We all have mental health just like we all have physical health. Sometimes our mental health is fine and sometimes it's not. And that's OK.
However what I find not OK though is the damaging attitudes and stigma which exists in some people which is preventing some people from seeking help when they need it most.
It is estimated that only about a quarter of people with a mental health problem in the UK receive ongoing treatment, leaving the majority of people grappling with mental health issues on their own, seeking help or information, and dependent on the informal support of family, friends or colleagues. www.mentalhealth.org.uk
With 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 10 children likely to have a mental health problem in any given year, that adds up to a lot of people. The World Foundation for Mental Health estimate over 450 million people globally experience mental disorders each year. Stigma and discrimination are huge barriers preventing many of these people from accessing the care they need.
Tomorrow is World Mental Health Day and this year's theme is dignity. The World Foundation for Mental Health (WFMH) have chosen dignity as their theme because as they say, "every human interaction holds the potential to be a dignity encounter and this can either be positive or negative". Although many people have had positive experiences, sadly the WFMH share that the majority describe their encounters as negative.
They are calling on "every member of society to work together and make mental health visible and not something to be ashamed of".
Symptoms are not a barrier to recovery, but attitude is...
Below are some links which you might find interesting...
These brilliant illustrations have been created by Haejin Park for BuzzFeed and you can see more here.
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| Physical Health |
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| Mental Health |
Time to Change is a campaign running to end mental health discrimination and the site contains lots of real life stories which you can read here.
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