Mental Health - We Need More Than Just a Conversation

As we come to the end of this year's Mental Health Awareness Week, we have yet again seen mental illness brought to the forefront of our media platforms. This time, the lead up was more prominent than ever with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry launching their campaign, ‘Heads Together’. The campaign highlights personal stories of central figures in popular culture. Prince Harry himself spoke about his experiences of psychological distress after his mother’s passing. We also saw stories shared by the likes of Lady Gaga, Professor Green and Ruby Wax – who all spoke about their own journeys with mental illness in order to 'start the conversation'.

There is no getting away from the fact that as a result of the Royals giving this traditionally taboo subject a platform, awareness has been brought to some of the struggles that come with living with mental illness. But is sharing stories from arguably some of the most privileged members of society really enough?

It is all well and good to hear Harry talk about his struggle to ask for support and you could argue that at least it highlights the fact that no one is immune to this situation, therefore encouraging sufferers to seek support when they need it. But what comes after the decision to find help? This part of the journey to mental wellbeing seems to have been pushed to one side throughout the campaign.

The sad reality is that these stories are not representative of the majority of people struggling with mental illness in our country. When Harry finally spoke up and asked for help, he wasn’t put onto a waiting list that could take months like anyone using our NHS services. He also didn’t have the added stress of the prospect of losing his job or his home if he decided to disclose his illness to an employer. The problem with this sort of campaigning is that it puts the emphasis on the individual to change their own life, situation or journey themselves. The narrative is that if you disclose your illness, then the help is readily available and it’s down to you to harness that support and use it to your advantage.

Not once has the campaign spoken about cuts to benefits that so many people in this situation bear the brunt of. It also doesn’t speak about waiting lists or even the length of time it might take to book an appointment with a GP in the first place. Nor does it mention the many ‘high-risk’ people with mental health needs who have been held in police cells because of cuts made by the Conservative government, causing a decrease in the number of hospital beds available.

There has been no exploration of the causes of deterioration to so many people’s health. There has been no mention of the ‘fit to work’ assessments carried out by the DWP that have led to hundreds of suicides. It doesn’t mention the housing crisis that our country is facing and the pressures this inflicts on thousands of people. It certainly doesn’t mention the growing number of people under the current government using food banks - indicating malnourishment in hundreds of thousands of adults and children which often has a knock on effect to their mental wellbeing.

We are living in a society where those affected by mental illness, who find themselves relying on support from the state, are perceived scroungers that don’t help themselves. This, coupled with the traditional British perception of ‘stiff upper lip’ and ‘there are plenty more people who have it worse so just get on with it’, causes significant damage to the most vulnerable in society. The sharing of personal stories and the idea that we all have the tools to help ourselves, just as much as the Royal family might, only perpetuates these issues. Personal stories from a handful of privileged people can only act as a plaster to cover the root cause of this growing epidemic. Fair enough, you might find yourself in Professor Green’s situation who struggled with mental illness before his rise to fame – but how many of us are suddenly going to break through as music artists and make our millions?

To reiterate, there is no getting away from the fact that by using their platform to speak about such a significant issue, the Royals are doing something fantastic. But there is also so much more work to be done. Lady Gaga talking about having to get up on stage each night while battling with depression – no discredit to her situation and her struggles – is not going to benefit an unemployed individual with a diagnosis of schizophrenia.

So what can we do to make a difference? Speaking up about mental illness is a positive start, but we also have to recognise the real issues that people are facing in these situations. We have to stand up to our government when they are closing hospitals and cutting funding to services that support people who find themselves at the bottom of the pile. We have to hold our government to account and we have now been presented with the ideal opportunity to do so. The general election gives us the chance to drive out the Conservatives and put our country in the hands of a government that will invest in these vital services that we so desperately need.

Theresa May has made mental health a key focus of her election campaign by promising to scrap the 1983 Mental Health Act. The party has pledged to spend 1bn more on mental health which will go towards funding 10,000 extra staff. This all sounds good in principle but aside from that fact that there has been no indication of where this money is coming from, there has been no acknowledgement of the desperate need for more hospital beds.

The phrase actions speak louder than words comes to mind. The Conservatives have not only failed to invest in mental health services throughout their time in government, they have also consistently cut vital services that are there to support people struggling with mental illness. Between 2010 and 2015 the Conservative/Lib Dem government slashed the equivalent of £598m from mental health budgets each year.

May’s voting record also shows her personal feelings towards some of the root causes of the mental illness epidemic in this country – she voted for the bedroom tax, voted against paying higher benefits over longer periods for those unable to work due to illness or disability
and she consistently voted to reduce welfare.

The party’s reputation as the government of U-turns also shows that a Tory promise is an empty promise.

It seems more likely that the Conservatives will be going down the route of privatisation when it comes to our health services. During their time in power we have seen steady signs of this with NHS budget going to firms such as Virgin Care, Care UK and Bupa. Department of Health (DH) figures have shown that the amount of funding that went to ‘independent sector providers’ between 2015 – 2016 rose to £8.7bn. We are now at a time where nearly 10% of NHS funding goes to private companies.

To make matters worse, the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) has given new criteria that directly discriminates against claimants with mental health needs. Claimants who have limited mobility due to mental health conditions are now being told that they are not entitled to the mobility component of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) – even if the effects of their illness equal that of someone with a physical impairment.

Although Labour is yet to release their official 2017 manifesto, a leaked document has revealed that they plan to invest £6billion-a-year into the NHS, raised from new taxes on the nation’s highest earners. This is good news for people struggling with mental health needs as it will allow millions to be taken off waiting lists and receive the treatment they so desperately need. The document also stated that NHS privatisation will be “reversed” and the NHS and Social Care Act 2012 repealed.

It is a sad state of affairs when our Royal Family is doing more than our own government to support some of the most vulnerable in society. But starting the conversation is only that – the start of gruelling mission to fix the tremendous damage caused by our current government. We can share our personal struggles as much as we want but in the end we must come together and take action to stop such situations from happening in the first place.

If you really want to make an impact on mental health in this country then vote Labour on June 8.

Forget being tactical this June – will you be able to justify your vote?

On Tuesday 18 April Theresa May made her biggest U-turn to date. After months of rejecting the idea of an early election, May stood outside Number 10 and announced that she had changed her mind and would be holding a General Election on 08 June 2017.

Whatever May’s reasons for doing so; be it the Conservative’s lead in the polls, the divide between Corbyn and his PLP or – most likely – the fact that the Crown Prosecution Service is currently investigating more than 30 people, including a large number of Conservative MP’s and their agents, over election expenses from 2015 - I wouldn't like to say.

Reasoning aside, the future is looking pretty bleak for any Labour supporters. The Tories have a good chance of winning this election, possibly with even more seats than they have already, after which they will run riot with Brexit negotiations and continue to slash our NHS and public services, implement policies that reduce equality and increase child poverty, cut funding for schools, social care, decrease wages and workers rights, increase homelessness and the need for food banks, introduce Grammar Schools, cut benefits to the disabled and sell off council houses, all while cutting corporation tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax. To anyone who thinks this is an overreaction – all of this has been happening for seven years. This is very real.

As for Labour, if they were to lose this, I’m sure Corbyn would be forced into resignation – something that many of the PLP have been desperate for since he became leader (twice). The chances of re-electing anyone remotely left wing will be slim-to-none (unless the McDonnell amendment is passed), Labour would then probably lose a majority of the hundreds of thousands of members that joined the party under Corbyn. This means that the biggest fear since the announcement of the snap election is not just the idea of another five years under a Tory Government, making it a total of 12 if you include the coalition, but the end of the Labour party. The party that, among other things, created the NHS and welfare state, and introduced pensions and the minimum wage.

One thing that I have been trying to get my head around is why people vote Conservative – something that seems so alien to me but is obviously a popular opinion. We now have a party that is speaking about renationalising rail and energy, creating a million good quality jobs, scrapping zero hours contracts and the bedroom tax, building new homes and introducing rent controls and secure tenancies, offering stronger employment rights, ending the privitisation of our NHS and social care, implementing universal childcare, ensuring quality apprenticeships and adult skills training, transitioning to a low-carbon economy, increasing the use of renewable energy, shrinking the gap between the highest and lowest paid, taking action to tackle violence against women and girls, racism and discrimination on the basis of faith, securing equality for all LGBTQ groups and people with disabilities, ending support for aggressive wars and alleviating the refugee crisis. Who is voting for Tory policies that have caused the effects listed in paragraph three, over these policies and why?

I guess what really matters is that we all wake up on 08 June and feel proud of the way we voted. Being able to look yourself in the mirror is one thing, but what about looking into the eyes of your fellow citizens, your fellow humans?

If you are considering voting Conservative, or even using your vote as a protest against Brexit and therefore voting Lib Dem, who hold much of the responsibility for the Conservative’s rule of tyranny, please ask yourself if, when everything is said and done, you would be able to look into the eyes of those effected and feel justified with your decision.

Will you be able to look into the eyes of someone who has a work-limiting disability, who has had their benefits consistently slashed, making it nearly impossible to live independently, who faces physical and verbal abuse on almost a daily basis as a result as being labeled a scrounger, who has to go through tiresome checks and assessments to prove to the DWP that they cannot work, who, even if they are able to work, would be 30% less likely to be employed simply because they have a disability, who has literally had their human rights violated by the current government, and tell them that your vote was justified?

What about an asylum seeker who has fled political oppression in their own country and managed to make it to the UK, who then, after six months, gets their asylum claim rejected and is left homeless, hungry and living in constant fear of being deported, who is demonised for being here without paying back into the system but is unable to work because of not being granted asylum. Could you look into their eyes and tell them that your vote was justified?

What about a single mother who is trying her best to put food on the table for her three children after losing a job and her partner, who is unable to work due to extortionate childcare costs, who has been accused of “breeding” in order to receive more benefits and is now having those benefits cut because she has one too many children, who is having to choose between feeding herself or feeding her children, who is having to face the humiliation of relying on food banks just to stay alive. Could you look into her eyes and tell her that your vote was justified?

What about a child who has fled from Syria after seeing their home, school and neighborhood destroyed, losing their parents in the process, who then went on to face the horrendous conditions of the refugee camps, maybe she is a girl and is not even able to get hold of sanitary products so has to face the humiliation of stained clothing from her period, who, after that, was subject to police brutality and sexual exploitation, maybe even sex trafficked, due to our governments insistence of only taking the minimum amount of refugees possible, who longs for nothing more than to be back with their family and to be able to go back to school and continue with her previous life, who is scared and alone without anyone to protect her. Could you look into her eyes and tell her that your vote was justified?

What about a mother who has had the same upbringing as you or I, who had a child that grew up and developed mental health needs but despite suffering from severe anxiety and depression - making most social situations terrifying to manage - was forced to find work or face having their benefits cut. Who couldn’t cope with this ultimatum and believed that the only way out was to end their life, making them one in 590 “additional suicides” brought on by ‘fit-to-work’ tests. Could you look into that bereaved mothers eyes and tell her that your vote was justified?

Everyone’s votes are based on different reasoning, some think about wider society, and some think only of their own situation. This election, many people are voting solely on Brexit and forgetting the many other issues that will be affected. If you are voting Lib Dem purely on the basis that they are opposing the referendum, while disregarding their track record in government from 2010-2015, then you might as well be voting Tory. Brexit will go ahead no matter what, there is basically nothing we can do to change this, even if we wanted to. We can, however, put our society into the hands of a government that cares and that will help all of the people listed above and more.

My plea to you is to vote Labour on 08 June 2017. They are the only party that can offer this country the social progress it so desperately needs. If you decide not to, then I really hope you are able to justify your decision because we are all responsible for the lives of others within our society.

If you still need to register to vote, you can do it here now: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote

World Suicide Prevention Day: Time to start the Conversation.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca - a Roman Stoic Philosopher of Latin literature - once said: ‘Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.’ Although Seneca died in 65 AD, the sentiment of his statement still remains and is perhaps just as applicable today as ever before.

Tomorrow is World Suicide Prevention Day. A day to raise awareness of an issue so prominent in our society that it has made an impact on most people’s lives. The latest figures show that over 800,000 people die from suicide every day. They show that if you are a male, aged between 20 and 39, you are more likely to die from suicide than you are from cancer. This is not something that we can ignore. This is not something that can be brushed under the rug because it is an uncomfortable subject. This is a major, growing epidemic and we need to start talking about it now.

In order to tackle the issue of rising suicide rates, we cannot look just at its causes in isolation but we must instead create a sea change in the culture of our society. Although not all suicidal people suffer from long-term depression or other mental health needs, it is still vital that mental health is to be considered as important as physical health – suicide is one of the leading causes of death for young people and in order to prevent this, we must treat it as such. The stigma surrounding suicide and depression is at the root of the problem. Before the 1961 Suicide Act, taking your own life was illegal in Britain. Although this has been revoked, the subject still carries with it a feeling of shame and embarrassment and the idea of talking about suicidal urges can be painfully hard – to the point where taking your own life becomes the easier option.

We cannot overlook the fact that that although suicide rates in females are at their highest since 2011, there is a significant issue with men taking their own lives. There is no clear-cut explanation as to why this is. This is not a straightforward, black and white subject. However, it might be safe to assume that this comes from human tradition throughout the whole of history of men having to fill the role of the strong hunters and providers who do not show emotion.

The role of the male has changed dramatically over the past century and social progress in the UK has (thankfully) allowed women to become more financially independent. The modern man is changing and it is not the same as three generations ago, or even two. Middle-aged men, who saw their fathers fulfil the role of the main breadwinners and on top of this, fight in a World War – all whilst projecting a “toughen up, man up” attitude – are now contributing to the huge increases in suicide.

The 2008 recession has a part to play in this as well. 1,000 extra deaths and 30,000 to 40,000 suicide attempts occurred between 2008-2010, following the economic downturn. This dramatically reversed previous trends in Britain that showed suicide rates among men to be falling. Lack of employment and an increase in job losses from a damaged economy can surely be blamed for a portion of this. It is important, though, to consider mental health once again and the damage of our Conservative Government’s vicious cuts.

In early 2016, austerity measures were branded ‘profoundly disturbing’ to the nations mental health in a letter that was signed by hundreds of psychiatrists, psychotherapists and other experts within the field of mental health. Over the past five years we have seen a rise in demand for mental health services – a staggering 20% to be exact. This has happened while mental health services have been slashed by 8% in real terms. It has been shown that sanctions on benefits have also played their part in the increase of mental illnesses that can ultimately lead to suicide. According to the Independent, the restrictions put on claimants with disabilities have correlated with 590 additional suicides, 279,000 cases of mental illness and 725,000 more prescriptions of anti-depressants. Research conducted by ReTHink found that 21% of patents taken from 1,000 GPs had experienced suicidal urges due to Work Capability Assessments. These are not ‘benefit scroungers’; these are some of the most vulnerable in our society, people in positions that any one of us could find ourselves in. Although we hear claims from Prime Minister Teresa May that our Government is spending more on mental health than ever before, it seems that the party has managed to create a crisis so profound that their funding won’t even touch the edges of the void that it has made in our society.

Some of these causes sadly lie in the hands of our Government to fix but by opening up a dialogue about mental health we can begin to tackle the wider problem. If we can step away from the stigma surrounding mental illness and suicide and instead create a culture of care and communication, we can encourage people who are suffering to come forward and seek the help that they deserve. We must break down the barriers of gender inequality that affect men as well as women. In order to ensure that the help is there for us, free at the point of use through our NHS, we must speak up to our Government and make them see the problems that have been created.

Take action – write to your local MP, work with charities and campaigns to push this subject into the centre of Parliament. Even something as small as sharing a petition on social media can make a difference. We cannot let this epidemic spread, we cannot stand by and watch our friends, brothers, fathers, mothers, daughters and sons lose their lives in this horrendous way. Now is the time to start the conversation.

Sign this petition to help stop cuts to local authorities: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-government-cuts-to-local-authority-budgets 

Mental Health and the Media

One in four people will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime. Yet over 50% of people would not to tell anyone if they were going through this themselves.

These statistics may initially be shocking to some, however, it is not surprising that people have these feelings towards mental illness and the media needs to accept its part in this. Contributing factors to the negative and distorted image of mental illness are shown on our TV screens on a frequent basis. None so much as the one that displayed itself, unashamedly, in such an obvious manner on my own TV a few weeks ago.

Dinner date is one of many reality TV shows that are screened on ITVBe on a regular basis. One episode – first aired in 2010 and replayed a total of 26 times since – showed a blind date between a man named Al and a women named Danielle who claimed to have an alter-ego called 'Bad Dani'. A conversation around Danielle’s alter ego prompted the presenter to make a comment, labelling her as a ‘crazy women’, before questioning if she heard ‘voices in her head’ in a humorous tone. This comment hit me like a tonne of bricks. Was this presenter honestly making a joke out of the symptoms of schizophrenia? It definitely came across that way.

This is a problem. Hearing voices is a very well known symptom of schizophrenia and no matter what caused the presenter to say it – weather it was due to Danielle being drunk and babbling to herself – there is no getting away from its direct reference to mental illness.

There is a real issue with how mental illness is perceived by the general public and people suffering with illnesses such as schizophrenia can find it extremely hard to disclose their situation due to these perceptions. In fact, studies by rethink show that 70% of people affected by mental illness have experienced discrimination because of it.

The media has a responsibility to help break down these barriers – not to build them up. By airing a show that makes flippant remarks about symptoms of a serious mental illness, ITV is actually contributing to a much wider problem that society is facing today. Making a joke about direct symptoms of schizophrenia is completely wrong. Underlining this with the use of the phase ‘crazy women’ just makes it even worse.

I immediately contacted the ITV complaints department and shared my distress with them – asking them to make a public apology. They took the time to review my complaint and located the correct episode. After a few emails back and forth, this was their response:

Dear Becky,

Thank you for your email to ITV dated June 20th. 

We were very sorry to hear that you felt shocked and upset after watching Al's Dinner Date with Danielle on ITVBe recently. This episode was filmed and first broadcast in 2010. It has been transmitted 26 times and we have never previously had a complaint about the programme.

We have referred back to the programme as broadcast and the post-production script after receiving your email. 

We would like to assure you that the narrator does not refer to Danielle as 'a mental person' at any point. There is a line of commentary that refers to Danielle as 'a crazy woman' in a humorous tone of voice. This was intended as a nod to Danielle's unique, funny and 'out there' behaviour towards her date. It was not a reference to mental illness.

Admitting to having an 'alter-ego' is not the same as a diagnosis of schizophrenia or struggling with multiple personalities. The term 'alter-ego' is common parlance and had no medical subtext at all when used in the programme by Danielle. The voiceover did ask at one point if she 'hears voices in her head', but only to highlight the fact that Danielle was rather inebriated and babbling at this stage and should perhaps 'stop talking'.

ITV and Hat Trick both have well-respected and long-established diversity policies which have been in place at every level of their business for many years. 

Thank you again for contacting us here at ITV.

Kind regards,

ITV

To me, this response was unacceptable. There is a clear correlation between a joke about someone hearing voices in their head and schizophrenia. The fact that ITV have aired this show 26 times and I am the first to make a formal complaint does not mean that they should not publically aplogise. It does not mean that this ‘joke’ hasn’t hurt or damaged anyone’s confidence those 26 times. People suffering with ill mental health are usually likely to suffer in silence, they are not likely to write to a TV broadcaster and share their upset.

The fact that they have repeatedly aired this and have had no formal complaints also highlights the issue that we are dealing with here – ITV are setting a precedent that making jokes that poke fun at mental illness is something that is normal and should not be aplogised for, when of course it should be.

Let me put this into context – we wouldn’t stand by and accept a TV show making fun of someone’s race or sex. Nor would we stand by while they made distasteful jokes about physical disabilities. It does not matter that the people on the screen were not suffering with this sort of illness (nor did I ever imply this in my original email – there was obviously huge misunderstanding and I am fully aware of what an alter ego is and the differences between that and multiple personalities). The joke was still made.

This sort of remark, when viewed by an individual suffering from mental illness, can not only do immense damage to their self esteem and their perception of how the general public view them, but it also adds to a much wider issue of how mental health is put forward in the media and gives the impression that it is okay to make little jokes about the symptoms. The fact that these remarks were made in a “humerous tone of voice” - as ITV stated in their email - does not make it okay.

As I said, people battling ill mental health, often suffer in silence. It is up to the rest of us to stand up for them when we see situations like this one.

One in four people will be affected by mental illness in their lifetime. This could be your mother, your father, your best friend. Or it could be you. The only way that we can help to break down the stigma is to call people or media out on their actions that directly contribute to the problem.

There is nothing funny about mental illness.

If you would like to help me encourage ITV to make a public apology for this, please email them at: viewerservices@itv.com and show your solidarity to all those silently fighting their battles with mental illness. 

(Image source: https://cdailytroubles.wordpress.com/2015/08/09/introduction-into-autism-and-autistic-spectrum-disorder-asd/)