Monday, 2 November 2015
Last August comedy actor Robin Williams shockingly took his own life by hanging himself after years of suffering mental health and depression issues. His battles with addiction were well documented but few knew that he was still troubled by demons that led him to take his own life at the age of 63.
3 days before Christmas last year, former footballer Clarke Carlisle threw himself in front of a moving lorry in a suicide bid. It later emerged that Carlisle had been charged with drink driving a couple of days earlier. In 2013 he presented a TV documentary where he spoke about his own and other footballers battles with depression.
Last week performer Professor Green appeared in television programme where he spoke about his Fathers suicide after a long battle with mental health issues.
Mental health does not only affect the rich, famous and successful. It has no prejudice. Old, young, rich, poor, males and females are all susceptible to the crippling effects of it.
Today over 200 high-profile celebrities started a campaign for parity between mental health issues and physical health issues. Former mental health minister Norman Lamb, Conservative MP and former whip Andrew Mitchell and ex Blair advisor Alastair Campbell launched the campaign.
The Government increased its spending on mental health to over £11b recently, but Mr Lamb said that people with mental health problems don’t get the same right to access treatment on a timely basis that everyone else gets.
The campaign which has been backed by politicians, musicians, sportsmen and women as well as famous names from stage and screen highlights the lack of access to treatment, particularly for children. It says that 3 out of 4 children with mental health problems are receiving no treatment at all. These figures are shocking and cannot be ignored.
In recent years there has been an increase in public figures openly admitting to such problems but there is still huge stigma attached to the illness with many ashamed, afraid or simply unable to admit it. This can’t go on.
Comedienne, Ruby Wax who has struggled for years with depression said that depression was like the Devil has Tourette’s inside your head. She told ITV news that mental health leads to physical health issues. She said there would be less of a burden on the NHS if there was earlier intervention as many mental health issues cause other chronic health issues such as heart disease, dementia and some cancers. .
Many employers have poor or no knowledge of the illness and many feel awkward or out of their depth when dealing with such issues in the workplace despite disciplinary action due to mental health related time off being on the increase and I believe trade unions can play a part in this trend being reversed.
There needs to be open and honest debate publicly, in the workplace, in the houses of parliament, on TV and in living rooms, and even in class rooms up and down the country. By making it acceptable we can make it easier to gain access to help.
It is ludicrous that people are reluctant to talk about what is simply an illness. Men and women would have no hesitation in talking about their arthritis or gout but will not admit to their closest friends that they are depressed. This can change. This must change.
Jason Holyhead 