I refer to the letter by George Sammut (February 13).

Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness and persons experiencing such an illness deserve dignity and respect. From our experience, we can also state that, with the necessary support, these persons are able to find employment and develop satisfying social relationships and can, therefore, contribute to our society.

Associating the term "schizophrenia" to issues which Mr Sammut is speaking about is bound to increase the already-existing stigma which is so detrimental to people experiencing mental health problems and their families. As you may be aware, schizophrenia affects one per cent of the population.

Therefore, the negative use of the term schizophrenia can offend some 4,000 individuals and many more family members.

For the past 15 years, Richmond Foundation has striven to push forward issues related to mental health and to decrease the stigma among the public. I think that situations as mentioned in the letter neutralise our efforts, at best.

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