about the causes of mental ill health and treatment options are being discussed .
But the debate around awareness shouldn ’ t cover up the very
serious problems mental health services face . It is all very well to tell people that it is okay to have a mental health problem and that they should seek the necessary treatment , but if the healthcare system isn ’ t functioning as it should , awareness campaigns ring hollow . Public education on mental health problems , and on how to find help , needs to go hand-in-hand with making improvements to mental health services . While politicians speak about mental health awareness and the importance of seeking mental health treatment , further cuts to NHS mental health services are hanging over the fate of those afflicted by mental ill health .
Those in charge of the mental healthcare system should be held accountable and not be allowed to hide behind the sometimes nebulous awareness debate . People with mental health problems not only need public awareness and understanding , but a functioning mental health service .
Bettina Friedrich
Dr Bettina Friedrich is Postdoctoral Researcher at the UCL ' s Research Department of Clinical , Educational and Health Psychology . She is currently working on the evaluation of a football intervention for people with mental health problems - the study is funded by the NIHR School of Public Health Research . Bettina has worked in the in the research area of mental health and mental health stigma in : USA ( UCSD ), Australia ( USyd ), England ( King ' s College London ) and Germany ( University of Würzburg ). In addition to this she has worked for a year as a freelance journalist for the Braunschweiger Zeitung . Her main areas of interest in the field of Psychology are Clinical Psychology , Media Psychology and Cross Cultural Psychology . Bettina is particularly interested in social-psychiatric questions and health communication .
E mail : bettina . friedrich @ gmail . com