"We like to be accepted for who we are and not to be pigeon-holed into whether we have schizophrenia or we have this or we have that. We can still function in the community and be a valuable part of it."

It is estimated that one-in-four Scots will experience mental health problems, while more than 80 per cent will suffer stigma or discrimination as a result — two statistics which are being highlighted during Mental Health Week.

Mr McGill, of Culloden, is just one of those people behind the figures. "I have been diagnosed with all sorts of things in the past. For a while I was schizophrenic and the latest one is that I have a borderline personality disorder. I have self-harmed and cut myself," he says.

Mr McGill, whose father was a manic depressive, became aware of his problems as a youngster growing up in the Govan area of Glasgow.

"I had a lot of difficulties communicating with people. I went to counsellors and different people and some said it was just my age and some said it was a personality disorder. But I don't really like labels being put on people," he says.

Whatever the diagnosis, Mr McGill reflects that his mental health problems have had an impact on his life. "At school, people thought I was strange and I was picked on. I was alienated. As I got older there were a lot of effects. I had a few relationships with women but I could never settle into a relationship," he says.

His grandmother, with whom he spent many of his formative years, was one of the few people he felt really understood him.

Finding work at a Glasgow warehouse also turned out to be a positive experience. "I used to go out delivering and I enjoyed that. The driver treated me like any normal person," he recalls.

Nevertheless, over the years he has encountered problems and spent time in various psychiatric hospitals — but a move to Inverness 10 years ago to make a new start proved to be a pivotal point in his life.

Mr McGill was put in touch with Birchwood Highland, a charity that offers support to people with mental health problems, dementia, learning disabilities or problems with addiction. Initially he lived in the organisation's Birchwood House.

"I found it quite difficult there. I was quite disruptive. I admit that but it was because of my illness. But the staff persevered with me and towards the end of my time there it was quite enjoyable," he says.

The 56-year-old now lives independently with the help of support workers from Birchwood Highland. "They make you feel you are worth something. They give you a sense of achievement," he says. As an illustration of his progress, he recalls a recent conversation with a near neighbour. "I was talking to a guy I have spoken to on and off for about a year when I go to the shop. When I told him I had mental health problems he said 'You're joking — you don't seem to have any problems'. That made me feel really good. I felt I had been accepted in the local community where I live."

He attributes his new-found confidence to Birchwood Highland. "They help you accept you have a problem but you can still be worth something. They see you as person who has difficulties but that doesn't make you different to anyone else," he says.

"Life has improved dramatically for me in the last 10 years. I pay my bills, I go shopping, I go to the cinema — I do all the things a 'normal' person does."

Mr McGill feels that generally public attitudes have changed in that people are now more tolerant — a view shared by Birchwood Highland chief executive Peter Cattanach.

"There is still some work to be done. I remember when I used to be a social worker there were a lot of fears about care in the community and people living in the community when they left hospital. Certainly, it has changed since then. There is a much more liberal attitude," Mr Cattanach says.

"Most people know someone who has a mental health problem, either someone in their family or a friend."

Michael McGill makes a meal at home with his support worker Margaret Hodgson from Birchwood Highland. Alasdair Allen

Even so, it seems there are hurdles to overcome, including the perennial challenge of fundraising. Mr Cattanach says that compared with organisations such as children's charities and other organisations, it was perhaps not as easy for mental health charities.

"It is very difficult to raise money for people with mental health issues, although when people give they are very generous," he says.

Currently 103 people are using the services of Birchwood Highland, which was established in 1987. In March this year its first recovery centre in the region was formally opened by Shona Robison, minister for public health.

"We do a lot of housing support, working alongside people. We are not doing things for them, we are doing things with them," Mr Cattanach explains.

"People with mental health issues have the same needs as anyone. They need relationships, they need work, they need a nice place to live, they need food. I would agree with Michael that our staff are brilliant in what they do. I am very proud of them."

In a bid to raise awareness of the subject, Birchwood has joined forces with See Me — Scotland's national campaign to end the stigma and discrimination of mental ill health. It is hosting four photographic exhibitions through the week in the Highlands, including one in the Eastgate Centre, Inverness.

Located by the Falcon Square entrance, it features about 40 photographs entered in a competition covering two themes. Through Thick and Thin aims to portray the support people experiencing mental health problems receive from family and friends, while Mentally Positive illustrates positive mental health and recovery.

Anyone attending the exhibition will be able to vote for their favourite picture and the image with the most public votes, regardless of the category, will go through to a national final to compete with entries from across Scotland to win a day's tuition with a professional photographer.

In addition, a panel of five judges from Birchwood Highland will select a winner from each category to go through to the final.

Acting See Me campaign director Suzie Vestri urged people to visit the exhibition. "We all rely on our friends and families or activities we enjoy to keep us mentally healthy. This photo exhibition is a chance for all of us to see some great creative photography as well as perhaps sparking our own thoughts about the need to look after our own mental wellbeing," she says.

Recent research by the campaign, which was launched in 2002 and is funded by the Scottish government, indicates a change in attitudes.

It reveals that 85 per cent of people experiencing mental health problems feel more able to be open and talk about their condition. At the same time, 55 per cent say they would react positively to a friend or relative with a mental health problem by talking to them, while 50 per cent would ask how they could help and 48 per cent would try to listen without judging.

However, Ms Vestri feels that despite the encouraging findings, the desire to be supportive seems to be lost in translation, with people not knowing how to put their good intentions into action.

"The fact is that most people desperately want to do the right thing by a friend or relative with mental illness but fear of saying the wrong thing and making the situation worse holds them back," she says.

"Ironically, it is doing the simple things that makes a real difference. You don't have to have all the 'right' answers — simply talking and listening shows you care. Just be there and be yourself. Your support can make a real difference to someone's recovery."

v.sweeney@inverness-courier.co.uk

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