Change Perceptions and Stop Stigma

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By David Welham

Five years ago, I was in my lowest period and really didn’t see a future. I’d had a previous bout of depression, but nothing like what I was experiencing. I struggled to function at work, and at home as a husband and dad. I really couldn’t cope.

For a while I dismissed it as just another bad day. But when days turn into weeks, then months, you know there is something wrong. I will admit there were days when I had to force myself to just get out of bed. It was like some outside force was gripping me like a vice and wouldn’t let go.

I almost lost everything and came close to taking my own life. I guess that I had to come that close to losing everything before I realised something had to change.

There is hope

My god, it did change. There were days when I thought I couldn’t do this.

I was promoted, and to outsiders I had it all. A gorgeous wife, a beautiful son and a job with management responsibility. I want to tell you about what severe depression is like, but also to say that there is hope. There is also help out there. With the right support you can learn to manage your mental health challenges. I don’t like using the word issues, because to me it’s not an issue.

Depression is about a black hole that you disappear into, where you see no hope. During the period when I was suffering from severe depression, there was very little understanding of mental health and a fair amount of stigma.

We still have a way to go

Fast forward 5 years, and mental health is finally being taken seriously.

We’ve made progress in society and in the workplace, but we still have a way to go. We must carry on until people feel they can approach their manager without feeling intimidated or isolated. We need to have a Mental Health First Aid person in every school and company, if we are to deal with the pressures that exist today.

I am so proud that the place where I work is putting so much into wellbeing. I think that healthy employees mean a healthy company. We now have a wellbeing team: these are Wellbeing Ambassadors who devote their time, alongside their jobs, to looking after our wellbeing.

We have Mental Health First Aid trained people. They are trained to spot signs of mental health problems, and signpost people to sources of help. In this way, people get the right support, so they can begin on the road to recovery.

A few weeks ago it was Mental Health Awareness Week, and it was fantastic that 200,000 green ribbons were given out. People were really engaged in talking about mental health. Hopefully lots of money was raised to help research and support mental health.

I’m helping to change perceptions

As I said, I am on a journey to make sure that everyone gets the support they need, and is not stigmatised, so that they don’t retreat into negativity or become reluctant to seek support. I want to work hard so that you are listened to and not dismissed, if you are asking for help. That is why I’ve called this blog ‘Change Perceptions and Stop Stigma’.

It’s so important to feel that there is hope, and that whatever you are going through, you will be able to manage.

The days of being isolated and feeling alone are over, and now we need to make sure that mental health is given the same importance as physical health. I hear and read that many people are not treated right because they have a mental health challenge that should be treated with compassion and support. No-one should have to feel as though they have nowhere to go.