Herefordshire Council is utilising World Mental Health Day to promote mental well-being within the county. During the next six months it will be working with partners to promote ways in which local people can promote their mental health. However as 1 in 4 of us will experience some form of mental health problems during our lives the campaign will also be promoting where people can get help.
The campaign will also seek to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and encourage people to ‘Take 10’, that’s just 10 minutes to have a meaningful conversation with a colleague, friend, neighbour or family member about their mental health.
Since the introduction of Basic Life Support and CPR without equipment in the 1960’s many people have benefited from the intervention of a passer-by, and lives have been saved.
The aim of the ‘Take 10’ mental health week campaign is to promote that every member of the general public can help others in the following ways:-
- Learn how to provide basic psychological and mental health first aid so that they can provide support to distressed individuals in the same way as they do in physical health crises
- Address the stigma associated with mental ill-health so that dignity is promoted and respected
- Empower people to take action to promote mental health
- Spread understanding of the equal importance of mental and physical health and their integration in care and treatment
Rod Thomson, director of public health for Herefordshire council said,
‘We all have a mental as well as physical health. Often it can be more difficult to identify the signs of mental ill health.”
“Triggers of mental ill health can be – Bereavement, relationship breakdown, having children and health scares or physical illness amongst other things. To address mental health we can all participate in the five ways to wellbeing, these are;
- Be active – regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups.
- Keep learning – Continues learning throughout life enhances self-esteem and encourages social interaction and a more active life.
- Connect – It's clear that social relationships are critical for promoting wellbeing and for acting as a buffer against mental ill health for people of all ages.
- Take notice – Reminding yourself to ‘take notice’ can strengthen and broaden awareness. Take some time to enjoy the moment and the environment around you.
- Give – Individuals who report a greater interest in helping others are more likely to rate themselves as happy. “
“So if you can, we’re asking, especially this week to ‘Take 10’ to have a meaningful 10-minute conversation with someone about their mental health - it could make a world of difference to them”
Councillor Patricia Morgan, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said
“One of the council’s main priorities is to help residents to live safe, healthy and independent lives, as such we are keen to promote the benefits of recognising and acknowledging the signs of mental ill health as mental poor health can lead to physical poor health.”