Do you suffer from a mental health issue or know somebody who does? This blog will give you some valuable information about mental health & the effect it has on people, along with my own personal insight as well as well-known celebrities.
There are many different types of mental health issues that affect many of us daily. Whether it be you with the mental health issue, a family member or close friend it still has an effect on us. Types of mental health can range from the following;
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Eating disorders
- Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Dementia
- Personality Disorder
- Schizophrenia
There are many more also. Each type of mental health issue is very different. They will have different symptoms and affect us in different ways. Mental health problems are very common, they effect 1 in every 4 people in the UK alone each year, the overall number of people with mental health issues is not yet growing rapidly over the last few years but worries such as money, work and benefits are making it harder for people to cope. A survey taken in 2009 showed that the following mental health issues are common;
- Depression affects 2.6 out of 100 people
- Anxiety affects 4.7 out of 100 people
- Mixed anxiety and depression affects 9.7 out of 100 people
- Phobias affect 2.6 out of 100 people
- OCD affects 1.3 out of 100 people
- Panic Disorder affects 1.2 out of 100 people
- Post-traumatic stress disorder affects 3.0 out of 100 people
- Eating disorders affect 1.6 out of 100 people
So, from this you can see just how many of us across the world may be battling a mental health issues each day. People should not have to suffer in silence which is why I say; ‘let’s talk about it.’ Recently in the news we have seen many celebrities supporting and discussing mental health issues and how it has affected them as well as others. A short list of celebrities who have suffered from mental health issues are;
- Will Young – Singer – Anxiety
- James Arthur – Singer – Suicidal Thoughts
- Cara Delevingne – Model – Depression
- Amanda Seyfried – Actress – Anxiety
- Nicole Scherzinger – Singer – Bulimia
- K Rowling – Author – Depression
- David Beckham – Footballer – OCD
- Kate Winslet – Actress – Eating Disorder
So many celebrities who some look up to & see as their idols also suffer from mental health issues. It is nothing to be ashamed of & it is time we all helped one another & speak out to seek help & guidance. In a recent conversation between Lady Gaga and Prince William, Lady Gaga spoke up about mental health & problems she has had in the past. Prince William also spoke about his views on the matter. This was all over the news & gave mental health a small bit of air time although it deserves a lot more.
My experiences of mental health
I myself fortunately do not suffer from any sort of mental health problem, I have felt anxious but that does not mean I suffer from anxiety. However, my partner of 3 years suffers with crippling anxiety & is on medication to try & reduce it. Every day is a battle for her but she always tries her best with everything. She lives with this every day & I see the effects it can have on her, when suffering from a bad anxiety she wants to be locked away in a room where nobody can see her. Many things can cause her anxiety, an example of this is the door knocking or the phone ringing due to past personal experiences I will not go into detail about. She describes her anxiety to me & how it makes her feel – it feels like its crushing her chest inside, she gets a rash over her chest area, as well as shortness of breath due to panicking. Every day is different but we never know what to expect, to the norm maybe the littlest thing could trigger the anxiety but to those suffering it is a very big deal. I am so proud of her, each & every day she fights this anxiety, at one point she felt as if she couldn’t work but with my support along with her family she now has a part time job as a sales consultant. Constantly fighting demons in her head, she gave me this quote – “Anxiety can be a lifelong battle between irrational and rational thoughts that can dominate your life.”
Another example of my experience with mental health is my nan. Over the last year, her mental health has been slowly deteriorating which is down to the early stages of dementia. The change in her has been significant & she now struggles to remember things that happened minutes ago. When visiting her at home, she can ask the same questions 3-4 times in an hour. Being an elderly lady she also struggles to walk now & uses her stick for support. A recent example of how significantly her health has changed is – my mom was going to my nans to cook her tea & stop the night as she cannot be left alone for long periods of time now, upon arrival my mom let herself into the house to find that my nan was nowhere to be seen. In this instance, my mom started to panic & get upset calling her siblings & other family members to see if she was with them which she wasn’t. Just as my mom was locking the door to go out looking for her my nan was walking back toward the house. After a big sigh of relief my mom asked her where she had been to which she replied, “I went to look for your dad he was meant to be back from work hours ago” but my granddad unfortunately passed away 8 years ago. Confused she got upset saying ‘nobody told me’ which was heart breaking for us all to witness. It effects all the family members greatly each day but no more than my mom and my auntie who share both swap nightly sleeping down my nans with her. As well as juggling their own lives with work & other duties they also spend most the day with my nan & then one of them also sleeps too. Due to a disagreement, this will be the arrangement for the foreseeable future as we don’t want to see my nan in a care home with her thinking were leaving her but there is only so much more my mom and auntie can take juggling this hectic lifestyle.
I feel for anyone who is living with any sort of mental illness but do not shy away, there are millions worldwide suffering also & we can all offer our support & knowledge to one another.
Thank you for reading.
