World mental health day

 “…and a team is there to support every individual.” 

 This Clam Chat may have a more sobering tone than the passionate and cultural chronicles of previous chats but is a vital conversation to be having. As with having a physical injury that you would treat with antibiotics, physiotherapy, rest, mental health needs to be treated as just as vital to performing in sport. 

October 10th is the day dedicated to mental health education, awareness, and advocacy against social stigma. This year, the particular theme set by the World Federation for mental health is “Access to service”; this and being a part of the conversation around de-stigmatising mental health are the two key takeaways from this Clam Chat. To make this relatable Mai, RUBC’s president, helped to answer the following questions and hoped to share her experiences with mental health to encourage others to see this conversation does not need to be taboo. 

Where does mental health sigma come from? 

Externally, people afraid to start the conversation. The idea of needing support for your mental health can be seen as an embarrassing or fearfully sensitive situation so is avoided and pushed down. Often associated with men’s mental health but relevant to everyone is the detrimental notion of just toughening or, even worse, ‘manning’ up. As well as this, there can be constant pressure, especially at university, to stay consistently productive - Mai noted that “rest is seen as a sign of weakness”. These ideas then get in the way of people wanting to step back when they need to and seek help when you feel in a way that might not be healthy and is outside the norm of how emotions should fluctuate.  

Internally, stigma can present as the irrational feeling that opening up will push people away. This was something Mai noted as really significant; that if your own thoughts scare you, what will other people think? In reality, these thoughts are internalised social stigma developed from the anxiety that others will be afraid of your mentality being different. But open up to those you trust or through accessing the right services and you can be sure they won’t react fearfully to a decision to speak about mental health.  

How might you recognise when you need to ‘access service’?  

Recognising the signs of when you need mental health support is something that as a society people have become more of aware of. These thoughts may present as consistent sadness or anxiety and possible feelings of hopelessness or low self esteem. You may also start to not recognise yourself; self inflicted coping mechanisms, for example trying to stay overly busy, can generate a sense of self you’re not familiar with and it is in these moments that opening up and seeking help should be something you consider. 

Why is it important to open up?  

In Mai’s experience starting the conversation was the first step in learning how to manage your own emotionality. Medication is another possible start and may work for some and not for others. There is not necessarily a formula for overcoming mental health issues but it’s certainly not something to work out alone. When opening up, relationships with people around you can improve as secrets are broken down and your openness creates a sustainable support system. This can be people in your social circle or those in positions of seniority. For Mai, opening up to colleagues meant being “a part of a team and a team is there to support every individual”. 

Accessing service is something becoming more available for those that need it. Charities and organisations provide that point of contact but it’s important to also understand, recovering from mental illness is a process that can fluctuate. It’s for this reason that being able to speak about mental health openly is important, taking care of your mental health is a constant process and being able to speak about the ups and down makes it that bit easier.  

Within Reading we have our own charity: ‘No5’ that supports the young people who need support. By removing the irrational mental health stigma, we can hope more people come forward to make use of the numerous support systems.