Mental health is a popular subject at the moment due to recent news, so I will try to avoid the clichéd blog posts that seem to be everywhere at the moment. The one thing I do notice when ever mental health issues become big news is a trend in people identifying that they are affected. This can be both a positive and a negative, the sudden rise in reports in subjects such as depression and anxiety can help sufferers diagnose a condition that may have been prevalent for some time, but simply never identified. On the other hand it can lead to a trend of people self diagnosing, people simply having a bad day and thinking “It must be this” which can be harmful to the individual and to the entire community as it leads to yet more stigma and ignorance.
Mental health is not a competition, it’s not something that should be observed in awe or regarded as something that defines you. Everyone has issues that need to be dealt with, and everyone will deal with these differently. 1 in 4 people in Britain suffer with a Mental health disorder, so one thing to take away from that is that you are not alone.
The reason for this blog is that during the media hype around depression/ bi-polar disorder / anxiety, no one seems to be issuing trigger warnings. Triggers are words, images or content that can have a negative effect on the reader or viewer, they can inadvertently affect a persons thought pattern as easily as seeing say, an advert for a sandwich and thinking “Hey, I quite fancy a sandwich”. Yes this is a gross exaggeration but when a country in the UK has a suicide rate of 11 in 100,000 per year putting graphic details of suicide on front pages and headlines is irresponsible and dangerous. This has been highlighted predominantly on social media but still remains an issue that is rarely taken seriously.
The advice I feel safe dispensing is this:
If you feel depressed, and your friends or family have noticed a change in you, or you have noticed a change in yourself, see a Doctor. Yes it’s an incredibly scary thing to do, but a Doctor will take this very seriously. They will see if you require medication, which you can say no to of course, and they can put you in touch with counsellors and people to talk to. They can give you advice on better living, and put you in contact with Cognitive behavioural therapists.
Do not self diagnose. Mental health problems are bad enough without convincing yourself you are supposed to be this way. Do not use Web MD to try and define yourself, Call Depression UK, The Samaritans, The blurt foundation or just a friend and talk to them about it. Don’t keep your illness behind a keyboard.
Don’t be afraid. Some people do not understand, some people will just say cheer up, some people will ask why you feel like this. It’s not anything you’ve done, it’s unfortunately the way your brain has been put together. You have no control over this, but you can utilise tools to help you get control of yourself again. It’s shit, but you can punch mental health in the balls and shout fuck you at it while moonwalking outside.
