I saw the advert on TV last night and was really impressed that something is being done about the label which is being placed.
I hope this campaign will try to remove the label that the media has placed on mentally ill people. Much like disrespective terms for nationality and gender have been socialy outlawed I feel a real campaign of adding mental health terms to that list will benefit all.
It is great to use celebrities. Breaking down barriers of "us" and "them" is hard enough, lets use someone who has more influence in the media than "Someone from South East England".
Yes, I saw the ad for the first time 15mins ago on ITV2 and here I am, already signed up and contributing.
As a long term "user" of mental health provision I will ensure that all those who support me, whether professionally or for love, become aware of the campaign.
To all your staff and volunteers, Thank you for caring
Brian
The money spent on launching this campaign has been money well spent and although I could equally criticise the sheer waste of money and resources in many areas of the NHS, I feel such criticism would not be helpful to this campaign, which is simply about inviting EVERYBODY to have some input into removing the stigma that still exists for those experiencing mental illness.
Those involved so far have good insight into the problems experienced and it would be entirely wrong not to include "celebrities" or those who are financially solvent in the process, as everybody suffers albeit to varying degrees.
Let's not argue about who should or should not have a voice, but simply ensure that everybody does.
I think millions of pounds of money has been wasted on this campaign money that should have been better spent more constructively the site was far too long in its development and it is not run by people with mental illness insight the advertisements actually promote self stigmatization where is the new research on stigma? if thats what its about then more research should be done people who suffer in silence should be given a voice not just played by actors we do not need celebrities telling us that they have suffered from such and such disorder they have all the help they could ever wish for we need to hear the true stories of neglect and how long it takes to get help in a crisis service cuts and funding shortages we also need to hear peoples success stories not just the bad stuff that people experience much more needs to be done not seen to be done a few adverts on t.v some postcards and a website does not justify the millions of funding that has been made available many more people will become mentally ill with the current economic woes and people who have no illness have a hard time in keeping existing or finding new employment a message needs to go out through posters in g.p surgerys hospitals colleges universitys etc and a 24 hour helpline should be dedicated to those who are in desperate help where at the moment its a trip to the accident emergency for up to a five hour wait mental health is in crisis and its time to change those who speak about it from no experience or insight of the many conditions we need to have the suffers voices heard not just those who are well enough to contribute
Submitted by chrisinsymmetry on Sun, 29/03/2009 - 6:37pm.
It just seems to me that mental illness has been talked about in the general population for well over a decade or two – we can probably point to key moments where consciousness was dramatically raised, like Diana’s revelation that she suffered from severe depression and bulemia – but progress in reducing stigma and discrimination, to me at least, seems slower than it should be.
To get straight to the point – i’m really tired anyway lol – i think it’s the mentally ill who now need to be encouraged to talk about themselves. Campaigners can talk forever about stigma and discrimination, but if ‘the well’ never get a chance to talk to those of with mental illness i don’t think the necessary cementing of views occurs. Imagine it from their point of view: they see anti-stigma campaigns, they hear news about the large numbers of people with mental illnesses, but if they don’t actually get to chat to anyone with a mental illness they might wonder what the fuss is about. And I think it’s only through direct communcation that the brain-stuff gets working and neurological pathways are created – by talking directly to people the brain associates what it has learnt and is able to apply it to real life situations, real people. This way the experience of mental illness seems more real than simply imagining what it is, or the types of people that have it – it’s not some spectre that can be pushed to the back of the mind and repressed, it’s real and it happens.
Of course, talking about that was easy – the real practical steps that follow on from this are a lot harder to achieve. We all know that most people are loathed to talk about their illnesses with strangers, aquaintences or even friends sometimes. The reasons for this are pretty well known between us so i’m not going to go over them. But i think the lack of communication on the part of the sufferer is such an important factor – there must be things that can be done to help people try to communicate a bit more. A period of brainstorming is probably needed, because i don’t have enough ideas. If say, just one person is courageous enough to talk about themselves openly, be it with friends or at work or wherever, it might have a snowball effect and encourage others to do the same, and i think that would an amazing thing.
How about an “encourage someone to talk about their illness day”, or a “talk to someone with a mental illness day”?
Or from the perspective of the sufferer, a “talking about low-self esteem week”, a “talking about paranoia week”, or a “talking about obsessions week”? etc
I don’t really know if these ideas are any good, or if they’ve any milage, but do let me know what you think. And if you like the approach i’m talking about, maybe you could come up with some ideas of your own.
Slick and well made but where was it leading? Sometimes I wasn't even sure which side of the fence a particular section of voiceover was on. So 10/10 for intention and presentation, but much less for effectiveness.
Submitted by loudribs on Fri, 13/02/2009 - 3:40pm.
Hi all,
First off I'd like to say that I am pleased this campaign is up and running and I wholeheartedly condone the message that it is trying to convey. However, there are a few points that I think should be raised (I'm not here to rain on anyones parade, it's just that these things have been bothering me for some years now).
First off, a bit of background: I've been studying and working in mental health for over a decade now and many of my roles have included a hefty portion of mental health promotion. For me, this was always one of the most challenging aspects of the job, but also one of the most facinating. During my career I've manned stalls in markets, given info to freshers, established drop in clinics and all manner of other such undertakings with the aim of (much like this campaign) reducing stigma and raising awareness. However, over the years I have come to realise that our present approach repressents a massive uphill slog that yields only very small results for the effort that goes in. That's a big statement to make so maybe it would better to illustrate it with some examples. Let's take, for instance, a mental health stand I used to staff in a busy city centre market. The usual paraphenalia was there: the Shift posters, self-help guides, your food and mood bumf and the usual promotional materials aimed at reducing stigma. Staff were also about to answer questions and we tried to make everything as accessable as possible. 3 years down the line and something became very apparent to me. The only people who ever came to talk to us or take materials were people who had a pre-exisiting interest in mental health (whether that might from their own personal experience, that of someone close to them or because they worked or studied in the sector). The same went for freshers fairs, clinics and events (and for this forum as well). Each and every time we were preaching to the converted and making absolutely no inroads to those who had no stake in the mental health pie.
From this point of view, the time-to-change campaign does represent a move forward. It's finally doing things on mainstream media and it has the reach to involve people who wouldn't usually come across this sort of thing. However, there is another question and it is around the methods we employ.
As I said earlier, I've always had the lingering suspicion that we have been singing to the choir for years. I'm sure we're not alone in this problem as it happens in all forms of health promotion and as humans, we've got a number of ways of coping with information that can appear threatening. Being a man of bad habbits, I have plenty of experience in this. For one, I smoke. I smoke, despite being fully aware that it is shortening my life and causing me physical harm. How can I do this in the face of the facts? Well, I've got a couple of tried and tested mechanisms that I'm sure a few of you share. My first line of defence is 'the old man down the road who's smoked 60 a day since he was 3 and is still going strong'. It works pretty well and even if that fails, I have some fall back positions such as only 35% of smokers meet a gruesome end. Being a gambling man as well, those look to me like pretty good odds. Basically, my resistance is based upon the 'it probably won't happen to me' hypothesis. Same goes for drinking. Working with alcoholics who can put away 40+ units a day makes the government 'units' campaign seem rather alarmist (that, and that those bill board posters where the units are written in foam down the side of chilled lager make me just want to have a drink there and then) while the knowledge that most of the upper classes live to a ripe old age, despite institutional gin abuse, also strengthens my citadel of 'it won't happen to me'. Not only (I believe) does mental health share this same problem, but it also has the additional obstacle of a)not being understood very well and b) still being a taboo.
So, I hear you say, why criticise a campaign that is designed to break the taboo? First off I'd just like to say that none of this is flat out criticism of this campaign. I support and condone what it is trying to achieve. I just feel that as we're dealing with an area that is so fraut unconventional problems it may be wise to employ some unorthadox methods. 'What methods?' you ask. Allow me to explain.
Studying lots of psychology and working in the field for a long time has taught me a thing or two. One of these things is that people like being needed. They like being a shoulder to cry on. While they might shudder at the news that their recently divorced friend is on the over to shed both tears and bile, we all tend to beam off our Florence Nightingale act by the end of the evening. This lead me to think about the promotional work and how we could possibly harness this instinct. At the moment a lot of mental health promotion is geared towards messages such as 'this is schizophrenia. It affects X amount of people. It really sucks to have it so you should be nice to people who are suffering with it' and the thinly veiled implication is 'BECAUSE ONE DAY IT MIGHT BE YOU!' (I'm not saying that it was designed to spell that out, I just think that's how our minds opperate). As I mentioned with smoking and drinking, this is the point where people like myself switch off. Sure, there are odds it could happen to me, but they are smaller than 50/50 so I'm going to lose too much sleep over it. That said, I do think that getting celebrities such as Ruby Wax and Stephen Fry to be open and honest has been a great step forward as it does put things in a much more recognisable context. However, this does not resolve the issue of mental health being a remote and somewhat etherial threat to most people.
Rather than persuing this frontal assault where we just gradually bore/scare people into some sort of attitude shift, I reckon there's hay to be made from sneaking up on an exposed flank, mainly by pandering to peoples innate alturism (a controversial term, I realise). So rather than convey a message that 'this could happen to you, so watch it', how about going for the soft underbelly of 'chances are, you will get through life without ever having to encounter this stuff....however, the odds are that someone close to you probably will. If that happened, would you be in a position to help? Could you end up being the person who really changes someones life for the better?' (with the thinly veiled implication being 'YOU ARE IN RELATIVELY LITTLE DANGER, BUT YOU COULD END UP COMING OUT OF SOMEONE ELSES PROBLEMS LOOKING LIKE THE BIG HERO'). It sounds a little disingenuous and theoretically it is. But it has the potential to get a difficult and unpleasent reality across in a non-threatening manner. I haven't had a great deal of opportunity to play around with these ideas in a real life setting much of late, but my gut tells me that it could potentially have legs. However, that is not for me to judge and I'd be really to hear any views that people have on the matter.
Last but not least, thanks for reading this far. I realise that I've ranted alot and taken you round the houses, but I feel this stuff is important....so thanks.
I echo the comments above that this campaign is long overdue for general public awareness but also agree with Morrigan that the prejudice within mental health services is appalling - i've even had a psychiatrist tell me to buck up and get a job - oh how i laughed....
Anyway, I was prompted to the website by seeing the posters on the Tube whilst visiting London recently and have just watched the TV Ad here online so here's my feedback.
Sorry to say I thought the ad carried no immediate or lasting deep impact and i was disappointed.
The scenarios presented were well chosen - family, personal relationship, work, just being alone watching the world have fun as you wander like a ghost - that was a nice touch, well done. The visual tone was good too with slightly washed out colours as a metaphor. However even in the short time available for a tv slot i felt they could have been more punchy, hard-hitting and involving - sticking to Point of View (PoV) rather than randomly switching from PoV to 3rd person would have gone a long way to achieving that viewer engagement and attention. Sticking to PoV and cutting out the male-in-the-pub scene would have given no hint at the identity of the sufferer (age, race, gender, etc) - allowing anyone watching to identify with the surrounding characters.
And the ending just tailed off - was it meant to be hinting at suicide - lights flickering off, '...too much to bear...' and fade out? if so it needed to be clearer. why not show the aftermath, a brief glimpse of a grave and the shock and grief and self-recrimination on the faces of those left behind? you are attempting to show the reality subtly when what is needed is the harsh truth to grab attention. It just left me unsure of the message and because of the lack of engagement it felt like a confusing cop out that would be forgotten within the next 30 secs of glossy mesmerising corporate ads - or perhaps that's just me
As a middle-aged male born and raised in england who has suffered all my life from alienation, misunderstanding, ignorance & discrimination due to crippling depression which has completely wrecked my life and driven me to the point of hopelessness, I don't feel this ad has anything like the impact needed to challenge attitudes and discrimination or even to encourage interest and debate about attitudes and discrimination.
Well, that's my tuppence worth. Keep trying, keep improving.
Its a great campaign and much needed
I got a link for time to change from another forum and while looking at the site and searching for something which would say there was a support group near to me I realised there is nothing for miles where I live.
I would dearly love to set up a support group in Glastonbury because since I came over to the southwest (where I was finally diagnosed with a personality disorder and Ptsd) There was very little help in the form of support groups and even less now!!!!
I attended AA for 9 years and yes it helped me enormously partly because it was ppl power, ppl listening to each other and offering some kind of help, whether that be friendship or just a nod of understanding or telling me that they have been there too and understand
But where to go to sit and talk with
ppl who have similar problems as myself because of mental health illness??
I want to help myself but I also know it is being in a group of some kind where we are all there to help ourselves and each other that would help me.
I sit and isolate every day at home there is nowhere to go for help or support apart from to my psychiatrist or my anger management counsellor once every couple of weeks.
I moved to Glastonbury before Christmas yet I sit in most of the time because I don't have anywhere to go or the impetus to do it.I have no daily supports.
My dearest wish is that this campaign helps ppl with mental health illness in small counties across the UK to set up self help groups.
If I could do this on my own I would but we all need each other at the end of the day and campaigns that will help us to help ourselves and each other on a daily basis.
Lets hope this campaign opens up doors for people with mental health illnesses so they can have a better quality of help and also much needed local support.
Submitted by christina on Thu, 12/02/2009 - 5:41pm.
Have just viewed ad online...don't see much TV...18 year old son has mental health issues..suicidal. It's peole telling me what I ought to do that gets me. Eg.tell him he has to get a job, he can't just sit at home all day. Some peole have no idea what life is like for him and others..he would love to be well and able to leave the house and 'get a life'. I have seen how hard he tries. There are a lot of understanding people out there though.but as your ad shows..it is useless to tell peole to pull themselves together.
I hope Bress gets the support he is looking for.
Christina
Submitted by ruthybogle on Wed, 11/02/2009 - 3:19pm.
I don't see any events or even any listings for the North East...Newcastle, why is this? We are a major city and should be on the Mental Health map.
I have suffered from panic attacks for years but have struggled through and built myself a career when all I wanted to do was crawl in a hole. I don't feel that there was adequate help out there, when I was having episodes by the time a referral for counselling or cbt came through each time...if it came through at all, I had normally gone through hell with very dark times and the help was not there when I needed it. The nhs is totally under funded and un prepared for the ever increasing problem of mental health. I still suffer on and off and its a constant battle to stay well but I would probably come to a mental health even if it was held in my area. We need a voice.
I now work in a doctors surgery and am thinking of trying to get involved in some way...if I can help just 1 person it would be worth it.
KEEP PLUGGING AWAY AT GETTING MENTAL HEALTH DE STIGMATISED!
I was moved to see your campaign advertisement this evening. Bringing about change for those who experience mental health issues is a remarkable objective. I fully support you and very much look forward to the very near future when mental health is no longer taboo; and society becomes educated enough to outway ignorance and prejudice. Personally, I will do all I can to help.
Submitted by Parcel-Fish on Fri, 30/01/2009 - 10:47am.
This campaign is fantastic, and is coming at a time when I think people are becoming more open minded and understanding. It will take time for many to accept mental health illness as an illness and not an oddity and that is what I understand the purpose of Time to Change to be.
However please please can we highlight to the very people who's attitudes we are trying to change and who we want understanding from that mental health illness does cover more than depression and anxiety. When logging into the web-site my first reaction is I want to know what a mental health illness is. When scanning through the first page I pretty much think it’s all about depression and anxiety. There are so many illnesses coming under the mental health umbrella:
Eating disorders
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Schizophrenia
Personality disorder
Alzheimer's disease and dementia – Terry Pratchett
Postnatal depression
...... and many more
It is important that these other illnesses are not forgotten.
Fear and prejudice often come from not understanding.
Submitted by upisgood on Fri, 30/01/2009 - 12:04am.
Saw an ad on the back of a paper on the way to work the other day and it caught my eye. Then noticed the tube ads today while on my way to see a great therapist who, in combination with medication and wonderful supportive family, friends and colleagues is helping me over a case of "major depressive disorder"...
I could have been "Andy" from the What Would You Do scenarios: worked hard for years, bit of a perfectionist and have been very successful, but over the course of a few months things all just seemed to unravel... not sleeping, not eating, anxiety attacks, unable to concentrate, all feeding into a stream of negative thoughts that would compound one another.
Not having the slightest knowledge of depression I thought a couple of weeks off was what I needed but by that point things weren't quite that simple. I've been fortunate though - I had people around who I could talk to, particularly at work, who were able to point me in the direction of information and advice. The relief on discovering that I wasn't "cracking up", that it was surprisingly common, and eminently treatable was like a weight being lifted.
What is brilliant about the ad on the tube is that this is message it conveys, and that is why I'm making the effort to say "well done".
Obviously there's a bit more to getting back to normal health than just reading a web page or an advert, but who knows how long it might have been before I have walked into my GP to ask for help if I hadn't found the information which gave me the confidence to know I was making the right first step and I wasn't just going to be told to "pull yourself together".
I wish you the greatest of success. I was lucky with the support I had around me, but health shouldn't be a question of luck... I'm sure your campaign will help improve the odds.
Submitted by charlotte.jee on Thu, 29/01/2009 - 1:06pm.
On my way home from work I noticed posters with Stephen Fry and Ruby Wax on them. They are comedians I know and I enjoy watching both of them on TV. I felt so happy to see them standing up against mental illness discrimination, they are both thoroughly successful people and they prove that mental illness need not be a hindrance to having a fulfilling life. I have been through psychosis, schizophrenia and depression but I am ambitious and would like to work as a civil servant when I leave university. I support this campaign thoroughly as I do not see why mental illness should stop me (or anyone else) from trying to get ahead in life.
Submitted by unmotivated on Thu, 29/01/2009 - 2:53am.
I really identified with that add Its just a shame that even those in the caring profession don't. I ended up in A/E ,ITU and then a ward where I was treated appalingly, because I was seen as a nusience somebody who was taking up a needed bed. It was as though I was invisable. Nurses would come on duty say hello to those that needed to be there and ignore me. They didn't know my history or what had happened before, they judged me, and treated me like a lepper. We need to change this negative attitude, nurses are supposed to be non judgemental, and treat everybody according to the NMC's code of conduct. I am not blaming them because they are overworked, and underpaid and they dont get the respect or acknoledgement that they deserve. However your add is great and hopefully will be a gateway to all who work in the caring profession, and people need to know that mental ilness is not going to go away, but its going to get worse due to the life we lead. Like all, illness awareness is the key. Thanks.
Please excuse the spelling it is after 2am.
Submitted by Moonlight on Wed, 28/01/2009 - 10:47am.
I saw the billboard ad lastnight at the tube station and I thought it was fantastic. It made me smile all the way home! I saw one of the smaller ads in the lift at the tube station this morning on the way to work and I am just so pleased that this campaign has been launched. I have suffered anxiety and depression along with some of my friends and members of my family. We have all had experience of predjudice associated with our illnesses and this is absoultely unacceptable. Attitudes to these illnesses MUST change. This discrimination needs to be put to an end.
I have now had the priviledge to work with acute mental health clients in occupational therapy, and I have met some of the nicest, sweetest, funniest, caring, intelligent people in those five years than i have met in my whole life. How my clients fight the constant battle with a recurring illness has me absolutely in awe. Its hell for them sometimes, and I think its way over due that the public perception of mental illness is re-educated. These people are not scarey, they are ill, it is our job as fellow humans to help them. I love working in partnership with them and helping them to achieve their goals, yes, sometimes they have funny ways....but dont we all? Come on Mr. Joe Public - take a deep breath and dive in, it could be you one day.
Good luck with the campaign everyone!!!
Submitted by auntdragon1 on Fri, 30/01/2009 - 2:26pm.
i appreciate your new awareness to mental health illness and the fact you have realized that people with it are and can be anyone even yourself or a relative and have feelings like anyone else who should be treated with respect and discretion ,a long way off still i know but we live in hope
our eldest daughter has severe mental illness i found it harder to accept than i would have a physical illness mainly because i new what most peoples attitudes to her and us would be ,
its the unknown that frightens people not the person
Hi, I am sorry but I have taken offense to you note with your use of words. "These people" were are not some kind of monster, "them" - we are Mental Health Users, and "they" again we are not a disease. I believe this is a classic example of stimga, dont you think.
Submitted by philpotts24 on Tue, 27/01/2009 - 6:25pm.
Good to see posters throughout the underground. I have also had people calling me about the campaign. thinking I would be interested. Great stuff - onwards and upwards!
Submitted by Andrew McCallum on Tue, 27/01/2009 - 10:57am.
That was a super advertisement - I am a 41 yr old BiPolar Police Officer and when I saw it just now I was frozen to the spot. That guy was me. That was the first trigger I've felt that didn't nearly kill me.
Submitted by jackieeee on Tue, 27/01/2009 - 1:04am.
Thank you
It about time something was done about mental health, to help people understand it is a medical condition, and can distroy people and familys lives, my sister and I both have mental health problem all so my sister daughter and my daughter suffer problems too. I'm quite strong minded and with medication I am in contol of my thoughts but other family members are not so lucky.
Submitted by cloudfire on Mon, 26/01/2009 - 1:13pm.
Saw this ad last night and I just froze - partially because I'm so glad the issue is finally getting decent publicity, but also because I recognised those comments as ones I make to myself.... I suddenly wondered if the prejudices we encounter against mental health problems can become so ingrained in us that it hampers our own recovery? I'm lucky that I've had good support and someone who tells me not to be so hard on myself....but if the sufferer is berating themselves because they're failing, because they can't 'pull themselves together', can't 'just get on'; then how easy it is for that belief to be reinforced from the outside until it simply is too much to bear.
Thank you for the ad, I've got mental health problems and i have felt like i dont belong but the ad tells people, lets hope people get affected by it and stop the stigma
Submitted by maxsmum on Sun, 25/01/2009 - 11:14pm.
Watching the advert featuring the A + E department where the employer is asked would they employ someone with depression, and if they answered no they would have regected Florence Nightengale was a spot on.
Submitted by childwithin on Sun, 25/01/2009 - 11:12pm.
hi all
im was shocked and also pleased to see the advert,the stigma that goes with mental health is overpowering that it hurts like hell im 39 and have had mental heath problems since i was 15. i too like bagpuss have tried to end it.im covered in scars. we all hurt like hell......lets hope that things are starting to be turned around and be more understood and not fobed off or treated like a number a statistic...........
if any one wants to chat any time feel free im on bagpuss011@aol.com
Submitted by Kirstily on Sun, 25/01/2009 - 8:14pm.
This campaign is long long overdue, I just fear that peoples prejudices will never change. But I think its great that finally something is being done about it.
Submitted by auntdragon1 on Fri, 30/01/2009 - 2:34pm.
i think peoples attitudes have and are changeing all the time towards mental health illnesses i worked in a mental health hospital in the late sixties and belive me attitudes have changed its just like all change its slow to happen
Submitted by Morrigan on Sat, 24/01/2009 - 9:16pm.
This campaign is great, and long overdue, but I wonder whether all this energy might not be better expended on improving mental health services and getting rid of negative attitudes amongst medical professionals (including those who work in mental health) towards their patients.
Am a long-term member of a mental health support site, it is clear that the provision of mental health care in the UK is abysmal.
There are some truly wonderful people working in the field, but I have heard so many horror stories across the board. Indeed, this seems to be almost commonplace. People have to fight tooth and nail to get any help - when they are least able to.
Manageable illnesses develop, persist, worsen and become chronic under the current system. Until this is addressed I couldn't care less what the public think other than insofar as more funding needs to be allocated to this part of the NHS.
Submitted by mamacatz on Sun, 25/01/2009 - 9:44pm.
Hi Morrigan and Everyone else who reads this. I am so glad this ad was made,
because hopefully it will make people sit up and listen, like Morrigan I supported a site, and I would write in the forum and no-one actually replied or nothing seemed to be happening so I did not bother any longer. I have chronic depression and sometimes I just want to disappear from everyone. I have had it a long time and as I get older it seems as if I am getting worse but also what I feel is that people have the misconception that we the depressed can't or are not intelligent, but we are both clever and intelligent and if we are workers we are good all round workers. I know I am but even though I can say that, and to a certain extent I believe it, but because my depression is due to my lack of confidence and self esteem part of my brain does'nt and can't accept what nice things people say to me but again I think it's because people I was supposed to have trusted and did trust betrayed it and having so much negativity through my life it's hard to believe
any positives. there is a old saying self praise is no recommendation and thats all I ever had said to me by my late Mother if I tried to say something good about myself. I have to apologise for the long drawn out reply and thank you for reading this.
Submitted by petehopkinson on Sat, 24/01/2009 - 2:47pm.
hey all, the names pete hopkinson and im a cyclothymic have been for years. after reading this site i have decided to run a bolton based campaign using the resources anyone in the bolton area want to help contact me on my personal email petehopkinson@sky.com
Submitted by managing_the_bl... on Sat, 24/01/2009 - 1:17pm.
I saw the TV ad and then an ad in the newspaper and it prompted me to come to this website. I never knew that Ruby Wax has suffered with depression and it was almost a joy (if that's an appropriate word) to know that someone fairly high profile also had similar problems to myself and was comfortable/courageous enough to tell the world.
I hope that the ad campaigns at the very least show people what some people's symptoms can be so they can have some understanding. I never told my family I had depression but desperately wanted them to "guess" I wasn't well. (I feared that they would be horrified if they found out my mental state.)If perhaps they had seen this ad campaign when I was in the grips of it they might have noticed what was happening and tell me that it was ok and there was support.
Submitted by emmabee on Sat, 24/01/2009 - 12:13am.
I am really pleased that finally mental illness is being addressed properly and I can only hope that more employers (as one example) take some notice of it and adopt a more understanding approach to any of their employees who are unfortunate enough to experience it. For far too long mental illness has been something to feel ashamed of - and the many thousands who suffer from it could be helped so much more if they could share and not feel embarrassed by it. I have battled with anxiety attacks for many years off and on and seem to have a hold on it now but this is largely thanks to a supportive partner and being introduced to hypnotherapy. I wish the campaign every success and with people clubbing together and helping each other than the easier it can be to get out of that horrible black void!!!!
I saw the Time to Change TV advert for the first time today... which led me to this website straight away! I have suffered mental health issues for over 10 years now which have had a huge impact on my life... to the point that i have tried to end it on several occasions. I thought using the sentence of "for some its too much to bear" was SO good as it hits home the devastation that mental health problems can wreak on people's lives. I have 3 degrees and once had a successful career in the NHS and industry but thats all gone now, so has my house, car etc. etc. I've even lost friends because of it. I'm 37 and find myself having to try and rebuild my life knowing i will never function on the same level as i used to. I want other people to accept me for who i am now... even if i'm having trouble accepting myself... so this campaign to end the stigma attached to mental health problems is fantastic and one which i want to participate in... i've already applied to do a blog! Let's hope the campaign achieves its goals... and fast. Well done to everybody involved... and thank-you. Cat
Submitted by robbiecd on Mon, 26/01/2009 - 9:58am.
Dear Bagpuss. I have just read your post and I wanted to share my experiences. I have suffered Anxiety and Depression, caused by stress, brought on by my military service. I too lost a well paid and responsible job, had to take a lower paid and less demanding one, and have recently lost that because of my illness. I am unemployed now and cannot see that changing. I also had recurrent suicidal thoughts. We are the poor relations of the health care industry. I hope this campaign helps raise the mental health-care agenda. Robbie.
Submitted by philpotts24 on Sat, 24/01/2009 - 5:14pm.
Yes, well done. Long overdue, despite the excellent work of organisations such as Depression Alliance, Mind etc.
I, too, picked up on the same line, Bagpuss. Like you I have lost friends because of my own Depression and Anxiety as well as losing one permanently because of his own distorted view of himself. I am so grateful to those who have stuck by me, but I also miss friends from the past.
People ARE frightened, on different levels, and don't know what to do for the best to 'help' their friends. How much easier to help people with visible, physical problems!
I really hope this campaign makes people more aware
I used to work with people who had severe learning difficulties, little did I know that down the line some folk would view me with the same biased and misinformed view...
Suffering from depression is a very lonely and dark place to be, every day I try to keep my mind busy enough so that it doesn't dwell on 'dark thoughts', but it is so easy to slip and all the tablets and counseling are often useless in those dark moments.
Looking for a job is a nightmare, because you know that you must tell them the truth, especially as many employers run stringent background checks, but by the same token, you are thinking 'if I mention that (in my case) I had a breakdown, will this lead to me not getting an interview or even being shortlisted??' Despite a lot of good words and logos saying 'positive about disability', you often wonder just 'how' positive they are going to be, especially now that there are so many unemployed, its an employers market!
Well two more applications in today...here's hoping. Lets educate people, from school upwards, I don't think it is ever to early to start as a lot of our prejudices I believe, start in school and if not corrected, will get carried on into adult life.
Sorry I've rambled enough, so much to say, but for the moment, well done guys, this site is a light in a very dark world.
Submitted by Sparrow on Mon, 26/01/2009 - 12:43am.
Excellent, brilliant, so excited about the new campaign. Well done everyone.
I feel the same way as Bagpuss and phipotts24! I have lost friends, jobs and respect through BPD, anxiety and depression. I now wont be looked at, spoken to and treated badly once more people are aware of this...I hope!
If I can do anything to help, I will. And I will spread the word about this site. Thank you thank you thank you!!
What is the real problem?
I saw the advert on TV last night and was really impressed that something is being done about the label which is being placed.
I hope this campaign will try to remove the label that the media has placed on mentally ill people. Much like disrespective terms for nationality and gender have been socialy outlawed I feel a real campaign of adding mental health terms to that list will benefit all.
It is great to use celebrities. Breaking down barriers of "us" and "them" is hard enough, lets use someone who has more influence in the media than "Someone from South East England".
Saw the Ad
Hi,
Yes, I saw the ad for the first time 15mins ago on ITV2 and here I am, already signed up and contributing.
As a long term "user" of mental health provision I will ensure that all those who support me, whether professionally or for love, become aware of the campaign.
To all your staff and volunteers, Thank you for caring
Brian
Time to change is FULLY inclusive!
The money spent on launching this campaign has been money well spent and although I could equally criticise the sheer waste of money and resources in many areas of the NHS, I feel such criticism would not be helpful to this campaign, which is simply about inviting EVERYBODY to have some input into removing the stigma that still exists for those experiencing mental illness.
Those involved so far have good insight into the problems experienced and it would be entirely wrong not to include "celebrities" or those who are financially solvent in the process, as everybody suffers albeit to varying degrees.
Let's not argue about who should or should not have a voice, but simply ensure that everybody does.
Joe Chapman - 07907 696693
joe@joechapman.org.uk
Saw the posters at Essex Cricket yesterday 25/4/09
Hi all,
Essex Cricket and North Essex partnership were promoting Time to Change yesterday in Chelmsford, and the posters were very good and thought-provoking.
The volunteers were very good. Sorry I didn't have a go on the pedal powered smoothie.
Cheers,
Tony
Time to change funding
I think millions of pounds of money has been wasted on this campaign money that should have been better spent more constructively the site was far too long in its development and it is not run by people with mental illness insight the advertisements actually promote self stigmatization where is the new research on stigma? if thats what its about then more research should be done people who suffer in silence should be given a voice not just played by actors we do not need celebrities telling us that they have suffered from such and such disorder they have all the help they could ever wish for we need to hear the true stories of neglect and how long it takes to get help in a crisis service cuts and funding shortages we also need to hear peoples success stories not just the bad stuff that people experience much more needs to be done not seen to be done a few adverts on t.v some postcards and a website does not justify the millions of funding that has been made available many more people will become mentally ill with the current economic woes and people who have no illness have a hard time in keeping existing or finding new employment a message needs to go out through posters in g.p surgerys hospitals colleges universitys etc and a 24 hour helpline should be dedicated to those who are in desperate help where at the moment its a trip to the accident emergency for up to a five hour wait mental health is in crisis and its time to change those who speak about it from no experience or insight of the many conditions we need to have the suffers voices heard not just those who are well enough to contribute
great ad and posters, but is it now time for another change?
It just seems to me that mental illness has been talked about in the general population for well over a decade or two – we can probably point to key moments where consciousness was dramatically raised, like Diana’s revelation that she suffered from severe depression and bulemia – but progress in reducing stigma and discrimination, to me at least, seems slower than it should be.
To get straight to the point – i’m really tired anyway lol – i think it’s the mentally ill who now need to be encouraged to talk about themselves. Campaigners can talk forever about stigma and discrimination, but if ‘the well’ never get a chance to talk to those of with mental illness i don’t think the necessary cementing of views occurs. Imagine it from their point of view: they see anti-stigma campaigns, they hear news about the large numbers of people with mental illnesses, but if they don’t actually get to chat to anyone with a mental illness they might wonder what the fuss is about. And I think it’s only through direct communcation that the brain-stuff gets working and neurological pathways are created – by talking directly to people the brain associates what it has learnt and is able to apply it to real life situations, real people. This way the experience of mental illness seems more real than simply imagining what it is, or the types of people that have it – it’s not some spectre that can be pushed to the back of the mind and repressed, it’s real and it happens.
Of course, talking about that was easy – the real practical steps that follow on from this are a lot harder to achieve. We all know that most people are loathed to talk about their illnesses with strangers, aquaintences or even friends sometimes. The reasons for this are pretty well known between us so i’m not going to go over them. But i think the lack of communication on the part of the sufferer is such an important factor – there must be things that can be done to help people try to communicate a bit more. A period of brainstorming is probably needed, because i don’t have enough ideas. If say, just one person is courageous enough to talk about themselves openly, be it with friends or at work or wherever, it might have a snowball effect and encourage others to do the same, and i think that would an amazing thing.
How about an “encourage someone to talk about their illness day”, or a “talk to someone with a mental illness day”?
Or from the perspective of the sufferer, a “talking about low-self esteem week”, a “talking about paranoia week”, or a “talking about obsessions week”? etc
I don’t really know if these ideas are any good, or if they’ve any milage, but do let me know what you think. And if you like the approach i’m talking about, maybe you could come up with some ideas of your own.
Thanks for listening, and take care.
Chris
TV Ad
Slick and well made but where was it leading? Sometimes I wasn't even sure which side of the fence a particular section of voiceover was on. So 10/10 for intention and presentation, but much less for effectiveness.
A step in the right direction....BUT.....
Hi all,
First off I'd like to say that I am pleased this campaign is up and running and I wholeheartedly condone the message that it is trying to convey. However, there are a few points that I think should be raised (I'm not here to rain on anyones parade, it's just that these things have been bothering me for some years now).
First off, a bit of background: I've been studying and working in mental health for over a decade now and many of my roles have included a hefty portion of mental health promotion. For me, this was always one of the most challenging aspects of the job, but also one of the most facinating. During my career I've manned stalls in markets, given info to freshers, established drop in clinics and all manner of other such undertakings with the aim of (much like this campaign) reducing stigma and raising awareness. However, over the years I have come to realise that our present approach repressents a massive uphill slog that yields only very small results for the effort that goes in. That's a big statement to make so maybe it would better to illustrate it with some examples. Let's take, for instance, a mental health stand I used to staff in a busy city centre market. The usual paraphenalia was there: the Shift posters, self-help guides, your food and mood bumf and the usual promotional materials aimed at reducing stigma. Staff were also about to answer questions and we tried to make everything as accessable as possible. 3 years down the line and something became very apparent to me. The only people who ever came to talk to us or take materials were people who had a pre-exisiting interest in mental health (whether that might from their own personal experience, that of someone close to them or because they worked or studied in the sector). The same went for freshers fairs, clinics and events (and for this forum as well). Each and every time we were preaching to the converted and making absolutely no inroads to those who had no stake in the mental health pie.
From this point of view, the time-to-change campaign does represent a move forward. It's finally doing things on mainstream media and it has the reach to involve people who wouldn't usually come across this sort of thing. However, there is another question and it is around the methods we employ.
As I said earlier, I've always had the lingering suspicion that we have been singing to the choir for years. I'm sure we're not alone in this problem as it happens in all forms of health promotion and as humans, we've got a number of ways of coping with information that can appear threatening. Being a man of bad habbits, I have plenty of experience in this. For one, I smoke. I smoke, despite being fully aware that it is shortening my life and causing me physical harm. How can I do this in the face of the facts? Well, I've got a couple of tried and tested mechanisms that I'm sure a few of you share. My first line of defence is 'the old man down the road who's smoked 60 a day since he was 3 and is still going strong'. It works pretty well and even if that fails, I have some fall back positions such as only 35% of smokers meet a gruesome end. Being a gambling man as well, those look to me like pretty good odds. Basically, my resistance is based upon the 'it probably won't happen to me' hypothesis. Same goes for drinking. Working with alcoholics who can put away 40+ units a day makes the government 'units' campaign seem rather alarmist (that, and that those bill board posters where the units are written in foam down the side of chilled lager make me just want to have a drink there and then) while the knowledge that most of the upper classes live to a ripe old age, despite institutional gin abuse, also strengthens my citadel of 'it won't happen to me'. Not only (I believe) does mental health share this same problem, but it also has the additional obstacle of a)not being understood very well and b) still being a taboo.
So, I hear you say, why criticise a campaign that is designed to break the taboo? First off I'd just like to say that none of this is flat out criticism of this campaign. I support and condone what it is trying to achieve. I just feel that as we're dealing with an area that is so fraut unconventional problems it may be wise to employ some unorthadox methods. 'What methods?' you ask. Allow me to explain.
Studying lots of psychology and working in the field for a long time has taught me a thing or two. One of these things is that people like being needed. They like being a shoulder to cry on. While they might shudder at the news that their recently divorced friend is on the over to shed both tears and bile, we all tend to beam off our Florence Nightingale act by the end of the evening. This lead me to think about the promotional work and how we could possibly harness this instinct. At the moment a lot of mental health promotion is geared towards messages such as 'this is schizophrenia. It affects X amount of people. It really sucks to have it so you should be nice to people who are suffering with it' and the thinly veiled implication is 'BECAUSE ONE DAY IT MIGHT BE YOU!' (I'm not saying that it was designed to spell that out, I just think that's how our minds opperate). As I mentioned with smoking and drinking, this is the point where people like myself switch off. Sure, there are odds it could happen to me, but they are smaller than 50/50 so I'm going to lose too much sleep over it. That said, I do think that getting celebrities such as Ruby Wax and Stephen Fry to be open and honest has been a great step forward as it does put things in a much more recognisable context. However, this does not resolve the issue of mental health being a remote and somewhat etherial threat to most people.
Rather than persuing this frontal assault where we just gradually bore/scare people into some sort of attitude shift, I reckon there's hay to be made from sneaking up on an exposed flank, mainly by pandering to peoples innate alturism (a controversial term, I realise). So rather than convey a message that 'this could happen to you, so watch it', how about going for the soft underbelly of 'chances are, you will get through life without ever having to encounter this stuff....however, the odds are that someone close to you probably will. If that happened, would you be in a position to help? Could you end up being the person who really changes someones life for the better?' (with the thinly veiled implication being 'YOU ARE IN RELATIVELY LITTLE DANGER, BUT YOU COULD END UP COMING OUT OF SOMEONE ELSES PROBLEMS LOOKING LIKE THE BIG HERO'). It sounds a little disingenuous and theoretically it is. But it has the potential to get a difficult and unpleasent reality across in a non-threatening manner. I haven't had a great deal of opportunity to play around with these ideas in a real life setting much of late, but my gut tells me that it could potentially have legs. However, that is not for me to judge and I'd be really to hear any views that people have on the matter.
Last but not least, thanks for reading this far. I realise that I've ranted alot and taken you round the houses, but I feel this stuff is important....so thanks.
TV Ad - 21 Jan ITV1 - Sadly disappointing
I echo the comments above that this campaign is long overdue for general public awareness but also agree with Morrigan that the prejudice within mental health services is appalling - i've even had a psychiatrist tell me to buck up and get a job - oh how i laughed....
Anyway, I was prompted to the website by seeing the posters on the Tube whilst visiting London recently and have just watched the TV Ad here online so here's my feedback.
Sorry to say I thought the ad carried no immediate or lasting deep impact and i was disappointed.
The scenarios presented were well chosen - family, personal relationship, work, just being alone watching the world have fun as you wander like a ghost - that was a nice touch, well done. The visual tone was good too with slightly washed out colours as a metaphor. However even in the short time available for a tv slot i felt they could have been more punchy, hard-hitting and involving - sticking to Point of View (PoV) rather than randomly switching from PoV to 3rd person would have gone a long way to achieving that viewer engagement and attention. Sticking to PoV and cutting out the male-in-the-pub scene would have given no hint at the identity of the sufferer (age, race, gender, etc) - allowing anyone watching to identify with the surrounding characters.
And the ending just tailed off - was it meant to be hinting at suicide - lights flickering off, '...too much to bear...' and fade out? if so it needed to be clearer. why not show the aftermath, a brief glimpse of a grave and the shock and grief and self-recrimination on the faces of those left behind? you are attempting to show the reality subtly when what is needed is the harsh truth to grab attention. It just left me unsure of the message and because of the lack of engagement it felt like a confusing cop out that would be forgotten within the next 30 secs of glossy mesmerising corporate ads - or perhaps that's just me
As a middle-aged male born and raised in england who has suffered all my life from alienation, misunderstanding, ignorance & discrimination due to crippling depression which has completely wrecked my life and driven me to the point of hopelessness, I don't feel this ad has anything like the impact needed to challenge attitudes and discrimination or even to encourage interest and debate about attitudes and discrimination.
Well, that's my tuppence worth. Keep trying, keep improving.
Good news at last I hope
Its a great campaign and much needed
I got a link for time to change from another forum and while looking at the site and searching for something which would say there was a support group near to me I realised there is nothing for miles where I live.
I would dearly love to set up a support group in Glastonbury because since I came over to the southwest (where I was finally diagnosed with a personality disorder and Ptsd) There was very little help in the form of support groups and even less now!!!!
I attended AA for 9 years and yes it helped me enormously partly because it was ppl power, ppl listening to each other and offering some kind of help, whether that be friendship or just a nod of understanding or telling me that they have been there too and understand
But where to go to sit and talk with
ppl who have similar problems as myself because of mental health illness??
I want to help myself but I also know it is being in a group of some kind where we are all there to help ourselves and each other that would help me.
I sit and isolate every day at home there is nowhere to go for help or support apart from to my psychiatrist or my anger management counsellor once every couple of weeks.
I moved to Glastonbury before Christmas yet I sit in most of the time because I don't have anywhere to go or the impetus to do it.I have no daily supports.
My dearest wish is that this campaign helps ppl with mental health illness in small counties across the UK to set up self help groups.
If I could do this on my own I would but we all need each other at the end of the day and campaigns that will help us to help ourselves and each other on a daily basis.
Lets hope this campaign opens up doors for people with mental health illnesses so they can have a better quality of help and also much needed local support.
Bress
Advert
Have just viewed ad online...don't see much TV...18 year old son has mental health issues..suicidal. It's peole telling me what I ought to do that gets me. Eg.tell him he has to get a job, he can't just sit at home all day. Some peole have no idea what life is like for him and others..he would love to be well and able to leave the house and 'get a life'. I have seen how hard he tries. There are a lot of understanding people out there though.but as your ad shows..it is useless to tell peole to pull themselves together.
I hope Bress gets the support he is looking for.
Christina
ruthybogle
I don't see any events or even any listings for the North East...Newcastle, why is this? We are a major city and should be on the Mental Health map.
I have suffered from panic attacks for years but have struggled through and built myself a career when all I wanted to do was crawl in a hole. I don't feel that there was adequate help out there, when I was having episodes by the time a referral for counselling or cbt came through each time...if it came through at all, I had normally gone through hell with very dark times and the help was not there when I needed it. The nhs is totally under funded and un prepared for the ever increasing problem of mental health. I still suffer on and off and its a constant battle to stay well but I would probably come to a mental health even if it was held in my area. We need a voice.
I now work in a doctors surgery and am thinking of trying to get involved in some way...if I can help just 1 person it would be worth it.
KEEP PLUGGING AWAY AT GETTING MENTAL HEALTH DE STIGMATISED!
What a relief
I was moved to see your campaign advertisement this evening. Bringing about change for those who experience mental health issues is a remarkable objective. I fully support you and very much look forward to the very near future when mental health is no longer taboo; and society becomes educated enough to outway ignorance and prejudice. Personally, I will do all I can to help.
Other illnesses
This campaign is fantastic, and is coming at a time when I think people are becoming more open minded and understanding. It will take time for many to accept mental health illness as an illness and not an oddity and that is what I understand the purpose of Time to Change to be.
However please please can we highlight to the very people who's attitudes we are trying to change and who we want understanding from that mental health illness does cover more than depression and anxiety. When logging into the web-site my first reaction is I want to know what a mental health illness is. When scanning through the first page I pretty much think it’s all about depression and anxiety. There are so many illnesses coming under the mental health umbrella:
Eating disorders
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Schizophrenia
Personality disorder
Alzheimer's disease and dementia – Terry Pratchett
Postnatal depression
...... and many more
It is important that these other illnesses are not forgotten.
Fear and prejudice often come from not understanding.
Good timing!
Saw an ad on the back of a paper on the way to work the other day and it caught my eye. Then noticed the tube ads today while on my way to see a great therapist who, in combination with medication and wonderful supportive family, friends and colleagues is helping me over a case of "major depressive disorder"...
I could have been "Andy" from the What Would You Do scenarios: worked hard for years, bit of a perfectionist and have been very successful, but over the course of a few months things all just seemed to unravel... not sleeping, not eating, anxiety attacks, unable to concentrate, all feeding into a stream of negative thoughts that would compound one another.
Not having the slightest knowledge of depression I thought a couple of weeks off was what I needed but by that point things weren't quite that simple. I've been fortunate though - I had people around who I could talk to, particularly at work, who were able to point me in the direction of information and advice. The relief on discovering that I wasn't "cracking up", that it was surprisingly common, and eminently treatable was like a weight being lifted.
What is brilliant about the ad on the tube is that this is message it conveys, and that is why I'm making the effort to say "well done".
Obviously there's a bit more to getting back to normal health than just reading a web page or an advert, but who knows how long it might have been before I have walked into my GP to ask for help if I hadn't found the information which gave me the confidence to know I was making the right first step and I wasn't just going to be told to "pull yourself together".
I wish you the greatest of success. I was lucky with the support I had around me, but health shouldn't be a question of luck... I'm sure your campaign will help improve the odds.
Posters on the tube
On my way home from work I noticed posters with Stephen Fry and Ruby Wax on them. They are comedians I know and I enjoy watching both of them on TV. I felt so happy to see them standing up against mental illness discrimination, they are both thoroughly successful people and they prove that mental illness need not be a hindrance to having a fulfilling life. I have been through psychosis, schizophrenia and depression but I am ambitious and would like to work as a civil servant when I leave university. I support this campaign thoroughly as I do not see why mental illness should stop me (or anyone else) from trying to get ahead in life.
A/E add
I really identified with that add Its just a shame that even those in the caring profession don't. I ended up in A/E ,ITU and then a ward where I was treated appalingly, because I was seen as a nusience somebody who was taking up a needed bed. It was as though I was invisable. Nurses would come on duty say hello to those that needed to be there and ignore me. They didn't know my history or what had happened before, they judged me, and treated me like a lepper. We need to change this negative attitude, nurses are supposed to be non judgemental, and treat everybody according to the NMC's code of conduct. I am not blaming them because they are overworked, and underpaid and they dont get the respect or acknoledgement that they deserve. However your add is great and hopefully will be a gateway to all who work in the caring profession, and people need to know that mental ilness is not going to go away, but its going to get worse due to the life we lead. Like all, illness awareness is the key. Thanks.
Please excuse the spelling it is after 2am.
So pleased
I saw the billboard ad lastnight at the tube station and I thought it was fantastic. It made me smile all the way home! I saw one of the smaller ads in the lift at the tube station this morning on the way to work and I am just so pleased that this campaign has been launched. I have suffered anxiety and depression along with some of my friends and members of my family. We have all had experience of predjudice associated with our illnesses and this is absoultely unacceptable. Attitudes to these illnesses MUST change. This discrimination needs to be put to an end.
Well done and keep up the good work!
Rebecca
Wonderful news
I have now had the priviledge to work with acute mental health clients in occupational therapy, and I have met some of the nicest, sweetest, funniest, caring, intelligent people in those five years than i have met in my whole life. How my clients fight the constant battle with a recurring illness has me absolutely in awe. Its hell for them sometimes, and I think its way over due that the public perception of mental illness is re-educated. These people are not scarey, they are ill, it is our job as fellow humans to help them. I love working in partnership with them and helping them to achieve their goals, yes, sometimes they have funny ways....but dont we all? Come on Mr. Joe Public - take a deep breath and dive in, it could be you one day.
Good luck with the campaign everyone!!!
wonderfull news
i appreciate your new awareness to mental health illness and the fact you have realized that people with it are and can be anyone even yourself or a relative and have feelings like anyone else who should be treated with respect and discretion ,a long way off still i know but we live in hope
our eldest daughter has severe mental illness i found it harder to accept than i would have a physical illness mainly because i new what most peoples attitudes to her and us would be ,
its the unknown that frightens people not the person
Wonderful news
Hi, I am sorry but I have taken offense to you note with your use of words. "These people" were are not some kind of monster, "them" - we are Mental Health Users, and "they" again we are not a disease. I believe this is a classic example of stimga, dont you think.
Posters
Good to see posters throughout the underground. I have also had people calling me about the campaign. thinking I would be interested. Great stuff - onwards and upwards!
wow that ad was a trigger!
That was a super advertisement - I am a 41 yr old BiPolar Police Officer and when I saw it just now I was frozen to the spot. That guy was me. That was the first trigger I've felt that didn't nearly kill me.
Thanks.
saw the add on tv
Thank you
It about time something was done about mental health, to help people understand it is a medical condition, and can distroy people and familys lives, my sister and I both have mental health problem all so my sister daughter and my daughter suffer problems too. I'm quite strong minded and with medication I am in contol of my thoughts but other family members are not so lucky.
I will do anything to help
A Different Take
Saw this ad last night and I just froze - partially because I'm so glad the issue is finally getting decent publicity, but also because I recognised those comments as ones I make to myself.... I suddenly wondered if the prejudices we encounter against mental health problems can become so ingrained in us that it hampers our own recovery? I'm lucky that I've had good support and someone who tells me not to be so hard on myself....but if the sufferer is berating themselves because they're failing, because they can't 'pull themselves together', can't 'just get on'; then how easy it is for that belief to be reinforced from the outside until it simply is too much to bear.
tv ad
Thank you for the ad, I've got mental health problems and i have felt like i dont belong but the ad tells people, lets hope people get affected by it and stop the stigma
Thank you
Watching the advert featuring the A + E department where the employer is asked would they employ someone with depression, and if they answered no they would have regected Florence Nightengale was a spot on.
Thank you
FANTASTIC GET RID OF THE STIGMA
hi all
im was shocked and also pleased to see the advert,the stigma that goes with mental health is overpowering that it hurts like hell im 39 and have had mental heath problems since i was 15. i too like bagpuss have tried to end it.im covered in scars. we all hurt like hell......lets hope that things are starting to be turned around and be more understood and not fobed off or treated like a number a statistic...........
if any one wants to chat any time feel free im on bagpuss011@aol.com
all the best to u all
i love u all
and thank you
I just hope it will help
This campaign is long long overdue, I just fear that peoples prejudices will never change. But I think its great that finally something is being done about it.
i just hope it will help
i think peoples attitudes have and are changeing all the time towards mental health illnesses i worked in a mental health hospital in the late sixties and belive me attitudes have changed its just like all change its slow to happen
Mental Health Services etc.
This campaign is great, and long overdue, but I wonder whether all this energy might not be better expended on improving mental health services and getting rid of negative attitudes amongst medical professionals (including those who work in mental health) towards their patients.
Am a long-term member of a mental health support site, it is clear that the provision of mental health care in the UK is abysmal.
There are some truly wonderful people working in the field, but I have heard so many horror stories across the board. Indeed, this seems to be almost commonplace. People have to fight tooth and nail to get any help - when they are least able to.
Manageable illnesses develop, persist, worsen and become chronic under the current system. Until this is addressed I couldn't care less what the public think other than insofar as more funding needs to be allocated to this part of the NHS.
The Time to Change Advert
Hi Morrigan and Everyone else who reads this. I am so glad this ad was made,
because hopefully it will make people sit up and listen, like Morrigan I supported a site, and I would write in the forum and no-one actually replied or nothing seemed to be happening so I did not bother any longer. I have chronic depression and sometimes I just want to disappear from everyone. I have had it a long time and as I get older it seems as if I am getting worse but also what I feel is that people have the misconception that we the depressed can't or are not intelligent, but we are both clever and intelligent and if we are workers we are good all round workers. I know I am but even though I can say that, and to a certain extent I believe it, but because my depression is due to my lack of confidence and self esteem part of my brain does'nt and can't accept what nice things people say to me but again I think it's because people I was supposed to have trusted and did trust betrayed it and having so much negativity through my life it's hard to believe
any positives. there is a old saying self praise is no recommendation and thats all I ever had said to me by my late Mother if I tried to say something good about myself. I have to apologise for the long drawn out reply and thank you for reading this.
bolton based campaign
hey all, the names pete hopkinson and im a cyclothymic have been for years. after reading this site i have decided to run a bolton based campaign using the resources anyone in the bolton area want to help contact me on my personal email petehopkinson@sky.com
At last!
I saw the TV ad and then an ad in the newspaper and it prompted me to come to this website. I never knew that Ruby Wax has suffered with depression and it was almost a joy (if that's an appropriate word) to know that someone fairly high profile also had similar problems to myself and was comfortable/courageous enough to tell the world.
I hope that the ad campaigns at the very least show people what some people's symptoms can be so they can have some understanding. I never told my family I had depression but desperately wanted them to "guess" I wasn't well. (I feared that they would be horrified if they found out my mental state.)If perhaps they had seen this ad campaign when I was in the grips of it they might have noticed what was happening and tell me that it was ok and there was support.
Not Before Time
I am really pleased that finally mental illness is being addressed properly and I can only hope that more employers (as one example) take some notice of it and adopt a more understanding approach to any of their employees who are unfortunate enough to experience it. For far too long mental illness has been something to feel ashamed of - and the many thousands who suffer from it could be helped so much more if they could share and not feel embarrassed by it. I have battled with anxiety attacks for many years off and on and seem to have a hold on it now but this is largely thanks to a supportive partner and being introduced to hypnotherapy. I wish the campaign every success and with people clubbing together and helping each other than the easier it can be to get out of that horrible black void!!!!
TV advert
I saw the Time to Change TV advert for the first time today... which led me to this website straight away! I have suffered mental health issues for over 10 years now which have had a huge impact on my life... to the point that i have tried to end it on several occasions. I thought using the sentence of "for some its too much to bear" was SO good as it hits home the devastation that mental health problems can wreak on people's lives. I have 3 degrees and once had a successful career in the NHS and industry but thats all gone now, so has my house, car etc. etc. I've even lost friends because of it. I'm 37 and find myself having to try and rebuild my life knowing i will never function on the same level as i used to. I want other people to accept me for who i am now... even if i'm having trouble accepting myself... so this campaign to end the stigma attached to mental health problems is fantastic and one which i want to participate in... i've already applied to do a blog! Let's hope the campaign achieves its goals... and fast. Well done to everybody involved... and thank-you. Cat
Your post
Dear Bagpuss. I have just read your post and I wanted to share my experiences. I have suffered Anxiety and Depression, caused by stress, brought on by my military service. I too lost a well paid and responsible job, had to take a lower paid and less demanding one, and have recently lost that because of my illness. I am unemployed now and cannot see that changing. I also had recurrent suicidal thoughts. We are the poor relations of the health care industry. I hope this campaign helps raise the mental health-care agenda. Robbie.
Yes, well done. Long
Yes, well done. Long overdue, despite the excellent work of organisations such as Depression Alliance, Mind etc.
I, too, picked up on the same line, Bagpuss. Like you I have lost friends because of my own Depression and Anxiety as well as losing one permanently because of his own distorted view of himself. I am so grateful to those who have stuck by me, but I also miss friends from the past.
People ARE frightened, on different levels, and don't know what to do for the best to 'help' their friends. How much easier to help people with visible, physical problems!
I really hope this campaign makes people more aware
Good luck and thank you.
Long overdue!!
No prizes for guessing which I voted for!
I used to work with people who had severe learning difficulties, little did I know that down the line some folk would view me with the same biased and misinformed view...
Suffering from depression is a very lonely and dark place to be, every day I try to keep my mind busy enough so that it doesn't dwell on 'dark thoughts', but it is so easy to slip and all the tablets and counseling are often useless in those dark moments.
Looking for a job is a nightmare, because you know that you must tell them the truth, especially as many employers run stringent background checks, but by the same token, you are thinking 'if I mention that (in my case) I had a breakdown, will this lead to me not getting an interview or even being shortlisted??' Despite a lot of good words and logos saying 'positive about disability', you often wonder just 'how' positive they are going to be, especially now that there are so many unemployed, its an employers market!
Well two more applications in today...here's hoping. Lets educate people, from school upwards, I don't think it is ever to early to start as a lot of our prejudices I believe, start in school and if not corrected, will get carried on into adult life.
Sorry I've rambled enough, so much to say, but for the moment, well done guys, this site is a light in a very dark world.
PD
Yippee! at last some recognition!
Excellent, brilliant, so excited about the new campaign. Well done everyone.
I feel the same way as Bagpuss and phipotts24! I have lost friends, jobs and respect through BPD, anxiety and depression. I now wont be looked at, spoken to and treated badly once more people are aware of this...I hope!
If I can do anything to help, I will. And I will spread the word about this site. Thank you thank you thank you!!
Keep plugging,