Calls to tackle mental health stigma in East Sussex

East Sussex County Council is calling for businesses and organisations to back the Time to Change campaign, which encourages greater openness about mental health.

More than 86,000 people and 350 organisations across the country, including the county council, have signed a pledge to tackle the stigma and discrimination around mental health.

To coincide with National Stress Awareness Day, which is tomorrow (Wednesday, November 4), the council’s public health team is calling for people to back Time to Change, an initiative organised by charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness.

Graeme Potter, a mental health improvement specialist at the county council, said: “At least one in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their life and one in six adults has a mental health problem at any one time, so it’s a subject we all benefit from talking about.

“This campaign is all about encouraging people to open up and challenging the stigma which unfortunately still persists.

“Encouraging workplaces to put health and wellbeing at the heart of everything they do helps employees to feel more supported, experience greater job satisfaction and benefit from improved resilience and wellbeing.

“Some employers find it hard to understand the difficulties faced by people experiencing mental health problems, but there is a wealth of help and information available which can help them provide a supportive environment.

“As well as enjoying a better quality of life, enjoying good mental health means staff are more productive, more creative and less likely to need to take time off sick.”

Elle Quinton, 26, from Eastbourne, experiences depression and anxiety.

She said: “I find that constantly feeling stressed every day at work leaves me without the reserve energy I need to push myself through my mental health struggle.

“Discounting mental health absences, my sick record is the same as my colleagues, however including them I have a high sick record. I worry that I am going to be in trouble because of this, and as a result sometimes force myself to go back to work before I feel ready.

“People often don’t understand that just because you cannot see the symptoms of the illness in the same way you can with a physical disability, doesn’t mean it’s not as hard to live with.

“I prefer to be open and candid with work about my depression and anxiety because I believe the more I can help them understand, the more they are able to help me.”

Businesses, organisations and individuals can sign up to the Time to Change pledge, find tips on talking about mental health and order free resources online at www.time-to-change.org.uk

Free training to help employers and employees increase their knowledge and understanding of mental health problems is available from Brighton-based charity Grassroots Suicide Prevention at www.prevent-suicide.org.uk

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