IN the 21st century, you should not expect to be viewed with suspicion just because you have contracted a common illness.

Yet that has all too often been the experience of people suffering from one of the most common sicknesses of them all.

One in four of us can expect to experience mental illness at some point in our lives. Yet people often keep quiet about it for fear it will count against them in their work or cause others to avoid them socially.

Fortunately, attitudes are starting to change and people increasingly feel able to speak up about the issue.

In the Daily Echo today, Bournemouth man Paul Scates – who attempted to take his own life 17 years ago – talks encouragingly about how he is managing his illness.

Today is World Mental Health Day and a good time to remember that, like any ailment, mental illness could be just around the corner for any of us.