The stigma around mental health is well documented, with 9 out of 10 service users (87%) in the Time to Change ‘Stigma Shout’ report highlighting its negative impact on their lives (Time to Change, 2008). People often find that the associated stigma of mental health problems is in fact a greater issue that the actual mental health problem itself.
Stigma and discrimination take a variety of forms, direct, indirect, institutional, and many others. Such stigma and discrimination prevents people that need help from accessing appropriate support, whether that’s from services, friends or family, employers, or others. Without support and early intervention, mental health problems can deteriorate, and the risk of such things like relationship breakdowns, isolation, unemployment, financial and housing problems, and social exclusion, become greater. With 450 million people world-wide having a mental health problem (Mental Health Foundation, 2017), that’s a lot of people of who’s lives could be improved if we can reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.
Time to Talk day is about raising awareness of mental health, making people feel comfortable and safe about talking about mental health, and getting conversations started. It’s also a great opportunity to think about whether you yourself hold prejudices around mental health, or self-stigma. If so, where does this thinking come from? Is it TV or other media, or from the understanding and possible prejudices of those around you? Is it due to your exposure (or lack of) and experiences of mental health growing up? And most of all is it accurate? Time to Talk Day is a great opportunity to challenge your thinking and knowledge, and to update it (why not take the Time to Change mental health quiz?), but most of all to give yourself and others permission to talk about mental health, and to know that mental health problems do not define you, and they are no different to physical health problems.
Great things emerge when we talk about mental health:
- We raise people’s awareness and knowledge of mental health and illness, both their own, and that of others
- We normalise mental health problems
- People feel listened to – find out more about non-judgemental listening skills on our Adult MHFA training course
- People feel supported – learn how to support someone with a mental health problem on our MHFA courses
- People feel more confident in seeking professional help
But most importantly of all we can help to reduce people’s suffering, give hope for recovery, and can help start someone’s journey to feeling better. You can find out more about taking part in this years’ Time to Talk day on 2nd February here #TimetoTalk
And if you’d like to find out more about supporting your own and other people’s mental health, information on our training courses can be found here
Start your conversation today!