Every Mind Matters.. but not really

On World Mental Health Day this year (2019, in case you're reading this from the future), the NHS have created a campaign called Every Mind Matters. And it's great... in some ways.

First and foremost, they're right. Every mind matters and it brings to light the fact that we all have mental health. Not everybody has a mental illness, but everybody has mental health and this campaign is doing a great job of reaching out to people to ensure that they're doing what they can to take care of their own: checking in on friends, exercising, spending less time on social media, eating healthy, getting a good nights sleep, practising mindfulness.

Yet on World Mental Health Day, in this day and age, I don't want to hear about the importance of learning a new hobby or quitting caffeine. I want to hear about how actual mental illnesses are being tackled, head on. We all know that plenty is being done to raise awareness, but what is being done to tackle the illnesses themselves?

Don't get me wrong, I love the NHS. The NHS has saved my life numerous times and every single one of us has been helped by them in some way - unless you are stupid rich and have forever and always had private healthcare. And I get it, on World Mental Health Day, this sort of campaign is universally applicable so everybody can take something from it. But with government funding disappearing into thin air - like my bank balance on a night out in London -  not every mind can matter.

I'm bored of the approach to treating mental illness being lifestyle and habit changes. The umbrella of mental illness is so big, which is ironic because I don't feel like we're being covered.

Waiting lists for therapy are getting longer and longer. Beds in hospitals are always full.

Self harm, eating disorders and addiction (drugs, gambling) amongst children is rising. Hospitals are falling apart. Staff are overworked.

My friend died of suicide whilst in a psychiatric hospital last year. My amazing, beautiful friend died in an environment where she should have been most safe. Because of so many contributing factors within in an NHS hospital, my deserving friend Claire was failed. Her treatment was awful and if you knew Claire, you knew she wanted to get better. She was extremely poorly, but she spent her adult life campaigning for better treatment for those with mental illnesses. If you would like to listen her talk  about her experiences and learn about different illnesses (I  just tried but got 5 minutes in and was a blubbery mess), then click here. 

If there is something that can come from Claire's tragic death, it is the importance of standards desperately needing to be raised for the care and treatment for mental health patients.

We're working to break taboo of mental illnesses, and I think it's fantastic that high profile people are getting involved speaking out about this, raising awareness and using their platform to demonstrate that there is nothing to be ashamed of. Yet I can't help but feel like this is all being glossed over like a 2006 Miss Sporty plumping lipgloss.

So, I took this Every Mind Matters 'quiz,' and what did it tell me? (Me, a severe depressive, with anxiety and an eating disorder)...

1. Relax my muscles and mind
   Basically do meditation on the toilet?
2. Do more feel good things
   Nothing makes me feel good because I am depressed.
3. Move more every day
   I work in a demanding job in an office in central London. I'm exhausted all the time. Plus I go on a run 2 or 3 runs a week (and I still hate it).
4. Get active
   Okay, you don't need tell me twice to move my fat arse!!!
5. Get walking every day with Active 10
   WOW.  THREE TIMES.

You may dismiss my blog post because this campaign is more about 'well-being' and well... good for you. But it's World Mental Health Day. If we can't scream about the actual fractures within our health system, then when can we? When are the government going to ACTUALLY step up and sort out the treatment of the mentally unwell?

When will the treatment of anorexia  be entirely reworked? 

Realise that one treatment doesn't fit all?

Listen to all the mothers and fathers who are suicidal postpartum?

Provide more treatment options, and psychiatrists for those with schizophrenia, OCD, bipolar, psychosis, Borderline Personality Disorder?

Help those struggling with addiction and preventing the ongoing homelessness crisis?

Stop using anti-depressants as a band aid solution?

When are they going to stop people like Claire dying?

When are we going to notice that all of our minds actually matter? And not just because Prince Harry said so.

On a final note, speak to your friends today. Check they're okay. Double check they're okay. Check that you are okay (perhaps not through the medium of a quiz though).