Awareness is Great, But Action is Better

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By David Welham

It seems to me that we have a lot of events promoting mental health. We need to keep promoting better mental health, suicide prevention, etc., not just on one day but every day. It’s so important to be aware of something that affects so many people.

It’s strange that more of us are not aware, but that does seem to be the case. Maybe the term is a bit misleading, or not specific enough.

The Impact of Stigma

It’s not really mental health that people need to be aware of, so much as the fact that mental health can, and does, go wrong. When someone’s mental health fails, they should receive the same compassion and help that someone with a more physical ailment gets. They shouldn’t face stigma, as so often is the case.

This is where awareness helps. If you are diagnosed with depression, for example, or anxiety this can be really debilitating and often means that you struggle throughout the day. To have a family member or stranger accuse you of putting it on can make it so much worse.

Every Day is Mental Health Day

So yes, mental health awareness is good. Yet, we have to make sure that changes are made so that people get the right support. They should not be made to feel bad for seeking help. They shouldn’t be stigmatised at all and, instead, receive compassion and understanding so that they can recover.

We need action from the government, more funding and endeavour to keep the pressure on. I would, therefore, say to everyone that we all have a part to play in making sure that mental health is not something that is talked about every time that there is an event. It should be talked about every day.