Aaron Lennon. Prince Harry. Jayne-Anne Gadhia, chief executive of Virgin Money. Each of these high profile people’s mental health has been in the spotlight in recent weeks and, thankfully, most of the public response has been sympathetic. But each has also faced a dark undercurrent of criticism that they're not entitled to struggle with their mental health because they’re rich.
The most prominent example was the coverage of footballer Aaron Lennon’s detention under the Mental Health Act. Some newspapers thought it fair to headline on his £55,000-a-week income, as if this ought to have made him immune to mental illness. But it wasn’t just the news media who told this story. You don’t have to hunt far on Twitter to find undisguised trolling of anyone rich who talks about their mental health.
