Have You Been Cancelled?

Save Mental Health, in collaboration with the Free Speech Union, has launched an online survey exploring the effects of cancellation on mental health. We are looking for people aged 18 and over who have experienced cancellation and been helped by the Free Speech Union to take part.

What we mean by ‘cancellation’ includes, but is not limited to, experiences of bullying, harassment and ostracism. This is in response to having said or done something to which others object. It is most likely to be related to sex, gender identity or race ideology. You may have been suspended from work or a university course or been subjected to an online or public ‘mobbing’. You may also have experienced loss of income or income earning opportunities, reputation or friendships.  Perhaps you have been excluded from a social group or club.

If you have experienced any of the above, or something similar, and would potentially be interested in telling us about what happened please see the link at the end of this article.

Why are we concerned about the impact of cancellation on mental health?

In her book Hounded, poet Jenny Lindsay talks about the “psychological harms” experienced by those who oppose gender identity ideology, the first harm often being “to feel as if you may be going mad”.

A report by Freedom in the Arts – ‘Afraid to Speak Freely‘ – refers to the “psychological toll” of self-censorship, with respondents speaking of “stress”, “anxiety” and  “paranoia” about saying the wrong thing.

In Matilda Gosling’s recent report for Sex Matters and Seen in Publishing – ‘Everyday Cancellation in Publishing‘ – “stress and poor mental health” were reported by almost half the interviewees, with one person “affected so badly she felt suicidal”.

There is no doubt, then, that cancel culture is cruel and that many people are suffering for expressing perfectly legitimate opinions. Being ostracised and ‘cast out’ of your group may lead to a sense of isolation that can have tragic consequences. Daily Sceptic readers may recall that Oxford student Alexander Rogers’s decision to take his life was, according to Coroner Nicholas Graham, likely influenced by the “isolation he felt” after being ostracised.

That is why our survey is so important. Your responses will be anonymous and help us understand how people are affected by cancellation, what kinds of challenges they face and what helps them cope. If you are aged 18 or over, have experienced cancellation and received help from the FSU, please help us by taking part in this survey. You can find out more by clicking the link here. Thank you.

Dr Carole Sherwood is a retired clinical psychologist. She is the founder of Save Mental Health, a Co-Director of Critical Therapy Antidote and member of the Advisory Panel for Don’t Divide Us.