Hello everyone,
in this month’s blog post we will discuss the term of being ‘mentally healthy’, how to recognise people who may be struggling with their mental health and what we can do to support them.
It is important to remember that having a strong mental health doesn’t just mean that you don’t have any mental health problems. Your mental health doesn’t always stay the same, but it changes with circumstances and even as we get older. We all have experienced a down day or feeling stressed and usually these feeling pass with time. However, in some cases these feeling can override all the positive emotions what can develop in a more serious problem, and this can happen to anyone.
Unfortunately, there is still a lot of stigma around mental health, making people uncomfortable thinking or talking about it [1].
However, sometimes even a short conversation with another person may be enough to make a great difference in someone else's life. Therefore, the Mental Health Awareness Month is encouraging people to recognize how they are feeling and share it with others.
This year the theme of the World Mental Health Day was focused on raising awareness about the rising number of suicides and our role in preventing it. It was estimated that every 40 seconds someone loses their life to suicide, yet this can be prevented [2].
Although, every person is different, there are some warning signs of suicide that could be used as an indicator whether a person may be in acute danger. These include:
Talking about wanting to die
Talking about feeling hopeless
Talking about being a burden to others
Acting anxious, restless and agitated
Feeling lonely and isolated [3]
What can we do?
The Mental Health Foundation has come up with 4 pieces of advice that we can use to support another person who may be having suicidal thoughts:
W- Watch out for signs of distress and uncharacteristic behaviour
A- Ask “are you having suicidal thoughts?”
I- It will pass – assure your loved one that, with help, their suicidal feelings will pass with time
T- Talk to others – encourage your loved one to seek help from a GP or health professional [4]
Although, starting a conversation about suicide may seem scary, the more people are willing to talk to their friends or family about suicidal thoughts, the more likely they can help someone get the support they need. If you are feeling suicidal or you think someone else might be please reach out for help by contacting any of these hotlines:
Calling 999/ going to A&E
Samaritans: call 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org
Papyrus: supporting young people who are worried about how they are feeling, call 0800 068 4141 or email pat@papyrus-uk.org
Keep an eye out for our next blog post and keep following our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts (@altpharmcareers) for regular updates on new and exciting events we’re planning for next year!
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