WINSTON Churchill may never have made it to the top if he had lived in modern Britain, according to a report released today by former Number 10 spin doctor Alastair Campbell.
Mr Campbell, who was Tony Blair's director of communications, said the wartime leader would most likely have been stigmatised because of his depression – which he referred to as his "black dog".
In a report highlighting the issues around mental i
llness, Mr Campbell said other great public figures such as Florence Nightingale, Abraham Lincoln, Charles Darwin and Marie Curie had some form of mental problem and may never have achieved great things if they had been subjected to today's intense media glare and often unforgiving public scrutiny.
Mr Campbell, who was open about his depression during his time working for Mr Blair, had his first breakdown in 1986 when he was a journalist.
In the report, written on behalf of Time to Change, a campaign from leading mental health charities, he said: "In the 21st century mental health problems are a big taboo and many of those affected find themselves sidelined, kept out of the top jobs and treated as incapable.
"Today, more than 60 per cent of employers say they wouldn't consider employing someone with a history of mental illness. Perhaps they don't realise what talent they are missing out on.
"Had this discrimination applied to Churchill, Lincoln, and Nightingale we can safely say that today's world would be a very different place."
Mr Campbell said Britain could not have afforded to write off such an important leader as Churchill.
"But how many other potential great politicians with mental health problems have been sidelined and stunted because of social stigma, or stay out of the front line because of their fears of how their so-called weaknesses will be exposed and attacked?" he said. "Could the next Churchill be missed?"
The report, A World Without, was co-authored with historian Nigel Jones.
An accompanying poll found that 29 per cent of members of the public think someone with a mental health problem is unable to do a responsible job.
In addition, 60 per cent of employers said they would not feel able to employ somebody with a mental health problem, which affects around one in four people in Britain at some stage in their lives. The campaign is backed by £16 million from the Big Lottery Fund and £2 million from Comic Relief.
Mr Campbell will be fronting press adverts for the campaign alongside comedian Ruby Wax and broadcaster Stephen Fry.
Mr Campbell said: "As I watch politicians and other public figures deal with the pressures of modern leadership, not least dealing with harsh 24-hour scrutiny, I sometimes wonder how these great historic figures would have fared had they been alive today.
"Churchill with his depressions, drinking and long lie-ins; Darwin with his severe anxiety and mental torment.
"I am not convinced that a modern politician who admitted to mental health problems would be able to get to the top.
"I know from my own experience how important employers are in the process of recovery. When Tony Blair asked me to work for him in 1994, I told him about my breakdown and my drink problem.
"He said he wasn't worried. If a Prime Minister can have that attitude, then I think it is about time the six out of ten who say they wouldn't consider taking on someone with a history of mental illness join the four out of ten who say they would. It is time to change."
Sue Baker, Time to Change director, said: "We've got to realise that stigma, discrimination, and outdated attitudes wreck lives. But it doesn't have to be this way. This is the beginning of a social movement that can change things for the better."
