Rethink Mental Illness

Catherine lives with anxiety, depression, chronic pain and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). After periods in hospital, they were signed off work in 2021. In this blog, they spoke to us about the importance of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and how it enables them to live a better life. Read the full story 👉 https://bit.ly/3UtMGJt

William Chapman died on Saturday at an incident in Doncaster. It has been confirmed that he had a diagnosis of schizophrenia and had previously experienced psychosis. Our thoughts are with his family at this incredibly difficult time.

The government-commissioned review into the prevalence of mental health conditions has published its findings. But what happens now? In this blog, our Head of Policy and Influencing Sarah Anderson looked into what it means for people living with mental health conditions 👉 https://bit.ly/3W70KZS

We are deeply concerned by new suicide statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) released today. 6,162 people. That number is devastating to read.   Behind every number is a real person. A real story. And a huge ripple of people that have been impacted by their death. The causes of suicide are complex. We know that many people are facing significant pressures in their lives, including financial issues, job insecurity, rising housing costs, loneliness and poor mental health. While these factors affect everyone differently, they can contribute to distress and overwhelm, and leave people at risk of suicide. These figures are a stark reminder that too many people are reaching crisis point without getting the help they need. They highlight the urgent need for the government to update the Suicide Prevention Strategy and deliver a robust Mental Health Strategy. We must ensure people can access timely mental health support and we must address the wider social and economic factors that can contribute to suicide. Suicide is preventable, and we all have a role to play. That’s why improving suicide awareness is so important. So that people can recognise when someone may be struggling and know how to respond. There’s a long way to go. But, when we work together, we will lower rates of suicide. Find out more about our suicide prevention work, and how you can support someone experiencing suicidal thoughts, on our website 👉 https://lnkd.in/eneVxerv

You don't experience obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) because you like your books colour coded or your cupboards neat. It's a mental health condition. Not an adjective or a quirk. For #OCDAwarenessWeek, find out more about this misunderstood condition 👉 www.rethink.org/ocd

Trigger warning - self harm and su*cide attempt. For #WorldMentalHealthDay, Melissa shares her journey with emotionally unstable personality disorder (EUPD). Despite all of the challenges she has faced, she now feels better able to cope and is "enjoying life again". Read her full blog - with the support of a screen reader - on our website 👉 https://bit.ly/4yYTUV7

🌍 For #WorldMentalHealthDay, we asked you to share the one thing you want the world to know about living with a mental illness. Here are your answers... 👇

The mental health conversation has come so far in recent years. But too often, discussion about symptoms of mental illness is left behind. For World Mental Health Day, we want to change that. Share if you agree 💜

We're here for you 💜 #WorldMentalHealthDay

The Fonagy Review into mental health prevalence was published today. It found that rising mental distress, long waits and fragmented services can leave people without the help they need. Significantly, it suggested a focus on earlier support which is more based on how much someone needs it rather than their diagnosis alone. Those of us living with mental illness still face too many barriers to care. So the review is right to highlight that specialist services supporting people with the most complex and acute needs must not lose out as mental health support is strengthened and expanded. The findings from Professor Fonagy’s review must be the catalyst for action. Our mental health system needs significant change to keep up with a rapidly changing society. This review confirms a lot of things that those of us severely affected by mental illness have been aware of for some time. But the significant thing about this independent review is that it gives the government the evidence they need to deliver meaningful change. This must be a line in the sand. It’s time to stop debating the problem and start focusing on solutions to tackle this mental health crisis head on.