It’s Time To Talk: Why We Need To Break The Silence Surrounding Mental Health

We've made a lot of progress in regards to mental health with celebrities including Frankie Sandford, Stephen Fry and Zoella opening up about it - but we still have a long way to go.

Because a new survey has revealed that nearly 60 per cent of people with a mental health problem wait more than a year to tell the people closest to them about it.

You wouldn’t wait a year to tell someone if you broke your leg, so why keep quiet about something that’s affecting you mind?

One word: Stigma.

In this day and age, the stigma surrounding mental health is simply unacceptable.

One in four adults suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions – it’s more common than you probably realise yet people are scared to open up as they fear for their jobs or relationships.

And that’s why mental health charity Time To Change is urging people to take five minutes out of their day to break the silence surrounding mental health, as part of Time To Talk Day 2015 today, February 5.

You don’t need to be an expert to talk about mental health. You just need to be there for someone.

We’re proud to support Time To Talk Day and urge you to take five minutes to be there for a friend, relative, colleague or partner.

The study is the biggest Time To Change has ever conducted, speaking to 6,000 people about their experience of living with the stigma associated with mental health.

The data revealed 64 per cent of people felt the stigma surrounding it was as bad as or worse than the mental health problem itself.

But encouragingly, once sufferers had confided in friends and family, they were the most supportive group out of everyone in their life, including employers, colleagues, teachers, GPs/doctors and online networks.

There’s no need to suffer in silence. Things can get better for you, or for your friend or family member.

Other findings from the survey include:

·         40 per cent currently experience stigma and discrimination either weekly or monthly.

·         66 per cent said that stigma and discrimination had stopped them from socialising.

·         39 per cent said it had stopped them from having a relationship.

·         44 per cent said they were most worried about telling family or friends about their mental health problem compared to six per cent who said they were most worried about telling their GP/doctor.

"Talking about mental health problems should be as easy as talking about physical health problems - you wouldn't be ashamed or scared to tell someone you were ill would you?,” said Time To Change celebrity supporter Davina McCall.

“Being open about mental health goes a long way to breaking down the stigma.  It's time to talk, it's Time to Change."

Of course, opening up about something that's incredibly personal to you can be terribly difficult.

If you are suffering, taking baby steps to getting it out in the open can really help. Begin with talking to someone you know well and are comfortable around, before building up the confidence to talk to your employer.

You could also link it to a news story, film or celebrity who's had the same experience. Explaining how you know how they feel could help you kickstart a conversation about your own health problem.

Find out more about Time To Talk Day 2015 on the Time To Change website.