Leeds mental asylum escape game receives backlash over mental health stigma
The game has been said to ‘demonise’ mental health
Stephanie BennettThe Leeds-based asylum escape game has caused a backlash from many and criticism on social media this week over its apparent “disregard” for mental health.
The company behind the game, The Great Escape, say participants can explore “an abandoned asylum” after a doctor has been “abducting trespassers and performing experiments on his victims”. It apologised for any offence caused but insisted that the game is based on a film set, rather than a real-life asylum.
Dr Sara Munro, chief executive of Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health services in the city, stated that the game had upset many hospital staff and patients. She said that: “We all have a responsibility to challenge anything that could lead to mental health stigma and distress.”
Helen Kemp, chief executive of Leeds Mind, warned that the many positive campaigns like the #speakyourmind campaign and changes in attitude towards mental health over the last year could be damaged by such negative stigma. She said: “I was shocked to see a ‘game’ advertised as being set in a ‘creepy lunatic asylum’. This language shows total disregard for people living with mental health difficulties and increases stigma and discrimination.”
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