Suzie Vestri: People experiencing mental ill-health should not be afraid to speak about their problems

Published on Monday 16 January 2012 13:59

NO-ONE is immune from mental ill-health – it can affect any of us. Andrew Flintoff’s recent film for the BBC showed that elite sportsmen, who experience extreme highs in their lives, can also suffer from lows and experience mental ill-health.

The film explored how different sports professionals have experienced mental illness, how it affected their lives and why it is important to speak out to end the stigma and discrimination that continues to surround mental ill-health. Many athletes suffer in silence, fearing an unforgiving public and press.

Graham Dott, former snooker world champion, was frank about how his depression affected both his playing and his life outside competitive sport. Celtic manager Neil Lennon, who has also previously spoken out about his experience of depression, is now encouraging his footballers to speak out if they experience mental ill-health.

If successful, tough sportsmen can speak out about mental illness, why can’t the rest of us? The answer is that stigma and discrimination against people with mental ill-health still exists.

In a recent interview, Alastair Campbell urged politicians with mental ill-health to talk publicly about their conditions, after a survey before the last election found that one in five MPs had experienced depression but feared disclosing it.

My organisation, ‘see me’, recently spent several days inside the Scottish Parliament. We were heartened by how many MSPs came up to us to share their own experiences of mental ill-health, of caring for loved ones, family members and friends who were ill, or of being bereaved by suicide. All of this sharing was done when none of their colleagues was around, but I was moved by how much attitudes are beginning to change.

What about the rest of us? Again, the fear of other people’s reactions if we were to say we were “struggling” drives many of us to keep quiet. For many who suffer mental health problems, how those close to us deal with, or react to, our illness can be harder to deal with than the condition itself.

In 2003 ‘see me’ launched the ‘see me’ Pledge, encouraging businesses, organisations and public bodies to make a public commitment to unite under the umbrella of the national ‘see me’ campaign to tackle stigma and discrimination.

Every one of us who speaks out about having a mental health problem removes a stone from the wall of stigma and discrimination. Every one of us who then steps forward and offers support and understanding takes the weight of that stone away; enabling all of us to have a clearer view of a Scotland where people with mental ill-health receive the care and support they need, without judgment.

• Suzie Vestri is campaign director of ‘see me’, Scotland’s national campaign to end the stigma and discrimination of mental ill-health.

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AndrewJohnYounger

Tuesday, January 17, 2012 at 10:31 AM

See Me, a branch of the Scottish Association for Mental Health were given exposure. If ever telephone See Me, shall say they are a charity, but where is the charity number for See Me? It is all in the small print, muddled and confused hidden in there website, they the funders our Government really don't want to admit to SAMH. Mss Vestri is very good at media (front), their marketing skills are all about positives, factual and truthfulness thou do part. Declaration that the See Me, organisation wholly owned by Mss Vestri - perhaps the ego has landed and the front to heavy a burden. And upon that also the See Me team and social media policy that does exclude free speech, an attempt to keep the system of fear of a monopoly service provider that of no cure, no method of action. No lie in place. Suzi Vestri & team at See Me, where does One write "lies." Suzi Vestri & team why did the branch of Scottish Association for Mental Health ban Onself from there Facebook site, ban Oneself from the See Me blog? REason for an email to Onself claiming that "I write lies" And final where is the complaints form See Me. Its a fantasic policy, See Me from a policy of no complaints proceedure has never had a complaint! See Me is a disaster, reintroducing words most had never heard of, more school children now know more about hurtful words than ever, and more adults aware never to admit to the truth. Try a private survey, attitudes have not changed - level of disability employed at See Me? Outthere See You, you all know not to admit to stigma, well done See Me. I write Lies? Await that written apology form each member at See Me, SAMH, form in the post today. Keep without expectation, previous issue to SAMH took five months of carbon copying to Scottish Government, no satisfaction was the end. How very charitable charity sector. Andrew John Younger, Mental Health Campaigner, Admin of Psychiatric Abuse Scotland (Facebook). 130,000.00 views 2011, and over three hundred members. End invasive compulsory dosage. End the ignorance of a monopoly service provider.

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HaroldMaio

Monday, January 16, 2012 at 03:19 PM

(stigma and) discrimination "Stigma" is discrimination, the one is contained within the other as apples are fruit. Suzie Vestri: People experiencing mental ill-health should not be afraid to speak about their problems Ms Vestri means well, but she is not listening: We are a speaking out. We are normalizing approaches to as other groups normalized approaches to breast cancer and other illnesses. Please be more cautious in the terms you pass along to readers, you can be a considerable help. Harold A. Maio, retired Mental Health Editor [e-mail]

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HazelMcGregor

Monday, January 16, 2012 at 11:11 AM

This is true, the fear of how people react is worse. People are not sure how to react and most are not willing to help, they would rather you not in their life and they do not want to deal with it. I have lost lost of friends through this as it is too difficult for them to deal with.

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