Editorial: Stigma in mental illness: A continuing concern

As we live longer in the developed world our chances of experiencing a long-term condition grow, whether it is our own condition or that of someone close to us (Presho, 2008). The contemporary focus on 'survivorship' in cancer care (Bellury et al., 2011) is a good example of our changing experiences of health status. More people are living with cancer, rather than dying prematurely from it, and this has huge systemic ramifications for the individual and their social network. These ramifications include injury to the person's mental health. For example, post-diagnosis, people with cancer are vulnerable to developing debilitating depression (Slovacek et al., 2009).