Reaching Out for Help with Your Mental Health

Psychological difficulties are far from rare. In fact, it is estimated that approximately 1 in 4 people in the U.K. will experience a mental health issue each year. However, whilst the majority of us would seek medical attention for a broken leg, if and when we start struggling mentally, it's all too often a different story. Afraid of negative judgement and stigmatisation, we tend to suppress our problems in the hope that they'll eventually vanish. Up to the age of 15, I too was guilty of this. I had been suffering from distressing intrusive thoughts since the age of 8, but had never reached out for support, not knowing that around 94% of people experience a similar thing at least once in their lifetime, and petrified that I was simply evil and abnormal. Sometimes it seems easier to put on a brave face and carry on like nothing’s wrong rather than address the problem head on, and that’s exactly what I decided to do. Instead of telling someone what I was going through, I bottled up my painful emotions and damaging self-beliefs for years on end and fought my mind alone before finally reaching breaking point during the summer of 2014.

I decided to write this article not because I want sympathy, but because I wanted to highlight the importance of seeking professional intervention from the offset. Please don’t do what I did and think you can push away your problems as if they don’t exist, because they do, and they might well resurface later on. It doesn't matter how small or insignificant you judge your difficulties to be — if you are suffering even marginally, you deserve to be heard. You don’t have to do this alone, and it’s a lot harder if you try to. Mental health problems are so much more common than you think, and there are so many people who have gone through a whole load of training just to support those who are struggling in this way. It upsets me occasionally to think that had I talked to someone when I was young, I possibly could've avoided developing the illnesses which I am diagnosed with today. However, whilst it's tempting to ruminate over the "what if's" and agonise over the past, I've come to accept that this is the way it has to be, and I now want to use my experience positively to urge other people to reach out for help as early on as possible.

So, what are my tips on how to go about doing this? First of all, I'd advise booking an appointment with your local GP. I know how intimidating it is to openly disclose your darkest secrets to someone you don't know very well, but they have most likely heard it all before and will know exactly what direction to point you in terms of referral to local mental health services. There's also the option of writing them a letter which you could hand to them at the very start of the session if you are too nervous to start the conversation. It might also be a good idea to phone the Samaritans (116 123) or a similar helpline beforehand so that you can become familiar with discussing your problems out loud. Whatever you decide to do, please remember that despite what your brain might try to convince you, you are not weak for asking for help. On the contrary, you are incredibly brave. You deserve to get better, and you will with time. The only way is up from here.

Lots of love and luck.