Did you know that it is estimated that 1 in 6 people in the past week have experienced a common mental health problem? Mental health is something that affects everyone in some kind of way, and according to MHFA England 1 in 4 people experience mental health issues each year, and their website states that “Mental illness is the second-largest source of burden of disease in England. Mental illnesses are more common, long-lasting and impactful than other health conditions.”

Even though we talk about mental health much more often than in the past, it is still not enough and is still rife with misrepresentation and misinformation. Education is essential, particularly in regard to the pandemic that we are currently living through, mental health has been referred to as a crisis and, as referred to by the UN a “parallel pandemic”. This can be for various reasons, older people being all alone in their houses unable to have visitors can cause extreme loneliness, the many families who were unable to say goodbye to their loved ones, or simply the chaos that everyday life has been thrown into – all of these factors can be extremely detrimental to a person’s mental health, something that is reflected in high suicide rates and resulting in many people speaking out.

While it is 2021 and there is much less stigma and misinformation surrounding mental health, there are still significant incorrect portrayals of mental illness. Shows such as 13 reasons why have been accused of romanticising mental illnesses such as depression and portraying it in a way that almost glamorises it, something that is even more concerning as, even though it is rated an age 18, it has a great deal of younger viewers who can be easily impressionable. Accurate representation of mental is vital for not just those who suffer from it but also for the education of the general public.

There are various ways that we can help those suffering from mental health issues, such as, checking in on friends and family and stopping treating mental health as simply an excuse and being educated and aware of the issues surrounding mental health and the ways that we can assist those who do suffer from the issues and realities that do surround mental health and mental illness.

https://mhfaengland.org/mhfa-centre/research-and-evaluation/mental-health-statistics/#perceptions

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/statistics-and-facts-about-mental-health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/