Mental health campaigner in appeal ahead of Time to Talk day

MENTAL health campaigners are encouraging more people to reach out to those they believe are struggling ahead of a dedicated Time to Talk day next month.

Research by See Me, which works to end mental health discrimination, suggests only a quarter of young people would tell someone if they are finding it difficult to cope.

It says employers and those working in the education and health sectors can help by ensuring those who are struggling are treated fairly.

See Me’s survey of 1,455 young people found less than half (40 per cent) would be willing to speak to their manager about their mental health.

More than two-thirds (69 per cent) said they had witnessed others being treated differently or unfairly because of mental health issues.

Ahead of a national Time to Talk day on February 7, campaigners highlighted the case of Jenn Barnes from Glasgow, who said sharing her struggles with her parents and friends had helped her when she felt she could not cope.

Ms Barnes, whose brother Calum took his own life in 2017, said: “I kept everything bottled up for so long that I was at breaking point. I didn’t want to be here and thought life would be better off without me in it. It ended up with me having an episode in a shop where I broke down on the floor in tears. I was then taken to hospital. I told my mum and dad what I had been feeling and they got my friends involved.”

See Me director Calum Irving said: “People with mental health problems face unacceptably high levels of stigma and discrimination.”