Did you know that one in four people in the United Kingdom will suffer from a mental health problem in the next twelve months?
Of those people nearly six thousand will commit suicide. (Source - The Samaritans)
To put this into comparison around
twelve thousand women will die from breast cancer (source - Cancer Research) and whilst this is shocking, far more co-ordinated
research and screening is carried out which dramatically reduces the chances of dying from this terrible disease.
Sadly
most people who suffer from a mental health illness will not receive the help and support they need until they either self
harm or attempt suicide and even then they are not guaranteed immediate support as waiting lists to see specialists can be
lengthy and in many cases they will simply slip through the system unnoticed. For many sufferers this help and support comes
far too late or not at all.
Consider it, just take a moment to think about where you work or live, one in four people
will be suffering from some form of mental health issue in the next twelve months. This means that some of the people you
work with or live next to will be going through problems at this very moment. Fortunately many of these problems can be successfully
managed, but for some people holding down a job or making it through each day is a major achievement.
The purpose of
this message is not to ask for your money or time, but to ask you that when faced with some one who suffers from a mental
health illness to try and understand or not to discriminate against them. Despite popular myth someone who suffers from a
mental health illness is not "crazy" or "mad" but has a recognised illness which in most cases can be managed and resolved.
Please
watch my short film entitled "
ELLIE THE GIRL THE WORLD FORGOT" and when you do, please remember that child abuse does not stop when a victim reaches adulthood and can have life long and
even fatal consequences.
