Making
Mental Health “Visible”
By Gina
Mohajer
This
week, a gentleman on the radio said, “if you break your leg, you can’t walk. If
you have a mental health problem, you can’t see it”. I thought this aptly
summarised the problems we have with mental health in society and why, more
than ever, we need to raise awareness and bring mental health to the forefront
of government health policy.
Today,
Friday 10th October, is Mental Health Day and the theme is “Living
with Schizophrenia”. It is estimated that around 26 million people worldwide suffer from schizophrenia. However, despite
this being a treatable disorder, a staggering 50 percent of sufferers are not
receiving the treatment they need, 90 percent of whom live in the developed
world. Considering the huge advances in medicine and technology, the amount of
money invested in the healthcare system, and our understanding of the
detriments of poor mental health – this statistic is shocking and highlights
that a great deal more needs to be done.
Today’s
awareness raising is to ensure that those living with schizophrenia are no
longer stigmatised or marginalised from society – which can augment their
condition – but instead get the best possible care, as early as possible, and receive
the support they need to manage their illness and help them on their journey to
recovery. For more information about schizophrenia and to download the “Living
with Schizophrenia” report click here.
Today
is also a great opportunity to highlight the importance of mental health and
wellbeing more generally and to ensure that although it may not be as “visible”
as a physical condition, it is equally important and needs to be treated as
thus. We all have a responsibility as individuals to listen and take care of
our body and mind, as employers to create a workplace that is fair and where
clear policies exists to prioritise staff wellbeing, as practitioners to ensure
that patients receive the correct care and treatment and that the government
continues to promote mental wellbeing through national guidelines.
One
in four adults in Britain will experience
a diagnosable mental health problem in any one year; this is a vast
number of people and none of us our immune. However, it is essential that we
understand that we can through education, self awareness and empowerment make a
fundamental difference to improving and protecting not only our own mental
health and wellbeing but also of those around us. Through concerted efforts, we
have the ability to bring about real positive changes – a belief at the core of
the Royal Society for Public Health.
