BROADCAST BITS: Suicide, Mental Health and Men

A report for BBC Radio 4's 'The World Tonight' programme as part of a series I produced looking at male suicide and mental health.

listen to ‘Suicide, Mental Health and Men’ on Audioboo

The death of Robin Williams has once again highlighted the issues of suicide and depression. 

Here in the UK, it's already the biggest killer of men under the age of 35. Charities believe it's because males aren't able to speak up when they're struggling with issues such as debt, unemployment and mental health problems.

Despite a lack of funding for mental health services, work is now being done in Staffordshire, where the number of suicides has more than doubled in the last decade. The BBC's Sarah Robertson reports:

(Broadcast on The World Tonight on BBC Radio 4 - August 2014)

You can hear the whole 'Talking about Suicide' series on BBC Radio Stoke's AudioBoo account: HERE

How aware are you?

Did you know?  1 in 4 people will suffer from a mental health related illness at some point in their lives.

Tomorrow (Monday 10th October 2011)  is World Mental Health Day and the start of OCD Awareness Week. An important week to raise awareness of mental health issues globally and hopefully reduce the stigma surrounding mental health. 

This year the theme is "Investing in mental health".  The World Health Organisation states that; "Financial and human resources allocated for mental health are inadequate especially in low resource countries. The majority of low- and middle-income countries spend less than 2% of their health budget on mental health.

FACT: Many countries have less than one mental health specialist per one million population. Even a considerable part of the limited resources is spent on large mental hospitals and not for services delivered through community and primary health care.

I have suffered with mental health problems since the age of 8, along with friends and family who have battled (and still battle) with OCD, depression, eating disorders and anxiety. They are some of the strongest people I know.

It is definitely something I feel strongly about and it is time that people try and understand the battle people suffering with any mental illness go through on a daily basis. Remember, just because you can't SEE someone hurting, doesn't mean they are not hurting.

For more information or support visit OCD-UK or join the Facebook group 

For more information and fact sheets on mental health visit the website or join the Facebook group

Depression, Divorce and Dress Fittings

So, a week in to being the ripe old age of twenty six and, my gosh is life more complicated than a decade ago. Not only is my life more often than not in some type of trauma or crisis, but my friends around me seem to be suffering from some sort or mid-to-late-20s breakdown slash life laundry process. Although at the moment I really hope it's a quick wash...

There seem to be two main types of 26. One is planning her wedding, trying for babies or buying houses. The other, myself included, still doesn't know what she wants to do, is single non-committal-but-having-fun type of relationship girl, really wants to earn more and sees her beauty and psycho therapists once a week.  The third group, which is thankfully smaller, is getting divorced already. 

Whilst lying in bed watching women younger than me give birth on C4's 'One Born Every Minute' I do often wonder why there is such a split in lifestyle at this time in our lives?

Take me friends and me for example. I am single. Not happy in my job. Not earning enough money and not meeting worthwhile men. But kinda okay with it all.  Then meet my friends;

One friend, I'll call her A, is going through a sticky divorce, has two children and lost her Dad last year. She's had an eating disorder and has suffered from depression.

Another, friend B in this case, is getting married, wants kids soon after but gets constant crap from her employer, we are regularly in tears to each other on the phone.

Friend C has been signed off from work with depression and recently been prescribed anti-Ds to help her get through a mess of a situation with a recently rekindled relationship with a man who had an 8 month affair last year. He too has a big mess to deal with. 

D hasn't spoken to me for over a year now, she was sectioned under the mental health act for anorexia, bulimia and depression to name a few. I hate this.

The lovely E is getting married, shes still crazy and works her arse off, she owns her house, has a brand new car and loves her job. Most people would envy her. I know she also has issues, has been depressed and a war is brewing with her sisters. Watch this space.

Then there is F, she is expecting her first baby, lives with her long term boyfriend and seems really happy. Bless. 

I am left wondering what I want. Where I want to be and who I want to be WITH. I need to get over this commitment phobia I seem to have developed, stop working so hard and let myself go a bit. Or, I could just get a cat? 

Teenage Trauma: Feature Series

Sometimes life just totally sucks as a teenager, but sometimes it can get more serious than anyone could ever imagine. For Becky, it took over her life. Read her story...

“Cutting Myself Helped Me Escape”

After her Mum left, Becky thought self-harm was the only way to cope...

“Looking back its crazy how things got so bad, but at the time I felt as if cutting myself was the only thing that stopped my life spiralling out of control.

“I was 14 when my Mum sat me and my brother down in the kitchen to tell us she was leaving. It was a huge shock to everyone, but she said she felt trapped and had to leave.

“We‟d always had a perfect family and I was even teased at school for my dream life with designer clothes and big house, but from that moment I knew that life was never going to be the same again.

Download the full feautre here