It’s World Mental Health Day on Sunday 10th October. In light of this, I thought it would be a good opportunity to write an article on mental health; how poor mental health has shaped my own life and why we so desperately need to campaign for better help in this country.
What is mental health?
As a nation, we’ve always talked about the benefits of taking care of the physical body. However, talking about mental health has not always been viewed as acceptable. In fact, until very recently, there’s been little awareness of how prevalent mental illnesses are, which means that many people will find themselves struggling alone, feeling misunderstood without a diagnosis for a long time. I find it very common in my line of work to come across mental health struggles, as there’ll often be an underlying condition or form of trauma linked to nutritional issues. Poor mental health can do just as much (or even more) damage than poor physical health.
Now we are into the third decade of 2000, conversations on mental health are happening more and more, which is fantastic. However, there is still a huge problem in the UK with under-resourced mental health services. For example, in 2019, 376,995 children and young people waited over 3 months for mental health support on the NHS. This is not ok.
No matter how much we are talking, we still have a major problem:
- 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England.1
- It’s estimated that around 1.25 million people in the UK have an eating disorder.2
- 1 in 14 people self-harm.1
- “In 2019, Samaritans supported someone about self-harm every 2 minutes – a total of 272,000 times.”3
- 1 in 15 people attempt suicide. 1
- In 2020, 4,912 people took their own lives and 75% of these were male. 4
My Story…
There’s a reason why I talk so passionately about getting help for those struggling with their mental health. My own experience of being ill has shaped who I am today. Throughout my late teens, I battled depression alongside an eating disorder. I almost lost my life. The only reason I am here today is because I was lucky enough to get the help I desperately needed at the right time. I had the privilege of being able to pay for a fantastic therapist who I saw for years. It wasn’t a quick recovery.
This revelation may come as a shock to those who knew me back then. You couldn’t see my illness on the outside and it’s only very recently that I’ve started talking about it. Only a small handful of people knew what was really going on with me. This subject still felt very taboo at the time and I felt like I had to keep it a secret, out of shame. I’m only talking 10 odd years ago. I didn’t know how to tell anybody about my struggles. I didn’t feel like anybody would understand and I felt so alone. I struggled completely in secret for 3 years before reaching rock bottom and getting any kind of help.
Now…
It was going through this experience which led to my nutrition training, and my passion for helping people to heal their relationships with food. I wanted to become the person for other people, who I really needed in the past.
10 years on, there has been a shift. Mental health isn’t a taboo subject anymore and we are speaking up. It does make me wonder if I’d have found it easier to speak up and get help in today’s world if I was struggling now, as opposed to back then. I’m so lucky that I’ve had a happy ending. I’m proud to call myself a survivor, yet it really pains me that so many others won’t have access to help in the same way that I did. This is why this year’s focus on mental health inequality is so relevant.
Along came Covid-19…
The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic will not have made things any easier for those trying to cope with poor mental health. Endless lockdowns left those who would normally find respite by meeting their family and friends, feeling isolated and alone. The uncertainty of a new virus and the change on everyday life will have massively increased rates of anxiety. People got furloughed and lost their sense of daily purpose. Others lost their jobs entirely, leaving them to contemplate the stress of not being able to pay their rent or put food on the table. It was harder to access support.
It’s already been recognised how the pandemic has increased the inequality gap in the UK. World Mental Health Day this year is focussing on the mental health inequality gap and those most affected:
- In 2020, 1 in 6 young people had a mental health problem (compared to 1 in 10 in 2017).5
- People from racialised communities are at a higher risk of developing a mental health problem but less likely to get support.6
- 58% of people receiving benefits said their mental health was poor.7
- People in the poorest fifth of the population are twice as likely to be at risk of developing mental health problems as those on an average income.8
So, what can we do?
Keeping the conversation going and raising awareness is a good starting point. This can be helpful in several ways. Firstly, the more awareness which is raised, the more likely the people in charge will be forced to listen and do something about it. Campaigning gets results. Secondly, raising awareness of mental health is helpful on a personal level. It means people will be more understanding of mental health problems and offer more support to those who need it. The more that talking about poor mental health becomes the norm, the easier it will be for those struggling to speak up. There is no shame in struggling. By raising awareness, we reduce the judgment.
Check yourself: Do you have any misconstrued judgments about mental health? Have you had any misunderstandings about mental health in the past? Do you know anyone who might be struggling right now and need a friend? Have you struggled with your own mental health and have you had adequate help?
I’m so passionate about raising awareness of mental health. Nobody should feel the need to hide their illness or not be able to access the necessary support. This World Mental Health Day, head to the Mind website to join the campaign and do one thing. If we all do one thing, we can change everything.
If you need to seek support for any of the subjects mentioned, you can head to these websites:
Home | Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems
The UK’s Eating Disorder Charity – Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk)
Samaritans | Every life lost to suicide is a tragedy | Here to listen
Mental Health Helpline for Urgent Help – NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Are you feeling ready to be supported in healing your relationship with food? Book your 20 minute discovery call with Hattie now.
References
- Mind (2021). Mental health facts and statistics. Available from: How common are mental health problems? | Mind, the mental health charity – help for mental health problems (Accessed 7th October 2021).
- Beat (2021). Statistics for Journalists. Available from: Statistics for Journalists – Beat (beateatingdisorders.org.uk) (Accessed 7th October 2021).
- Samaritans (2020). Pushed from pillar to post. Available from: Samaritans_-_Pushed_from_pillar_to_post_web.pdf (Accessed 7th October 2021).
- Samaritans (2020). Suicide Stats in England 2020. Available from: Suicide_Stats_England_2020_FINAL_eONhYYF.pdf (samaritans.org) (Accessed 7th October 2021).
- NHS Digital (2020) Mental Health of Children and Young People in England, 2020: Wave 1 follow up to the 2017 survey.
- Mind (2020) Briefing from Mind: Inequalities for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities in NHS mental health services in England
- Mind (2021) Coronavirus: the consequences for mental health. London: Mind. Available at Mind.org.uk
- Public Health England (2019) Better mental health: JSNA toolkit: 2 Understanding place
