It's Time to Talk...
Ford UK have partnered up with mental health awareness organisation Time To Change to launch an initiative encouraging people to speak more openly about metal health rather than battling it alone.
One in four people in the UK experience mental health problems, showing how much of a big problem mental health issues are, yet how little we hear about them. Young men are deemed especially vulnerable with only a third of men feeling comfortable about openly discussing their issues.
The Elephant In The Transit is a campaign to help men feel comfortable about discussing their issues with family, friends or work colleagues whilst your shoulder to shoulder on a journey in a vehicle, somewhere you can feel safe and secure.
Ford and Time To Change have also put together five top tips as a starting point for people to spot the signs of mental health and how to offer the necessary support:
- Start small by dropping them a call or a text
- Find a good time and place
- Go for a coffee
- Ask how they are and listen without judging or interrupting
- Treat them the same as you always have, they are the same person who you know and love
Remember that it is often people that we least suspect who are suffering the most. We need to make mental health awareness more open and less stigmatised, meaning that people feel more comfortable and confident to speak about their issues.
As well as this, different people exhibit different symptoms and deal with them in a whole host of ways. Did you know, for instance, that outward signs of panic attacks aren't just shaking and having trouble breathing? People experience panic attacks in a huge number of ways, including zoning out and isolating themselves, feeling dizzy or faint, or even feeling cold.
Thankfully, we are hearing more and more about helping with mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, but there is a wide spectrum of mental illnesses that we need to learn about and understand. Borderline Personality Disorder, known as BPD, is the most stigmatised and misunderstood. Knowing about symptoms and being understanding towards those you know with mental illnesses is hugely important.
If you have a friend, family member or colleague you are worried about, you can get advise from Time To Change here >> https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/
