Rethink Mental Illness is a charity in England. Its mission statement is "Working together to help everyone affected by severe mental illness recover a better quality of life." The organisation was founded in 1972 by relatives of people diagnosed with schizophrenia, following an article by a journalist whose son had been diagnosed. The operating name of 'Rethink' was adopted in 2002 but the charity remains registered as the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, although it no longer focuses only on schizophrenia. The operating name was expanded in 2011 to be more self-explanatory.
Rethink now has over 8,300 members, who receive a regular magazine called Your Voice. The charity states that it helps 48,000 people every year, and is for carers as well as those with a mental illness. It provides services (mainly community support, including supported housing projects), support groups, and information through a helpline and publications. The Rethink website receives almost 300,000 visitors every year. Rethink carries out some survey research which informs both their own and national mental health policy, and it actively campaigns against stigma and for change through greater awareness and understanding. It is a member organisation of EUFAMI, the European Federation of Families of People with Mental Illness.
The current chief executive is Paul Jenkins, appointed in 2006 after 20 years experience of management and policy-making in central government and the National Health Service.
Read more about Rethink Mental Illness: Campaigns, Funding, See Also
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