Let’s talk mental health

 How many of us have heard of mental health?  It’s becoming more and more of a common problem in todays increasingly difficult times.  Workplaces and schools advertise “mental health matters” and “mental health awareness week” but when it comes down to it what does it mean and do they support you?

Have you ever had to take time off work, school or college with mental health problems?  Were you treated with respect and care or were you made to feel you had done something wrong?  Schools send out fines to parents for poor attendance, work places issue warnings for your attendance not being up to standard.  Does this help or does this make the student/employee feel even more useless, even more unsupported and under valued?

What can be done in these situations to make things a little easier?  A little bit of compassion and understanding maybe.  Finding out what help or support the individual may need.  Not handing out punishments for something that essentially you cannot control and let’s face it you don’t want to live with.  An unsupported person can be on the road to feeling slightly better and being handed a punishment in the form of warnings or fines can make them feel like they are back at square one.  Something needs to be done to stop the stigma and make sure people are treated fairly and with kindness and compassion, not to be made to feel they have done something wrong.