to become well enough to retain her job and manage her voice and health problems, showing Rufus' unconventional approach to treating his patients including rejecting medication in favour of therapy, and opposing the singular diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Mind's Head of Media Relations Claire Ashby said 'we congratulate Channel 4 on tackling one of the most unfair taboos of modern society. Finally, following BBC documentaries such as Stephen Fry's The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive and the recent Sport Relief film Surviving Suicide, we are beginning to see TV coverage that shows the reality of the one in four people who will face mental health problems in any one year.'