It’s a tricky one. As someone who has suffered (and continues to suffer) from mental health issues, this day of course has some significance to me. But do I celebrate this day, remembering the people who manage to cope with mental health problems on a day to day basis, or do I reflect deeply upon the amount of work that still needs to be done to raise awareness of the issue? Likewise, what do people who have never experienced mental health difficulties do? Do they avoid involvement altogether? I know of some people who brush the day aside, and of others who hope to forget its painful connotations and associations, doing their best to blend in, and ironically feeling anxious because of it.
I remember the day I was discharged from hospital (strangely enough during national eating disorders week), knowing full well that this was a day that would stick with me for a long time, perhaps even more so than mental health day itself.
Last year, I’m pretty sure I spent World Mental Health Day sitting in my room watching Mean girls, and if not that, then definitely Angus thongs and perfect snogging. This doesn’t mean that the day means nothing to me, in the same way it doesn’t mean everything to me. However, there’s something that World Mental Health Day has that my personal discharge day would never have: a sense of unity, support and “together-ness”. It reminds me of the day I entered hospital, seeing so many girls (and indeed guys) who were just like me, who had family and friends who were worried about them, who had a life outside of mental health, and who desperately wanted to get better whilst something was simultaneously stopping them.
Having a World Mental Health Day has made me realise the sheer number of people with mental health issues. Whilst this makes me sad it’s also definitely something to be, whilst not happy about, at least understanding of. It doesn’t matter that now, having been discharged, I can’t tell who has mental health issues and who doesn’t. This day is not just for those with mental health problems, it’s for those who seemingly have no connections with mental health, or are even ignorant of the subject. This allows others to aid them, to raise awareness and destigmatize the subject. Whilst writing this article, I can look around me at the people I’ve met and the friends I’ve made in Bristol, knowing that I have people who support me, even if they aren’t fully aware of my past history.
World Mental Health Day isn’t necessarily just for advocacy. It can be a day merely to personally reflect. It shouldn’t cause anxiety or a sense of separation between those who have mental health problems and those who don’t. You don’t even need to talk about the subject if you don’t want to. Of course, those that do advocate and campaign for further research I admire to no end. The day is about feeling comfortable with yourself, or doing things that would make you more so. Researching this topic, I have found a sea of information, so much of it positive which is a wonderful thing. The amount of support given at university to those who suffer from mental health issues is also something in itself to be proud of. It seems an eternity away that people such as John Keats and Vincent Van Gogh were misunderstood, ostracized or even ridiculed for their conditions. Whilst we still have a way to go, mental health day propels further knowledge towards such a vital topic. Things like media coverage and celebrity support allow the situation to improve and stigmatization to lessen greatly.
I am not trying to persuade people to have a to-do list on the day, telling them what exactly should be done to improve things, as I don’t know how you or I will feel come World Mental Health Day. The day is meant to be used in any way you like, whether its personal reflection, public advocacy, or just processing an awareness of why we need the day. Different people know different things about mental health. One of my friends didn’t even know there was an entire day dedicated to the subject, or whole weeks dedicated to specific disorders. But that’s okay. We are all moving towards improvement and understanding, each of us at different stages. For me, it’s a day of supporting others as well as yourself.
Having written this article I’ve come to realise, without knowing it, that World Mental Health Day means so much more to me than I initially thought. The actual day can be spent in whichever way you like, it’s all the days of the year put together which really make a difference.