Thursday, January 30, 2014

One Million Conversations #TimetoTalk

The excellent Time to Change campaign, which focuses on ending the stigma around mental health, has hit on a simple and superb idea. 6th February (Thursday next week) is Time To Talk day, with the aim of 1 million conversations around the country about mental health. Here's a bit of the blurb:

As part of our national advertising campaign, we want to get more people talking about mental health than ever before. We're aiming to spark one million conversations. And we need your help to get there!
Sometimes it's the little things we do that make a big difference to someone who's experiencing a mental health problem - like having a chat over a cuppa, sending a text or inviting someone out. So, on Time to Talk Day we’re encouraging people to do just that.
This can involve school, workplace, a local cafe or the kitchen table, and there are various resources, posters etc. which you can get from the site. There was even an ad for it on Dave last night. 
We have a national problem at the level both of resources, and of understanding. 'Care in the community' is a lottery depending on how many friends you have and how courageous individuals can be in talking about what's going on inside their heads. Many do a great but draining job of hiding their sufferings. Meanwhile, despite fine words from the government, mental health services are being cut
In this context, one conversation doesn't sound like much, but it might be a lifesaver.

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