MENTAL health problems have had a certain stigma attached.

Indeed, the National Schizophrenia Fellowship adopted the operating name "Rethink" partially due to the connotations its original name carried.

But committee members of a Dursley-based group are noticing a welcome change in attitudes. The Gazette's Kirsty Ramsden met them to find out more.

ONE in 100 people will suffer with schizophrenia in their lifetime and a further one in 100 will suffer manic depression.

Yet a severe mental health problem affects more than just the sufferers - it affects those around them, including family and friends.

And with this in mind, the Dursley and Mid-Gloucestershire group of Rethink, the operating name of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, was formed to support not just sufferers but also their carers and friends.

The branch works to help everyone affected by severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, to recover a better quality of life.

Rosemary and Lawrence Guy launched the branch in 1992 to provide an organisation for people in the south of the county.

Previously the only Rethink branch in the county was the North Gloucestershire Group which meets in Cheltenham.

Since the launch of the Dursley and Mid-Gloucestershire branch a Forest of Dean group has been established.

The National Schizophrenia Fellowship was founded in the early 1970s but later adopted the operating name Rethink to come into line with terms used by the medical profession and to avoid the associated stigma, explained the branch's voluntary co-ordinator Tony Burton.

Indeed, according to Rethink figures, around 50 per cent of those with mental health problems report abuse and harassment.

It can take up to 18 months for someone showing signs of mental illness to get the help they need and 60 per cent of young people admit to verbally abusing people with a mental illness, according to Rethink figures.

Mr Burton explained a mental health problem could be a short term condition but for others it could be longer term but come and go.

The branch meets each month at the Tyndale Centre, Dursley.

Meetings can take the form of listening to a speaker, watching a video or members chatting among themselves.

Mr Burton explained members appreciated being able to talk to someone without feeling embarrassed and to somebody who understood what they felt like.

He added people who have recovered from a mental health problem have visited the group to talk about what they felt like during their illness.

He explained this helped friends and family understand what the sufferer was going through.

The group also arranges outings, which generally take the form of coach trips. These outings used to take place monthly but are now limited to once every two months due to a lack of funds.

The group does link with other county branches for trips.

Branch founder Mrs Guy, who is now its honorary treasurer, explained trips helped those with mental health problems get out and about thus gaining self-confidence.

Her husband, Lawrence, who is chairman of the branch, explained suffering a mental health problem or being a carer in a rural area was particularly isolating because of the difficulties surrounding public transport.

As well as a support group, the branch is also a campaigning body.

In the 1990s it campaigned for housing, which has since been established in Stroud.

The group is now looking at restarting a weekend club for members.

The branch sends out about 50 newsletters but average attendance is about 12. Membership stretches throughout mid-Gloucestershire but, said Mrs Guy: "We don't have strict boundaries."

And the group is open to users of mental health services, their family members, carers, friends and interested professionals.

Mrs Guy believed attitudes to mental health problems were "slowly changing". Her husband added: "Attitudes are changing gradually. A lot of people used to suffer in silence but now its becoming more open."

The group would like to reach more people and has a library of information for new carers and users.

The branch will meet on Monday, February 7, at 7.30pm at the Tyndale Centre, Dursley, when a speaker will discuss nutrition.