Celebrities back town mental health advocate Terry
SHOW OF SUPPORT THROUGH TWITTER
CELEBRITIES, including Tom Grennan and Rebecca Ferguson, are backing a Grimsby man’s mental health message to their Twitter followers. Terry Birkett, 32, has had his messages on mental health retweeted by the singers as well as BBC journalist Simon McCoy. Throughout lockdown, Terry has been posting videos documenting his own struggles, as well as trying to spread awareness to get people talking about mental health.
He said: “It is good to see support from celebrities online, I just wanted to raise awareness for men’s mental health as well as talking about my own stories and experiences.
“I’ve been doing videos throughout lockdown about mental health and it has had good reactions from people, including Tom Grennan, Rebecca Ferguson, and Simon McCoy. “Mental health has been a big thing throughout lockdown. You feel like you’ve been cut off from the rest of the world at times because of everything going on.
“So to help spread awareness, I’ve been doing videos every day to speak about it.
“We need to break the stigma of men’s mental health, as so many men are suffering in silence because they don’t want to speak out about it. “I worry that I come across as weak for doing these videos and posts, but I realise I’m strong and brave for coming out and being frank about my mental health.
“Men can come across as fine and happy, but you never know what is going on behind the scenes, they could really be struggling.
“A lot of men feel pressure with a stigma against speaking out about their emotions and I want to do what I can to help.”
Tom Grennan is a popular British
indie artist who rose to fame following his 2017 hit, Found What I’ve Been Looking For, as well as being the featured vocalist on Chase and Status’ All Goes Wrong.
He recently collaborated with Ella Henderson where their hit, Let’s Go Home Together, reached number one on The Official Big Top 40 chart. His album, Evering Road, is currently number one in the album charts.
Rebecca Ferguson was the finalist in the 2010 X-Factor series, coming in second place behind Matt Cardle. Since the X-factor, she has released four albums, each getting into the top ten in the UK Album Charts. Recently, Terry has been inspired by Roman Kemp’s BBC documentary, ‘Our Silent Emergency’, which addresses mental health problems and the suicide crisis affecting young men.
He said: “I was very much inspired by Roman Kemp’s documentary. He was very upfront and frank about his own experiences, as well as pushing for men to speak with their friends about how they’re feeling.
“He made a point to ask his friends twice if they’re okay, one to get a smalltalk answer, and the second time to actually show he wants to know how they’re feeling. It really stuck with me. “I’ve suffered from depression and anxiety from a young age, and I still get good days and bad days.
“You learn to deal with it after a while, but only with the care and support of the people you love, and only by talking about your emotions and coming to terms with it.
“Even speaking with your friends and family, or going out for a walk to clear your head, can make such a big difference for your mental health - especially through lockdown. “Men need to be more upfront with their mental health, because it will make you feel a lot better as well as saving a lot of men’s lives in the process.”