As I motor through my sixties, experiencing ever increasing episodes of ‘Grumpy old Gitness’, my enthusiasm, nay tolerance, of social media is on the wane: although people share genuinely inspiring posts of recovery/resilience and important accounts of trauma and tragedy – sadly, too frequently related to Suicide, there are those who appear to abuse these public platforms. Having said this, a recent posting on LinkedIn particularly caught my eye – for all the right reasons: Sinead Mackay, to her credit, shared the old but very poignant Samaritans’ poster above re. Stigma. This provoked a memory haemorrhage on my part, and a rare response.
In 1989, after two years working at an underfunded and severely understaffed hostel for the ‘mentally ill’, plus trying to come to terms with two people ending their own lives within a week of each other, I had a ‘breakdown’. Diagnosed with Clinical Depression and Anxiety. I had 3 weeks off work. Halfway through my absence a colleague visited to check if I was OK. They also brought me a large get well soon card signed by all of the clients living at the hostel. Apparently, there was no staff involvement they had decided to get me a card themselves. I’ll never forget their kindness and sensitivity especially as they were dealing with so much themselves.
Some 35 years on I’m still working in mental health and still feel stigma is a significant concern, but I think we are making some inroads. Through education, compassion and kindness let’s kick its arse completely. At Buildforce we have established a proactive, Reaching In, Mental Health and After Care initiative to break down the stigma barrier and help people get appropriate support ASAP. Please contact me or the Team if you require support and or information on our narrative changing approach.
Be well
Bernie Graham – Buildforce Mental Health Partner