Stepping out of the Neuroscience for a bit, I want to talk about Mental Health. This is a topic I’ll be mentioning a little throughout this blog, as my Neuroscience interests often overlap with those of clinical disorders.
I’m partly bringing this up now because I think it’s important for people to know about it, partly because I’m searching for volunteering experience and am thus reflecting on my own experience of it, and partly because it is World Mental Health Day today.
This year’s theme is “investing in mental health” and aims to get people talking openly about mental health and about how much time and money is spent on it.
This year, I’ve written a short guide to mental health with a few simple steps to increase your mind and body well-being in just ten minutes a day. If you’d like to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, you can access the guide and a few other freebies.
Personal Experience
From an early and impressionable age I grew up around stories of family member’s dementia, suicides and psychosis. I grew up around one parent with a heavy temper and another parent with low self-esteem. I have one set of grandparents who are very judgemental, outspoken and set in their ways. Then I have the other set; whose highest priority in life is to be welcoming to everyone. I grew up with mixed messages and struggled to keep my own mental wellbeing healthy.
When I turned 11, depression found me. Then I noticed my temper flaring up to beyond the accepted norms, and began experiencing vivid nightmares where I would run until I fell off objects, feeling safe only when I hit the ground. At 15, I began showing ‘more-than-the-normal-level’ of OCD symptoms and developed routines to deal with them. Around this time I also had my first panic attack, complete with out of body experience/black-out.
My mental health is, as with anyone’s, always changing. I get stressed, I lose track of things. I’ve stayed awake all night to finish essays and had auditory hallucinations from the sleep deprivation. Yet, if you saw me in the street at 15, or tomorrow; you’d see a smiling girl in jeans and t-shirt. Mental health is not always visible.
I’ve experienced mental well-being, and mental unrest. We all have (mental) health, be it bad health or good health. It’s a commonality between all humans. It connects us.
My Motivation
I made two best friends when I was 14, who are survivors of domestic abuse and had been victimised throughout their lives. I was the port of call throughout some of their experiences. They’re still my best friends and thankfully, are safe from those situations now. However, I remember not knowing of any place to ask for help for them.
I’d heard of services, and I distinctly remember thinking “once we’ve all left home, I can call child-line and get them help”. I saw it as a justice-aftermath option, not a supportive service for the now.
And that knowledge hurts. I don’t feel guilt because I couldn’t have done anything at that age, with my knowledge and skills of the time.
And that means it’s very possible that others are in that same space.
It hurts to know that there ARE options and yet people don’t know how to reach them. Awareness is Vital.
And this is what World Mental Health Day is about. We want to get the word out, to make people more aware of how they can aid themselves and others. Before we reach that though, people need to be able to discuss mental health without the stigma.
For me, my friend’s abuse is a key part of my motivation for working in mental health. I didn’t know where to turn. My two friends didn’t have anyone but me, a girl on the other side of a PC screen, to turn to.
A key aspect of their situations that I’m aware of is that abuse is difficult to fight because it usually involves some form of manipulation.
When a child grows up hearing “it’s not abuse if it doesn’t leave marks” from a young age; who are they to question it? It’s not like it comes up in conversations at college or at work.
This alters the ability of that person to seek help. Those posters around school; they don’t apply to everyone. My friend used to say “It’s not real abuse” because she was taught that abuse only involves physically marking someone. Therefore, she felt that the posters about child abuse couldn’t help her.
This Monday is about raising Mental Health Awareness, and the project I volunteer for, Right Here are holding an event in Brighton to bring a greater awareness about well-being and to raise the mental health of the people who live here. If you live nearby, we’d love you to join us.
What Can Be Done?
I grew up in a family where “you must have OCD” was used to insult people who had different priorities to them; usually aimed at people who don’t have any particular symptoms of it. My family often described my great-grandparents as “going-loopy” because they suffered from dementia and experienced hallucinations.
- Don’t stigmatise mental health. If you need support or knowledge about mental health and well-being, please take a look at the resources below.
- You could mention to your friends that it’s mental health awareness day and actually speak out loud about it?
- Keep an eye out for signs of behaviour change or emotional difficulties in your friends, and family.
- If you feel your mental health needs a boost, Speak Out; please. Look at the resources, go speak to your GP. Tell someone. Email me if you don’t trust anyone in your life.
- Read up on mental health and see how you can help the charities and people in your area. Here are a couple of resources:
Mind (UK)
http://www.mind.org.uk/help/information_and_advice
http://www.mind.org.uk/help/mind_in_your_area
Mental Health Foundation (UK)
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-a-z/
http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/our-work/campaigns/current-campaigns/
Right Here (16-25 year olds – UK)
http://right-here-brightonandhove.org.uk/
National Institute of Mental Health (US)
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml
Mental Health America (US)
Mental Health Canada (CAN)
http://www.mentalhealthcanada.com/
- Speak about mental health. Communicate with others. Really look at people’s behaviour. Ask how people are and look for signs of upset.
Take care and spread the message.
Thank you for this. I also had childhood and adolescent depression, which has continued into my adult life. I too had friends who suffered abuse from parents and other adult figures with responsibility for them, and felt all I could do was listen. Thank you.
Thanks for your comment. I’m sorry that you and your friends had to endure that. I hope it’s something that raising awareness can heal.
There is also mental illness in my family. My mother suffers with depression. Growing up in an unbalanced environment takes a toll on everyone as this unbalanced environment becomes familiar and normal. It has been part of my healing journey to become aware of this and do the work I need to do to move into a healthier space. My journey has been alternative in that I have chosen to work with energy tools. I find Marion Woodmans book Addiction to Perfection full of ah-ha moments. The absence of the divine feminine to balance the masculine definitely takes a toll on women. Thank you for your post.
I’m glad you’ve been able to get to a healthier space. Energy tools can be incredibly powerful – I found Reiki particularly helpful in helping me to come to terms with my panic attacks and learn to breathe well. Thank you for your comment.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and making these resources visible for those who may need them. Society tends to view mental health as something shameful, and posts like these help to shed that stigma. Folks with issues are just folks. Some suffer more severely than others, but because it’s an inner battle, you never know who’s dealing with what problems. This is a great reminder to be mindful of that old saying, “Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
What a great saying; I’ve not heard of it but that’s exactly the message we need to remember. Whatever brought a person to do something, they have their reasons and that’s the way they feel is best to deal with it; considering their resources and experiences. Everyone suffers and at least one in four people suffer from mental health difficulties at some point. Thanks for commenting and for sharing that quote.
I really appreciate your bravery in sharing your story, and your generosity in sharing such helpful resources. I pray that one benefit of the information age when we’re able to be so connected to each other all the time is greater understanding of these VERY common issues.
Thanks Marla; it’s not something I’ve really spoken about before. It was through an online space that I met my two best friends and because of the anonymity, they felt they could share their honest experiences despite being told not to tell anyone. So I agree that the internet can provide connection and lead to helpful resources – they just need to be better advertised/shared. Thanks so much for commenting.
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