The change from the original theme of “Sleep” was made by the Mental Health Foundation, the charity that has set the theme and hosted the Week for the last 20 years. The Week will run as planned from 18th to 24th May and is a moment for the world to focus on mental health. The
Our good friends at Blurtitout have been speaking with Chris Smith, a Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapist with over 10 years’ experience in counselling and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), about how Covid-19, the current strain of Coronavirus, affects those of us with mental illness and what we can do to support our mental health. We know this
For a long while, I’ve been having issues with mental health. I remember asking my mum one day years ago if hearing and seeing things was normal and her response still sticks with me. “You’re too young and don’t know what REAL mental health problems are.” At the time I was incredibly depressed, anxious and
For many, Christmas is an exciting celebration, but for the 1 in 4 people with a mental illness, it may be a time of sadness or worry. If you know someone struggling with a mental health problem, they may need a little extra support over the Christmas period. Those with mental health problems often have
In 2018, Hire the Youth adopted the idea of online discussions on mental health with special emphasis given to depression. The discussions aimed at providing targeted support to young people experiencing mental health challenges. From the results gathered with the available resources at hand, the team found it best to zero down to focusing on
A quick search of #depressed on Instagram brings up over 12 million posts. Interspersed between black and white photos and gifs of crying cartoons are pictures of pretty girls smoking and the occasional sadboi-with-tattoo overlaid with text like “Help me” and “I want to go far away … forever.” These romanticized depictions of mental illness
I write about mental health because we need to be having daily conversations. Mental health needs to become as “normal” to talk about as physical health. We need to talk about it in communities, in schools, in churches. Mental health is social. I can’t get to know you if I don’t have my mental health.
Nothing is harder when building a startup than keeping your head together when you’re completely on your own. If people ever asked what I’m good at (they don’t) I would be inclined to say things like I’m an OK writer, I’m quite good with people or I can roller skate. It wouldn’t even cross my
Young people’s mental health has reached a crisis point, with youth depression increasing significantly over the past years. Half of all mental health problems manifest by the age of 14, with 75% by age 24. Depression and mental health issues in youth can have a major impact on health and quality of life in adulthood.
Despite the medication, therapy, journaling, and support groups, I still experience depressive episodes. There are days when I don’t get out of bed and there are days when I wish I could sleep for 1,000 years. On these days, I need help. I wave my arms and scream from the ocean that I’m drowning in. Some believe
