Every Mind Matters this World Mental Health Day
As people across the globe celebrate World Mental Health Day (October 10) Brits are being encouraged to open up about their own mental health as part of a new campaign backed by the Royal Family.
The ‘Every Mind Matters’ campaign was launched on Monday (Oct 7) by Public Health England (PHE) in partnership with the NHS and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Sussex to help combat mental health problems throughout the country.
This comes after it was revealed in their research that more than eight in ten people have experienced early signs of poor mental health within the past year, including sleeplessness, anxiety, stress and having low moods.
Praising the campaign, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “We’re all aware of the benefits of looking after our physical health and the steps we can take to keep ourselves healthy, but many of us are not as proactive as we could be when it comes to our mental health.
“Every Mind Matters will benefit us all with an accessible tool to help manage our wellbeing at the click of a button.”
What does it do?
Almost two years in the making, Every Mind Matters was created with the help of experts and charities along with contribution from people experiencing poor mental health. It’s designed to show people the simple changes they can make to help their state of mind and offers them support if they need it.
All you need to do is complete a short quiz to help create your ‘Mind Plan’. You’ll answer five questions about your sleeping pattern, your mood and how stressed/anxious you feel in a day. It will then give you a set of actions, based on your answers, that you can take to help.
This isn’t too strict though, with the ability to swap out any actions they give you for others if you feel they don’t suit your situation. You can then email this to yourself or print it off as a reminder to practice self-care.
Should anyone put in answers that are cause for concern, they will be encouraged to speak to IAPT, the therapy service available for free on the NHS, as well as other lines of support.
TV takeover
You may be wondering: how and why are the royals involved?
Well, as well as helping set up the campaign they were also part of the first ever ‘TV takeover’ by narrating a short film alongside celebrities such as Bradley Wiggins, Clare Balding, Joe Sugg and Davina McCall.
Airing on ITV, Channel 4, MTV, Channel 5 and Sky on Monday (Oct 7) the advert was released to fully launch the campaign to the public. It saw them opening up about their mental health and was watched by an estimated 10.3 million people.
The BBC, however, have come under fire from critics after refusing to show the advert, instead running their regular scheduled programing.
Get debt help todayWhy this is important
According to the National Office for Statistics, Britain’s suicide rate has risen very sharply to its highest level since 2002, and the research conducted by PHE found that more than a quarter of people experiencing mental health issues waited at six months before doing anything about it.
These figures are understandably shocking, which is why Every Mind Matters is more important than ever.
Mr. Hancock continued: “It draws together the importance of treating our mental health on an equal basis to our physical health, and treating it both as an asset that each individual needs to invest in, supported by the NHS and by the government, as opposed to just something that just needs to be fixed when it goes wrong.”
Money worries and mental health
Debt is one of the most common causes for mental health problems. In fact, according to figures from the Royal College of Psychiatrists one and two adults with debt have cited mental health problems while one in four people with mental health problems are also in debt.
The thought of being open about money worries may be daunting, however, ignoring debt will only make the problem worse. People living with debt often experience stress, anxiety, depression and a host of health problems, making it imperative to address the issue head on.
As such the most important thing to do is to explain the situation to a trusted friend or family member before seeking professional advice about your finances.
There’s no one size fits all profile when it comes to those dealing with debt and it’s important to recognise you’re not alone should you find yourself living in financial difficulty.
If you’re struggling with your mental health, visit www.everymindmatters.co.uk now to create your personalised plan now. Or if you’re searching for debt advice, speak to a Creditfix advisor on 0808 2234 102.
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