With the increasingly cold, stormy weather, high heating bills and less money after Christmas, for so many January can feel completely miserable.
This has led to the idea that the third Monday in January is ‘Blue Monday’, allegedly the most difficult day of the year.
However, the Samaritans have renamed this day ‘Brew Monday’. On this day, Samaritans want everyone to reach out for a cuppa and catch-up with the people you most care about. This way, we can get people together, stay connected and raise awareness about how important it is to talk about our mental health.
We know that mental health can impact anyone, at any time, no matter who they are or the background that they have. People having issues with their mental health has been steadily on the rise since Covid-19, throughout all age groups.
One in five adults in England report living with a common mental health problem. One in four people who reported difficulty in paying their energy bills experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms.
Poor mental health is something that is impacting young people particularly, with prevalence rising significantly in recent years. In Barnsley we have seen more children struggling with their mental health, with a rise in young people being hospitalised for self-harm.
I don’t want to get party political about a topic as sensitive as this, but the reality is that the previous government left our mental health services in ruin. Support services decreased since 2010, with treatment often becoming a postcode lottery with huge waiting times.
This Government wants to change that, and we want to ensure that mental health is treated with the exact same importance as physical health. To do this, we are going to tackle the long wait times for treatment by recruiting an additional 8,500 mental health workers. We’re going to introduce specialist mental health professionals into every school, so children can be helped at the early stages of difficulties.
I was proud to vote for the modernisation of the Mental Health Act to ensure that patients have the rights, agency and dignity in their treatment.
Locally, here in Barnsley, the community often comes together to raise money for causes like mental health, with people taking part in fundraising events, holding community sessions, and being there for each other.
Talking to someone you trust about anything that’s weighing on you, whether it be a specific anxiety or a longer-term problem, is often the start of resolving the issue.
Sometimes it’s hard to begin that initial conversation, but Mind UK found that 73 percent of those who have spoken about their mental health had at least one positive conversation.
It doesn’t have to be Brew Monday to talk about mental health! Speak to someone you trust if you feel like you are struggling and reach out if you notice someone who might be going through a tough time.
You can contact the Samaritans 24/7 on 116 123.
You can contact Mind UK on 0300 123 3393.