Scottish Government statistics show ‘1 in 3’ of us per year will be affected by mental health issues
SCOTTISH Government statistics show that "one in three" people in Scotland per year will be affected by mental health issues.
Emma Raeburn posts about her ongoing struggle with anxiety and depression, as well as other aspects of her life on her blog, Pink Aesthetic.
Here she exclusively talks to the Scottish Sun about the stigma surrounding mental health issues and pushes for people to be more open to listening to people's struggles as this is what she says helps her.
EVERYBODY has mental health but not everybody suffers from mental illness.
However, the number of people whose mental health is falling into the spiral is continuing to grow, and while the topic itself is becoming more talked about, the stigma still lies over it like a mass grey cloud.
Having been diagnosed with anxiety and depression since I was 14, I understand the stigma that lingers around mental health and the effects it can have on young people.
We feel we need to keep it hidden in the darkest corner of our minds, away from any judgment that we’ll be subjected to if we admit our minds are struggling. As noted by Mental Health Today, the number of school pupils in Scotland with mental health problems increased by over 252% between 2012 and 2018.
My brother took his own life – I had no idea he was suicidal until it was too late
I remember having weekly appointments with my counsellor during my fifth year of high school, and each week coming up with a new reason to be sick on a Thursday.
There’s only so many times you can ‘visit’ the doctor or the dentist before people begin to wonder what the real reason behind you skipping yet another Maths class is.
Now, seven years on at 21, I’ve seen so many highs and lows. I’ve seen euphoria and heartbreak, laughter and tears, belief and despair. I’ve witnessed first-hand the effects mental illness can have on you, and those you love.
What would make it easier though, is the ability to talk about it openly.
We fall and people run to pick us up then dust us down, we break our leg and loved ones are beside themselves with worry, we have an operation and we get sent beautiful bouquets with Get Well
Soon cards signed with love, but if we’re mentally sick? It’s taboo, we’re crazy, we’re doing it for attention.
Yet, as advised by the Scottish Government, approximately one in three of us will be affected by mental health during any one year.
The reality is, our minds can get damaged the same way a ligament, bone or muscle can. Our minds can be scarred, just like my hand from crashing my bike at 11 years old.
The idea of our minds needing extra help shouldn’t be so shocking, and yet it leaves many people waiting until they’re at breaking point to consider the idea of help.
So we wait, pretending our minds aren’t torturing us until we can’t take it any longer. By then, the list of those trying to see the mental health team has grown, and you rush through what you can during your 5-minute visit with your GP, to then go onto a sometimes four-month waiting list.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde advise one in four adults will experience mental illness in their lives, and MQ Mental Health, an international charity focused on researching mental health, have reported the average wait for effective treatment is 10 years after showing your first symptom, so the question remains the same – why is more not being done?
MOST READ IN REAL LIFE
Mental illness is as real as any other illness or damage that bodies can endure, yet it’s the one we refuse to discuss.
With numbers and causalities rising, we need to remove the idea that it’s forbidden from the dinner table, or for a 10-minute chat with someone you trust.
The only way people can receive the help they desperately need is through telling, so we must change our mindset and allow them to be listened to from the very beginning.
Emma writes about her experiences on her blog - which can be viewed HERE.
We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun? Email us at scoop@thesun.co.uk or call 0141 420 5300