People across Scotland are being called on to get comfortable and start talking about mental health.
Scots are being urged to get thinking about how they can start a conversation about mental health – particularly in workplaces, schools, colleges, communities and with friends and family – for Time to Talk Day on 6 February.
Time to Talk Day is the UK’s biggest conversation on mental health, helping to break down barriers and reduce the stigma which prevents so many from being open about their mental health and asking for help when they need it. The day is run in Scotland by See Me, Scotland’s programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination.
See Me volunteer Paul (pictured above) said that while he’s getting more comfortable talking about his mental health, certain severe or complex mental illnesses are still stigmatised.
Paul, who has a diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, explained how the media’s negative reporting of certain severe or complex mental illnesses has a role in that.
The 34-year-old said: “It’s getting easier for me to talk about it as I do it more, sort of like practice makes perfect. But I still feel uncomfortable talking about it to this day.
“It's more down to certain experiences or aspects of my mental health. I find it easier to talk about if I’m feeling low compared to, ‘I'm hearing voices and they're saying this, and this is quite scary for me,’ - even to my psychiatrists, who will hear this fairly regularly.
“I think that's largely down to public stigma. If we're talking about hearing voices, for example, or we're feeling paranoid – it's not well discussed in mainstream media. It's quite stigmatised and affects the public’s views.”
Paul says that it’s important that the person listening should feel confident helping someone reaching out for support, regardless of their experiences or diagnosis.
He added: “As a society, we've probably made quite a good amount of progress in reducing some of the stigma surrounding more common mental health problems, but there's still a lot of work to be done when it comes to more severe and enduring mental health conditions.
“While they’re now getting talked about more, they're still heavily stigmatised, and it'd be nice to see us starting to move more in the direction as we've done with some other conditions."
Paul, a PhD researcher from Falkirk, says that the key to starting a conversation about mental health is for people to genuinely listen, and to do so without feeling pressured to provide advice or answers.
He recognises the importance of normalising these conversations and is calling on Scotland to take part in Time to Talk Day on Thursday 6 February.
He hopes that these first steps can help further break down stigma around other topics like hospitalisation and medication.
He added: “You wouldn't judge someone you know if they are in hospital for a broken leg or an asthma attack, or if someone was taking medication for their heart condition.
“It’s the same thing when it comes to your mental health. We have to get more comfortable talking about these things to normalise them.”
See Me director Wendy Halliday said: “Time to Talk Day has given us the opportunity to break down some of the barriers which people who struggle with their mental health continue to face.
“Whether you’re planning a coffee morning in your place of work, a mental health fair in school or you’re planning to check in with a friend, taking the time to check in and get talking about mental health can make a huge difference in taking away some of the awkwardness that many people still feel. Having a conversation can change and save lives.
“We need to see more acceptance and compassion when it comes to mental health – listening to, valuing and understanding people’s experiences, as well as supporting them to share what they’re going through and get help. That’s at the heart of Time to Talk Day, and will help us to reduce mental health stigma across Scotland.”
