The country’s leading anxiety disorders charity, Anxiety UK, has praised Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence for her comments regarding the stigma attached to mental health disorders.
Ms Lawrence won the Best Actress award in Los Angeles at the weekend in the annual ceremony watched by billions around the world for her performance in Silver Linins Playbook.
Speaking afterwards collecting her award Ms Lawrence said she was on a campaign to change the public perception of mental illness saying: “I don't think we're going to stop until we get rid of the stigma for mental illness.
"It's just so bizarre how in this world if you have asthma, you take asthma medication. If you have diabetes, you take diabetes medication.
"But as soon as you have to take medicine for your mind, it's such a stigma behind it."
Nicky Lidbetter, Anxiety UK CEO, said: “It is really encouraging that through films and TV shows such as Silver Linings Playbook and My Mad Fat Diary issues regarding mental health and anxiety disorders are being raised higher up the agenda.
“Jennifer Lawrence’s comments will have received far much more media coverage coming as they did on the night she won the Best Actress Oscar and she deserves all the praise she is getting from charities such as Anxiety UK for her proactive and public stance on the topic.”