Raising awareness of mental health issues is not enough
The profile of mental health has been raised significantly in the past few years , partly due to campaigning from mental health charities and partly due to high-profile people – from
Prince Harry to
Professor Green – speaking publicly and candidly about their own mental health problems . All of this should be welcomed as it removes the stigma around mental health and encourages people who are suffering in silence to seek help .
However , the awareness movement is not without its pitfalls . It is sometimes co-opted by people to advance their own agenda , such as increasing a fanbase or grabbing media attention .
YouTube celebrity , Logan Paul , recently caused outrage when he uploaded a video of a dead person in Aokigahara forest in Japan – a place known to be a frequent site for suicides . The video was viewed more than
9m times before Paul took it down . The YouTube “ vlogger ”
apologised , saying he “ intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention ”. Judging by the response on Twitter , many people weren ’ t convinced by his excuse . The awareness movement has also , at times , been hijacked by politicians and bureaucrats . They publicly declare their commitment to raising awareness – drawing plaudits for their sensitivity and bravery – while simultaneously under-investing in mental health services .
Late last year , it was revealed that half of all Clinical Commissioning Groups – NHS bodies responsible for commissioning healthcare services for their local area – are not planning on spending more on mental health services this financial year , despite a hug increase in demand for these services . Speaking to
The Independent , Labour MP Luciana Berger said : “ Theresa May claims to be committed to improving mental health but her cuts are harming mental health services .” A few months earlier , a BBC Radio 5 Live
investigation found that , out of 39 mental health trusts that provided figures for their crisis teams , 27 had seen their workload massively increase , “ but without a comparable rise in funding ”. Not ‘ either-or ’ but ‘ both ’ Mental health stigma is of course very real ,
affecting the lives of people with mental health problems as well as those close to them .
Research has shown that fear of being labelled and stigmatised affects people ’ s willingness to disclose their illness and seek treatment , so it is laudable that ignorance