The BBC are producing a documentary that will form part of the next series of Horizon, the BBC’s flagship science series. The programme will engage with some of the issues surrounding mental illness in Britain today. In particular ther’re interested in the labelling and stigma that is associated with living with a disorder. The programme is inspired by the ground-breaking Rosenhan Experiment conducted in the early seventies. Dr. David Rosenhan sent a number of pseudo-patients into US Mental Hospitals, and illustrated that these institutions couldn’t distinguish between sanity and insanity. Psychiatry has moved on since this study but there are elements of it that are worth looking at again.

We are working in collaboration with Dr Peter Byrne, a Director of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and a practicing Clinical Psychiatrist. Together we are planning to recreate some elements of this seminal study in an attempt to prompt the viewer to question the stereotypes linked with mental illness.

We are looking to draw together a group of volunteers who will work through a series of tests. Some of the group will have a history of mental illness and some will have no history of mental illness. The challenge for the viewer, and a panel of expert Psychiatrists and Psychologists, will be to work out who is who. It is by this process that we will get the wider public to question what they consider to be ‘normal’ and more importantly whether being mentally ill makes a person any different.

This is clearly a sensitive area but I believe passionately that we shouldn’t hide away from addressing the subject of mental illness just because of this. We are keen to ensure everyone finds the filming process a positive experience. All the participants will be carefully screened by an independent team and we will only consider people who pass this process.

This is an opportunity to show the real people and personalities behind the labels. The group of volunteers are essential to the programme, it will be through their experiences that we will illustrate how mental illness sits on continuum, running from healthy, everyday behaviour, to something that can become a serious problem. In the process they will dispel some myths: such as ‘people with mental illness are dangerous’ or ‘that the mentally ill cannot function in society’.

This is a challenging project but one that’s exciting to be involved in. We are currently seeking volunteers to take part in the programme, both as subjects and on the expert panel. If this is of interest to you, or you’d like to find out more, please contact us on the details below. There is no obligation to take part.

Email: Helen.crocombe@bbc.co.uk

Telephone: 020 8008 3978