Is Being Aware of Mental Health Enough?

Or should we concentrate more on mental health services?

Photo by Jon Butterworth on Unsplash

Spreading awareness of mental health is a good thing. The more people talk about it and understand it the better. It’s a way of breaking down the stigma associated with mental health conditions.

But being aware of mental health is not the only aspect. We should be concentrating more on how to solve mental health problems.

What we need are better solutions to the problem. Better help, better services and quicker response times when someone asks for help.

The advice if you are suffering from a mental health problem is to ask for help. But what happens next?

We tell people to talk about it and don't be afraid to seek help. But the sad truth is when someone does reach out and ask for help they are passed on or ignored!

There are many examples of people that are so depressed and lost that ending their lives seems the only answer.

When they go and seek help in desperation they either don't get taken seriously or are passed on to another department.

I’ve heard of people being refused medication and then been expected to wait months for an appointment with a health professional.

I understand that medication is not the answer in the long term. But in the short term when someone is in the most desperate situation mentally, medication could save their life!

I’ve heard of people so desperate for help that they have gone to the accident and emergency department only to be turned away and told to make an appointment with their doctor in the morning.

Sometimes those people don't see the morning!

It’s not good enough!

Something has to change. Their needs to be a system where when people reach out for help they get it.

I don't know what the answer is, but it needs better funding and quicker response times.