How far we have come and how far we have to go…
Today is World Mental Health Day…
People are talking about and understanding the importance of mental health year upon year.
We live in a celebrity and social media culture, which can be problematic in itself, but more and more influential people have openly discussed their own mental health difficulties and what they have found has helped them. This no doubt will have made it slightly easier for some people to speak up about how they are feeling and seeking help.
For many others though that are struggling, it can feel an impossible task. The more we keep talking about mental illness the closer we become to reducing the stigma and normalising it in the same way as physical illness.
Charites and organisations continue to work tirelessly to raise awareness and to de-stigmatise mental health. Some mental health conditions are now much more widely understood such as depression and anxiety which is positive, however many other illness and symptoms are still mis-understood and feared.
Sometimes mental health needs are recognised and picked up in work places and schools. Some schools (and workplaces) offer counselling services, mindfulness sessions, break out rooms and have staff that have been trained to offer mental health support. However, this is still not the case in many places and is far from being ‘standard’. It is a huge leap forward in the right direction and it’s very important but there is still so far to go.
The media can be a useful tool but it plays a huge part in creating and maintaining fear around illnesses such as Schizophrenia, portraying people that may or may not have even been diagnosed, as dangerous and violent.
Violence attracts attention in the media and when linked to mental illness it only deepens the stigma.
There never seems to be stories about how people are often living an isolated, tormented life, just trying their best to deal with and manage their symptoms?
There is still stigma around Personality Disorders (which is a controversial diagnosis / label in itself), even unfortunately by some services and organisations. Well intentioned staff can find they are not supported enough or have had enough training to be able to offer the right support and care to the people that need it. People with these diagnoses are often deemed manipulative, which obviously has negative connotations.
This can be reframed in a totally different way, that someone is just trying to get their needs met, which is a behaviour we all learn as children, however when there is trauma and abuse people find ways of getting their needs met that are different – is this really ‘being manipulative’? It can sometimes just be about understanding, learning, educating and teaching people that what they are scared of is probably just something they do not understand?
https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/category/blog/personality-disorders
Let’s ask what people need! How can I help you, what do you need? We don’t have to try and fix everything, we can’t change the past or their experience but we can listen, we can offer compassion, we can try and understand
Sometimes that is all it takes, to show someone you genuinely care, that might be enough for that minute, for that day?
https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/
There feels to be a generational shift and young people are talking more openly about their mental health and seeking support, which is fantastic. Yet mental health services for young people are still so underfunded, CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) are unbelievably stretched with huge waiting lists, when young people are admitted to hospital, they are often placed hundreds of miles away from their families and support. This really needs to change as it adds to their distress when they are already experiencing a mental health crisis.
World mental health day is an international day to promote global awareness and education, to try and reduce the social stigma surrounding mental health, it’s fantastic to have this day but let’s try and continue with this message throughout the year?
Here are some personal stories from people with mental health difficulties and how they have changed their lives and manage their symptoms.
https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/personal-stories
There should be no shame in seeking help.
Please let me know your thoughts and comments and check out some of the other posts on www.onehelpfulvoice.com for helpful ways to improve your mental health…