http://www.youtube.com/user/ttcnow2008
This is to quote the campaign about changing attitudes towards mental health, initially, simply by talking. This is something I wished I'd had advice and guidance on many many years ago. I used to keep everything bottled up, not least because I didn't really know what was happening to me or 'why' I kept having panic attacks, or why I find it difficult to eat out, or why I thought I was going to get some form of deadly disease everytime I had a slight pain in the... wherever.
But even when I learnt that this was part of an anxiety package, I still didn't do the most important thing of all - talk. Talk to anyone about what I was going through. Whether it was the fear of looking weak or becoming embarrassed, fear of the person I told being shocked, dismissive or unhelpful I don't know. And yes, of course there is a chance that the person you tell will react in a way that is not what you expect. But overall, talking to someone about any mental health problem can only be a good thing.
It's also about being open. This is obviously similar, as being open means talking to people about your problem, but it also means listening to people as well. Both people who have questions for you about your mental health problem, or indeed people who want to share with you the experience with mental health they have had. And I guarantee it will happen. If you talk to enough people, you will find someone who has experienced a form of mental health problem. Apparently, statistically 1 in 5 people have had or have a mental health problem. I would wager it's more than that.
I asked the question recently about whether any sort of mental health campaign had ever been done at my place of work; I wasn't surprised to hear it hadn't. I should be surprised, because if you think about it, this is atrocious, but the reality is that people don't know where to start. I'm on a mission to change this; goodness knows how, given I'm merely another low number in the council patchwork these days, and given how much work I actually have to do for my day job. But, I have taken the first step by talking to another colleague and friend about my wish. We are going to see what materialises after the Public Health team move into the council, but at present, their efforts are seemingly to concentrate on smoking and obesity. OK fine - but mental health has to be brought to the fore as well.
The amount of help a campaign could generate could be amazing. There are bound to be people sitting in their places of work in the dark, struggling, unsure what to do, where to turn, who to talk to and how to cope, because of a mental health problem. They might feel like their hands are bound to the chair. Imagine the openness a campaign could bring, and the subsequent change that would occur, and the relief it would bring to these people.
Talking is the best medicine. If you have a mental health problem, go and talk to someone about it now. Even if you don't get the desired reaction, you will feel elation and courage for opening up about it, and hopefully eager to talk to someone else straight away. I still don't do it enough myself, but I hope with a declining stigma, it will become the norm to talk about mental health.
Best wishes
Al
