A guide to mental health awareness

Mental health awareness has drastically grown in recent years. The public is now more educated and more equipped to discuss, engage with, and tackle the myriad mental health challenges that face our communities. We have made so much welcome progress. But we need to go further. 

 

Increasing mental health awareness brings so many benefits. It draws attention to new treatments, helps people to find support, reduces the stigma, and so on. Considering that 1 in 6 people in England face mental health issues every single week, raising awareness is something that benefits all of us, whether directly or indirectly.

 

Charities and charity professionals can – and must – play a role in raising awareness around mental health. And that doesn’t just mean the charities specifically dedicated to mental health, but all charities, regardless of causes, shape, size, or function. We can all do more to support our volunteers, our employees, our services users, and ourselves. 

 

In this article, we offer a quick and simple guide to mental health awareness. We discuss, among other things, definitions of mental health, causes of mental health issues, the ways in which charities can bring awareness to mental health, and lists of vital resources and supporting charities. 

 

So, without further ado, let’s begin with some basic definitions. 

 

Skip to: What is mental health?

Skip to: What is mental health awareness?

Skip to: How to bring awareness to mental health

Skip to: The role of charities in mental health awareness

Skip to: A list of mental health charities

Skip to: Vital resources on mental health awareness

 

 

What is mental health?

 

Mental health is about our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. Our mental health affects how we think, feel, and act. It determines how we exist in the world, how we relate to others, how we handle stress, our ability to relax, and every other human interaction.  

 

Mental health is important at every stage of our existence. It affects us over the entire course of our lives, from cradle to grave, from birth until death, and our mental health is liable to change at any time due to various factors including loss and grief, genetic and biological changes, vocational changes, and so on. 

 

There are almost 300 mental disorders listed in the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) handbook. The main groups include: 

• Mood disorders 
• Anxiety disorders 
• Personality disorders 
• Psychotic disorders
• Trauma-related disorders 
• Substance abuse disorders 

The diagnosis of mental health conditions can prove controversial. There are long-standing debates in the medical community about what constitutes a mental illness. There are further debates in the wider public around the causes of mental illness, with arguments concerning the extent of societal and cultural impact

 

Some argue, for example, that many mental illnesses are social constructs, products of challenging social environments, but others point to the existence of mental illness across all cultures as an indication of the biological influences. The reality is likely a mixture of causes: biological, social, environmental, and so on.   

 

Putting causes to one side, individuals with an awareness of their mental health are usually in a better position to talk about mental health, get support for any mental health issues, and help others to improve their mental health.

 

In short, mental health awareness is essential for our collective wellbeing.

 

 

What is mental health awareness?

 

Mental health awareness is the act of learning and spreading accurate information with the goal of reducing stigma.

 

An awareness of mental health allows us to preserve our wellbeing, address potential problems, notice warning signs as they emerge, and help others to do the same. It is about opening conversations, engaging with our communities, and building tools to improve our individual and collective mental wellbeing.  

 

Mental health awareness specifically aims to improve the lives of people suffering from mental illness. Raising awareness helps people to find support, guidance, and treatment. And, as the statistics show, plenty of people in the UK and beyond can benefit from such support. Consider, for example:  

• 1 in 6 people report experiencing symptoms for common mental health problems, like anxiety and depression, in any given week in England 
• 1 in 5 people in England have suicidal thoughts 
• Nearly half of adults in England think they have a diagnosable mental health condition at some point in their life 
• 14.3% of deaths worldwide are attributable to mental disorders  

Then consider two final statistics: 

• 98% of people agree that mentally ill people experience stigma and discrimination 
• Nearly 9 out of 10 people with mental health problems say stigma and discrimination have a negative effect on their lives 

One of the main goals of mental health awareness is to address these final two statistics. The goal of mental health awareness is to reduce stigma and discrimination around mental health, improve the wellbeing of our communities, ensure that people are aware that help is available, and broadly improve human life.

 

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How to bring awareness to mental health

 

Now that we’ve explored the basic definition of mental health, as well as the reasons why mental health awareness is so important, we can look at some practical steps your organisation needs to take to bring a greater awareness of mental health.  

 

 

Educate yourself on mental health 

 

You cannot raise awareness of mental health without an initial understanding of mental health. People involved in mental health awareness need to learn about the issues involved, familiarise themselves with the statistics, grasp the key challenges, read about applicable and relevant disorders, and improve their broad understanding.  

 

There are lots of places to learn about mental health, many of which we highlight below in our resources section. But you can also learn the old-fashioned way: reading books from your local bookstore, charity shop, or local library.

 

There are plenty of incredible books to help you stay up-to-date on the latest developments around mental health, some of which are broad, others specific. Here is a small selection of our favourites:

• The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress, as well as learning about the social impacts
• Bipolar Disorder: The Ultimate Guide by Sarah Owen and Amanda Saunders gives readers a broad range of expert opinion, numerous real-life voices, and personal experiences from people living with bipolar
• Hope and Help for Your Nerves by Dr Claire Weekes provides important information on anxiety disorders, showing people how to work through feelings of worry, panic, and general anxiety 
• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb teaches us to comprehend the general impact of therapy, why it’s helpful, and how it can improve our overall wellbeing 
• This is Depression by Dr Diane McIntosh provides a compassionate guide to one of the most stigmatised (and common) mental illnesses in the UK 
• How I Learned to Live with Panic by Claire Eastham is an accessible and reassuring examination of panic and gives readers practical and relieving advice on management 
• Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? By Dr Julie Smith gives readers tools to help work through life’s ups and downs, filled with great information straight from a therapist’s toolkit 

That is just a short and basic list. But there are plenty of articles that provide more comprehensive guides to reading about mental health – including ones from Penguin, Healthline, Waterstones, BookTrust, and Cosmopolitan – but the important part is doing the actual reading.  

 

Pick the books that are most relevant to you, whether broad or narrow in subject matter, and learn all the necessary information to help you raise awareness. And, again, check out below to find other resources.

 

 

Work to reduce mental health stigma

 

Stigma is when someone views you in a negative way because you have a characteristic or personal trait that’s thought to be, or actually is, a disadvantage. One core example of stigma around mental health is when people use the labels of ’dangerous’ and ’crazy’ rather than simply unwell to describe people with mental illness. Another example is when people suggest people with mental illness are weak or incompetent, or cowardly for seeking help.

 

Stigma often involves stereotypes aimed at undermining or hurting the person. The stereotypes are often lazy and harmful, usually used by individuals who are either ignorant, misinformed, or aiming to harm with misinformation.

 

Some of the consequences of stigma include:

• General reluctance to look for help, guidance, or treatment 
• An unwillingness to accept mental illness or seek diagnoses
• Lack of understanding by family, friends, colleagues, or others
• Trouble with bullying, name calling, and even physical violence
• Health insurance that doesn’t adequately cover your mental illness treatment
• Low self-esteem, low self-confidence, and low self-worth
• Increased psychiatric problems and less chance of effective recovery
• The belief that you’ll never succeed at certain challenges or that you can’t improve your situation

Knowledge of mental health is an essential tool. Once you’re equipped, you can start to reduce stigma. And, thankfully, you’ll be joining a cause that’s already seen huge progress. Consider these statistics from HealthPartners, for example, which track stigma around mental health from between 2017 and 2019. 

• More people feel comfortable talking with someone about their mental illness (66% to 71%) 
• More people say they would tell friends if they had a mental illness (34% to 41%) 
• Fewer people say they would be reluctant to seek help (50% to 46%) 

The statistics are corroborated by the JAMA Network Open, which tracked trends in public stigma towards mental health in the US from 1996-2018 and found significant decreases in stigma, especially towards depression.

 

And, similarly, a study published in the European Journal of Public Health found that stigma around mental health is declining, while noting certain disparities based on age and region. 

 

To eliminate stigma, you need to start open and honest conversations. Choose your words carefully, opting for positive language that serves to amplify issues without denigrating them. Reach out to your communities with positive communication, showing that you’re open to discussing mental health.

 

Always employ honesty and kindness when speaking to others about mental health. If you feel comfortable, make the communication personal, detailing your own journey of recovery, however far you’ve progressed. And, of course, ensure that you include everyone. There is no place for exclusion in raising awareness of mental health.

 

 

Start with yourself and your organisation

 

Everyone needs to support mental health awareness – and that starts with you. Charities and other organisations need to take positive steps to raising awareness of mental health, ensuring open discussions, the reduction of stigma, and allowing positive steps to enhance and safeguard wellbeing.

 

The first step is improving communication. You need to make sure that everyone in your organisation feels comfortable discussing mental health. That might not necessarily mean discussion in an open forum – some people will seldom feel comfortable doing so – but at least the ability to raise mental health issues with managers.

 

Stress is particularly problematic in the workplace – and some companies, consciously or not, reward stress or the causes of stress – so organisations should open dialogue and make everyone comfortable.

 

Then they should start changing policies. Mental health should receive parity with physical health – and that should be reflected in HR policies. Organisations should work to embed wellbeing into everything they do, from strategy to working hours to HR policies to employee handbooks. All skills programmes, onboarding, and awareness training should involve elements of mental health awareness, further ensuring both open discussion and practical steps for all.

 

It’s also vital that leaders lead on wellbeing. Research from BUPA, for example, found that 42% of board-level executives felt their reputation would be harmed if it became known they were struggling with mental health issues. What’s more, 39% said they would not seek help for fear of it impacting their social or professional standing.

 

If leaders are unwilling to engage with wellbeing, others in the organisation may follow suit, so they should be open and honest about their own journeys, reducing stigma and paving the way for others to follow.

 

It is worth mentioning that organisations benefit from mental health awareness. Organisations that are open about mental health and provide wellbeing support tend to have greater productivity, for example. Indeed, research showed that FTSE 100 companies that prioritise employee mental wellbeing outperform the rest of the FTSE 100 by 10%.  

 

Organisations also found greater talent acquisition and staff retention. A study conducted by Limeade found, for example, that nine out of ten employees would recommend their employer to a friend if they felt their mental health was supported.

 

On top of that, the costs of absenteeism and staff turnover add up, all of which can be reduced by paying attention to employee wellbeing.

 

 

The role of charities in mental health awareness

 

Charities serve their communities, often in areas that people in power neglect. Mental health is an area that demands more government support, but that support does not seem imminent. At present, it is estimated that three in four people with a mental health problem in the UK receive little or no treatment. And many of the people receiving help will have drastically different outcomes, showing clear disparities and, simply, not enough action from the powerful.

 

The charity sector helps communities to meet challenges. And mental health issues are a huge challenge, though often neglected simply because the problem has not received enough attention. That’s why charities need to work hard to raise awareness around mental health, and raise funds to support mental health, ensuring that people in power pay attention, people with problems get the right support, and the general public receive the right information.

 

Charities, whether they like it or not, lead the way. People follow our example. That’s why we serve such an important function around mental health and mental health awareness. By taking positive steps, by educating ourselves and others, by lobbying and changing our internal organisations, we can show others the path ahead and broadly improve mental health for everyone.

 

 

A list of fantastic mental health charities

 

The present article has aimed to draw attention to mental health awareness, giving definitions, showing the role of charities, and offering some easy steps. But there are so many incredible and inspiring people who work so hard to improve mental health in the UK and beyond.

 

Below is a list of some of the charities that are doing amazing work in mental health support, dedicating their time and resources to help improve mental wellbeing. Here is a short list of some notable (and wonderful) organisations: 

• Anxiety UK 
• Bipolar UK 
• Beat
• CALM 
• Mental Health Foundation 
• Mind 
• Nightline Association
• No Panic 
• OCD UK 
• PAPYRUS 
• Rethink Mental Illness 
• Samaritans 
• Shout 
• The Mix 
• YoungMinds 

The above is by no means an exhaustive list. But, thankfully, Mind has put together a more comprehensive list that includes charities dealing with so many different areas of mental health.

 

 

Vital resources on mental health awareness

 

All the above charities, and many more, offer essential resources to ensure people have the right mental health awareness. There are so many resources that can help others to boost mental health awareness and to help people who are suffering from mental health issues. Below we list some of the resources that we’ve seen: 

• The NHS is one of the most important resources for people to learn and seek help for mental health problems. They have a list of mental health resources and services that can help you find local support, learn more about particular conditions, and so much more 
• Mental Health UK has listed loads of downloadable resources that can help people to manage their mental health, ranging from conversation guides on wellbeing plans and so much more 
• Mental Health Matters has published a list of resources, downloadable leaflets, and websites about different mental health problems ranging from crisis management, LGBTQ+ mental health, hoarding disorder, and more 
• Mind has published ‘Online mental health tools’ that provide vital support on many essential topics, from online therapy through to social media and relevant blogs, vlogs, and podcasts 
• Living Life to the Full offers readers a free library on online resources and courses that teach a range of life skills that aim to improve wellbeing and resilience throughout life 
• Anna Freud has loads of helpful resources including posters and leaflets that have been designed to help organisations signpost services and display them around their workspaces  
• Devon Partnership and the NHS provide a comprehensive range of self-help guides that cover topics including low mood, anxiety, stress, panic, as well as sleep problems 
• Mood Gym provides a specialised service that helps you learn cognitive behaviour therapy skills to prevent, manage, and cope with depression  
• The World Health Organisation has published various resources to help keep you mentally health and reduce stress, including an illustrated guide to stress reduction 
• YoungMinds has published a range of information, advice, and resources, including wellbeing activities, toolkits, and webinars to help you support the young people in your lives 
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