This ranged from feeling ‘drummed out’, or, in some cases, to actual expulsion from their workplaces. In stark contrast to the reported strong support received by colleagues during occasions of physical illnesses, nurses voiced feelings of needing to keep their mental illness a secret, rather than risk being ostracized by their peers (Anonymous 1993, Kotin 1993, Smith & Hukill 1996, SSCSAST 2006a, Joyce et al. 2007, Thornicroft 2007). The ‘don’t ask – don’t tell’ attitude towards nurses with mental illness was found in some cases to be based on realistic fears of systematic discrimination and persecution