Asda/Tesco Fancy Dress

That someone when designing this outfit connected mental health illnesses with violence and horror beggers belief, and it seems Mind are taking the attitude that bad publicity is better than no publicity

21st century and mental illness is still mocked by many

I still think the costumes simply reinforce a negative image of those of us with mh issues.

I listened to the Jeremy Vine programme on Radio 2 and thought Alistair Campbell spoke very well in condemnation. I was then quite surprised to hear some listeners with mental health issues defending the sale of such costumes as being nothing but a bit of fun. They were young adults and entitled to their opinions but whatever kind of message is being put across to young children who revel in hallowe'en paraphenalia.

A few thousand pounds is nothing to these huge businesses and these paltry payments cannot cancel out the damage done to individuals struggling with mental health problems and their families. Shame on them.

My daughter was fine until she met her ex husband

Shows how most of society still sees mh issues. Portraying us as bloody, machete wielding killers simply reinforces the beliefs and fears that many have mainly due to the way the media reports the very rare and tragic incidences when a mh sufferer has committed a violent crime. What most people fail to realise is that the vast majority of violent crimes are committed by 'normal' people.

The appalling thing is that someone must have OK'd these. Probably more than one person. You'd have thought some of the shop managers might have something to say when they saw them out on the shop floor.

Not silly - cruel and totally thoughtless.

Thank you that is terrible why mental health nothing to do with Halloween Have the been taken off the shelves ? i have a daughter with mental health probems I do not think she will ever come home

Certainly rather nastier than merely silly.

Something like this Absent

Halloween Mental Health

Respect POGS

Sorry ,was it in the news as not heard about them My Grandaughter got a grey fairy one with net last year from Asda

What on earth did these Halloween costumes purport to portray?

Dear POGS - please don't apologise for not being able to defend your use of the word 'silly' or for any of the failings which result from corporate greed - it's an indefensible position!

bluebell

Not biting, sorry.

£50,000 - a joke. Cheap PR and tax deductible. Lets see them both now work with mental health charities to provide employment opportunities for people with mental health problems - that really would be putting their money were their mouth is. POGS - or would it be 'silly'?

J52 You have just taken the words out of my mouth!

I don't feel incandescent, just very sad. Glad though that it has raised the mental health profile but think £25,000 won't mean a great deal to either ASDA ot Tesco who must see it as good public relations.

It is unbelievable that any company buyer would even dream that they were suitable products and should themselves have boycotted the manufacturers.
Totally speechless now! X

Bluebell

Because I bloody well didn't want to.

Crass and money-grubbing just about sum it up. Heads in the buying department should be wobbling ready to roll. If anybody among my family came into that category I would be incandescent - not just on behalf of people who are not in a position to stand up to this sort of prejudice.
Just think
How would "piccaninny" or "slave" costumes have gone down? No? Right then.

They can just rebrand them as "Zombie" costumes. Don't think the zombies have a support group yet! It was really stupid but at least they have given money to MIND.

It beggars belief that these products made it to the shelves. What were they thinking? I suspect a few heads will roll. Credit to Mind for their reaction, good to think they'll have an extra £50k in their coffers.

FFS - why can't you just straightforwardly criticise the crass, money grubbing behaviour of Tesco and Asda? Love the word 'silly