Be more mindful of our mental health
HEADS Together – the charity founded by Prince William, the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry – released a series of films this week aimed at banishing the stigma attached to mental health.
It’s more than likely, I think, that William and Harry’s shared empathy stems from having experienced their own mental health battles after losing their doting mum so early on in their lives.
Both of them have the sort of jokey, mindful-of-making-other-people-feelgood personality that is so often characteristic of those who have an inner hurt.
And it was what their mum did so well.
It’s about understanding the human condition, knowing the human psyche.
When Harry entered the room in Buckingham Palace where various charities and media representatives were gathered, he put us all at ease by joking, “I’ve never been in this room before”, as though he was as much a stranger there as we were.
Chatting to him later, his passion was contagious as he said he reckons talking openly about mental health problems will help de-stigmatise them and enable us to seek help as we would with any other sickness. Mental disorders are every bit as debilitating and often far more disturbing than physical illnesses.
You can’t pop a pill to instantly relieve the horror of psychosis or severe anxiety or schizophrenia.
You can’t readily say I am catastrophically depressed and expect sympathy and understanding in the same way you would if you had flu or conjunctivitis.
You find it difficult to phone work and say, “I cannot come in because I am deeply depressed” or “having a panic attack”.
You say you have a migraine instead, because they’ll understand that.
But you know that a broken mind is a devastating break which strikes at the very heart of who you are. You are not you any more.
Growing numbers of youngsters are experiencing mental health problems, for which there’s very little adequate or readily available treatment.
Currently, following a GP referral to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS), there’s a long wait for the first stage assessment, after which, if the child/teenager is deemed in need of mental health treatment, a consultation with a specialist is often another 18 weeks to several months away in some boroughs.
Putting our Heads Together, making a noise, talking about mental health problems in the same way we do about physical health can change that.
You can view the films, featuring the likes of Professor Green, Freddy Flintoff, and Mark Austin and his daughter Maddy via Twitter and Instagram – @Heads_Together, as well as Facebook – @HeadsTogetherCampaign.
You can’t pop a pill to relieve the horror of psychosis