Stan Collymore praises youth openness on mental health

Young people are driving a change in attitudes towards people with mental health issues, Stan Collymore has claimed.

The former England footballer, who has been open about his own struggle with depression, said more people were willing to speak out about their experiences.

But Mr Collymore said there was still plenty of work to be done to improve support and understanding of such issues.

Speaking on the eve of Nick Clegg's party conference speech, which is expected to include pledges on improving the treatment of mental health conditions, Mr Collymore said that funding for mental health services had gone down in real terms during the four years the Lib Dems have been in coalition government.