World Menatal Health 2023

Today is World Mental Health Day 2023 and the theme this year is “Mental health is a universal human right”. This means that “Everyone, whoever and wherever they are, has a right to the highest attainable standard of mental health. This includes the right to be protected from mental health risks, the right to available, accessible, acceptable, and good quality care, and the right to liberty, independence and inclusion in the community.” (WHO)

Did you know that, in 2019, NHS England produced a report stating that “people with SMI [severe mental illness] have 15 to 20 years shorter life expectancy than the general population. Most of this reduced life expectancy is due to a higher rate of physical conditions such as cardiovascular disease. Some of the drugs used to treat SMI can cause obesity and thus increase cardiovascular risk……. All people with SMI should be offered an annual physical health check.”? I was diagnosed with SMI 22 years ago and, other than regular blood tests I need to have, I can only remember having a handful of physical health checks.

Gov.uk stats show that “out of all ethnic groups, black people were most likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act in the year to March 2022, with 342 detentions per 100,000 people”.

WHO state that key messages we need to understand this WMHD include:

“Good mental health is an integral part of our overall health and wellbeing.
Mental health is a universal human right.
Everyone has the right to access quality mental health care.
Mental health conditions are a significant threat to the wellbeing of young people.
We must challenge the stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health.
We all have the right to live independently and be included in the community.
Good quality community mental health services and supports are crucial for all our futures.
Recognising mental health as a universal human right empowers people to stand up for their rights – and for those around them.
You might know your mind – but do you know your rights? Every person’s mind is wonderful, complex and different. But our rights are the same.”

We are a long way from achieving this aim. One way to get closer is to share, have conversations, keep mental health front and centre in the international conversation.

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I have never had a physical either.
Happy World Mental Healrh day. Wouldn't it be wonderful if these ideals were actually achieved

Yes it would!

You may be aware of the struggles I have had regarding getting the right care over the years and since receiving an ASD diagnosis that has only complicated things more. Mental Health services do not support autism related issues but how do you separate the two when the difficulties I have due to autism is a part of the cause of my mental health condition? Depression is common in people on the spectrum and difficulty in processing emotions rationally makes it so hard to combat. It doesn’t help that CBT is the main treatment program, however is has been shown that autistic people find it more difficult to cope with CBT.

When I was pregnant with my second and last child I was given psychiatric help due to previously having PND after my first child’s birth. Ironically I wasn’t actually all that bad during that time yet got the best level of support available. Over time my mental health deteriorated severely to the point were I was barely functioning and I reached out for help. I had health visitors, social workers, family support staff and my GP all writing letters supporting my need for secondary services. They were all totally shocked when I was turned down having seen just how bad things were for me. My youngest son is now almost 16 years old. 16 years of fighting the system, screaming for the right sort of help. Over that time there have been several visits to A&E, including for self harm and suicide attempts. I’ve walked to the hospital at midnight to speak to the crisis team face to face. The follow up support has been lacking. 3 months ago I was in hospital and advised to contact Healthy Minds aka NHS Talking Therapies. Needless to say I was in a pretty desperate place. I’ve had a couple of conversations with the team over the past 3 months and I’m still waiting to be offered some kind support from them. Other people I know have been contacted and offered help within 10 days!!! It’s great that there is help for mild to moderate mental health issues to prevent the need for more intense treatments. I totally support that, however their are so many people like myself who are too ill for the GP to help but not ill enough for secondary services. who are stretch way too far, to step in and provide support.

I truly appreciate the NHS service and they really do the best they can with the funding they’ve got but Mental Health services need a bigger budget in order to help people like me.