Mind praises groundbreaking Channel 4 documentary highlighting work of Rufus May » Health » 24dash.com

The work of maverick psychologist and Mind Champion of the Year Award nominee Rufus May is the focus of a groundbreaking new documentary on mental health to be shown on Channel 4 on Monday.

The doctor who hears voices challenges the stigma and prejudices that so commonly surround mental health problems like schizophrenia, and shows that it is possible to lead a full life and a demanding job while managing your mental health issues.

Mind congratulates Channel 4 on tackling one of the most unfair taboos of modern society.

Finally, following BBC documentaries such as Stephen Fry's The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive and the recent Sport Relief film Surviving Suicide, we are beginning to see TV coverage that shows the reality of the one in four people who will face mental health problems in any one year.

This documentary focuses on Rufus' treatment and support of Ruth, a junior doctor who is suspended from her job after she starts to hear a voice telling her to kill herself.

It follows their 18-month journey as Ruth is determined to become well enough to retain her job and manage her voice and health problems, showing Rufus' unconventional approach to treating his patients including rejecting medication in favour of therapy, and opposing the singular diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Rufus is not only a leading expert in the field of psychology he also speaks from personal experience. At 18, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and told he would be taking medication for the rest of his life.

Rufus quickly decided that his experience would not hold him back and against his doctors advice came off his medication and trained as a clinical psychologist. He is now revered in his field and has recently been nominated for the Mind Champion of the Year Award 2008 for his efforts to improve public understanding of mental health issues.

Mind's Head of Media Relations Claire Ashby said: "This is an eye-opening documentary that challenges traditional perspectives about the treatment of mental health problems. Rufus' pioneering approach gets remarkable results and shows that people can recover to lead a full life.

"It's excellent that Channel 4 has dedicated a primetime programme to this controversial subject and we hope it will raise public awareness and understanding about what it's really like to live with the experience of hearing voices."