We know change can help save lives - Nick Ward

For 50 years, we have been providing care and support to people affected by mental illness. We are excited to continue that journey as Change Mental Health and were pleased officially unveil that next chapter at a reception recently at the Scottish Parliament.

Present in the Garden Lobby were 150 people who have helped shape Change Mental Health over the last 50 years, whether that’s our staff, members, partners and decision-makers. Greg May, the Chair of our Board, acknowledged the heritage of our charity, beginning as National Schizophrenia Fellowship – started by carers – and created to provide support to people and families living with schizophrenia. We became Support in Mind Scotland and then evolved to Change Mental Health.

The existence of Change Mental Health for over 50 years is a testament to the passion, commitment, love and endurance of people affected by mental illness and their families. It is also a real testament to the challenge that so many of us face.

The biggest killer of men, under 40, is ourselves.

Parliamentary reception for Change Mental Health on Tuesday, 21st February

People with mental illness die up to 20 years younger than their peers.

Only 25% of those with a mental illness say they receive the treatment they need and nearly 50% of people say that stigma has put them off seeking support.

Every statistic hides the real impact: a family shattered, unending feelings of hopelessness and despair, a lack of support and care, lives lost and people gone. Promise and potential unfulfilled.

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

We know that if you receive support after your first episode of psychosis you are over 50% less likely to experience a second. We know that psychotherapy and talking therapies are hugely effective at helping people recover. We know that talking, getting active and making more interpersonal connections can drastically reduce people’s risk of suicide and we know what works and every single day the staff and volunteers of Change Mental Health and our partners work to give people the support that they need.

Yet we also know that what we, as a society, as a community have been doing, hasn’t been working. Not enough lives are being saved, not enough change is happening and the pace has been painfully, fatally, slow.

That’s why we needed a to change our name, refresh our values and create a new strategy. No more throwing of hands into the air and declarations of ‘what is to be done.’ We know what needs to be done: the community based, early, preventative support that we and others offer need to be funded and prioritised.

We became ‘Change Mental Health’ because that is what we want to see. It is a call to arms for the system and for Scotland to be better, for us as an organisation and a sector to do better.

Over the next few years, what you will see is Change Mental Health bringing innovation. We want to work in partnership and collaboration more. We want to democratise access to mental health support so that more people can access high quality, non-clinical support that works for them, when they need it. We will continue to re-orientate ourselves to be an outward looking, open, transparent, compassionate and values and mission driven organisation.

We have far to go but we have come far, and with the support and goodwill of our partners, our staff across the country and the thousands of people we support we can go further. Working together we can achieve our vision of a future where no one needs to face mental illness alone.

Let’s get it done, together.

Change. Mental. Health.

Nick Ward, CEO, Change Mental Health