Many people suffering from mental ill health suffer in silence, unlike physical ailments, which by and large will be dealt with without any sense of shame. Why should mental health be different from physical health?
Although many of us may feel that there's nothing we can personally do to help slow down the high rate of suicide in Ireland, we each have the power in our own lives to contribute to de-stigmatising mental health issues. We can do this by talking more openly about our own mental health and encouraging others to do the same. It should be normal to admit and seek help when we are feeling low, anxious or stressed - everyone feels this way at times. The See Change campaign is a small step towards trying to bring about a cultural change in Ireland to make talking about our mental health more acceptable.
As Dr. Tony Bates says in this five minute video "As long as we have stigma and fear and shame out there, people won't reach out for support. They'll go to their grave with some secret rather than reveal to another person that they're not doing okay. And that's crazy, that's the real madness of our society, that you would suffer in silence to the point of taking your life rather than actually say "I'm just not coping""
The seechange initiative is such a great programme to have in our society. The attitude that you can't be vulnerable or God forbid you have depression is resulting in people going into hiding and people dying. Given 1 in 4 will experience a mental health problem at some stage in their lives and that mental health problems can affect anyone at any time it is so important that people can feel free to talk about their mental health problems and to seek the support if they need it.
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