It's World Mental Health day and it's only fitting I write something to acknowledge this day.
Whist we shouldn’t need a day to recognise Mental Health, the fact we still need days like this means there's still an issue with the recognition of Mental Health as a whole.
One in four adults, along with one in ten children have a Mental Health issue. There is still so much stigma attached to Mental Health - attitude and being ill-informed, make it difficult for those affected to pursue help. Not to mention the severe lack of funding for Mental Health help and support.
Just to give you a snap shot I was referred for high level CBT under the NHS at the end of February 2018....I'm still waiting!! Had I been unemployed and able to go to an appointment at any time, I would have been seen by now. However, because I do work and need an appointment either first thing or last thing in the day, or in the evenings, I'm still waiting 8 months on. Frankly that’s shocking!
Clearly more needs to be done!
However... let's see this day as a positive😁
If you personally live with or support someone with Mental Health issues then please consider yourself a hero. I still amaze myself that I manage to get out of bed in the morning some days, and I actually don't remind myself of this often enough. It was lovely to read when I launched the giveaway on my Facebook page that the majority of you wrote it was friends and family which made you happy. It's great that friends and family are supportive and this is the best place to start talking, sharing and supporting each other.
I am grateful people have been comfortable enough for me to share my ongoing journey with them, in return people have contacted me and shared their experience and also asked for advise on how to support a loved one.
This year's World Mental Health day is focusing on young people. I don’t profess to know a lot about young people's Mental Health ...other than I know I have had Mental Health issues all my life which were compounded by various 'childhood/young adult life events'.
I have therefore included a useful article about young people's Mental Health below:
http://www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/2018/en/
It is difficult for me to say had I been given more efficient help and support in my childhood if I would be suffering as much as an adult now. I know I struggled to verbalise how I was feeling to appropriate adults – both professional and not. It didn’t help I chose inappropriate adults to share my struggles with, which left me feeling betrayed and angry and subsequently lead to me internalising all those bad thoughts and feelings (again another blog for another time about this experience when I am ready to share this).
So I guess prevention begins with better understanding. Arming young people with a voice and the tools to explain how they're feeling. Ensuring the appropriate resources are in place to assist them and appropriate adults understand and know how to guide a young person during this process.
As I said above this is not an area I have explored, so these are my very rooky thoughts from the surface of this issue.
So to all those super heroes out there we are still here, we may not have capes but we survive every day.
Be proud, spread the Mental Health word, educate yourself, be yourself, most importantly let's keep talking!!
Big love N x 🌻
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