Mental illness, in simple terms, is a brain-based condition that negatively impacts a person’s thinking, emotions, and behaviours.
This might mean that the person experiences extreme and unpredictable emotions or has trouble thinking rationally.
In recent years, mental health has become a popular topic of conversation.
In the UK, there has been a steady increase in mental health conditions in the past several years.
This can be explained by many factors, such as daily life stressors, COVID, the poor economy, the lack of jobs, and the cost-of-living crisis.
For example, in a recent study that looked at the correlation between the cost of living and people with depression, it was found that 1 in 6 adults experienced moderate to severe depressive symptoms.
This is a 10% increase from before the pandemic.
Depression was most prevalent (59%) among economically inactive adults and among those from deprived areas (25%).
For more information about mental health in the UK, click here.
Unfortunately, despite increasing awareness of mental health, talking about mental health issues still comes with a certain stigma. This is particularly true for men, who have the highest suicide rates in the UK.
However, talking about mental health is important. Not only for the person suffering but for wider social connotations.
The purpose of this article is to discuss why it is okay to talk about mental illness.
It will discuss some of the main benefits of talking about mental health, how to approach talking about mental illness, and who to talk to.
As briefly mentioned, mental illness – or talking about mental illness – can come with some stigma; this might be social or work-related, for example.
In a recent study, it was found that 1 out of 10 people that suffer from a mental illness believe that there is a stigma surrounding mental health – some that have a negative effect on their lives.
The reason for feeling stigmatised is complex, but some of the issues include:
For many people that have mental health issues, finding work can be difficult.
The pressure of working long hours, interacting with different people, and performing well is overwhelming when someone is suffering from a mental health issue.
Unfortunately, not all workplaces are set up in a way to account for people that suffer from mental illness; this means that finding work can be difficult.
In some cases, this might put people a in bad financial position – not only does this perpetuate mental illness but can leave people without the resources to deal with their mental health issues.
For example, not working might prevent people from being able to afford suitable housing, eat healthily, or buy and run a car.
One of the most common stigmas surrounding mental illness is a fear of being judged.
Many people that suffer from poor mental health worry that others will see them in a bad light. This might include, for example, feeling that people see them as weak, incompetent, or unstable.
One of the effects of this is social isolation. It is not uncommon for people to stop socialising. However, social isolation can also occur as a by-product of mental illness.
To elucidate, becoming reclusive is often a result of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression.
When people experience such mental health issues, the outside world can feel overwhelming. (1)
Recognising the signs of mental illness is the first step to getting help.
However, recognising these signs and knowing when it is time to get help can be complicated.
Many factors that lead to mental illness, such as:
Another complicated factor is that mental illness covers a broad spectrum. Mental illness can include:
Some of these are more common than others.
Most people are likely to experience anxiety at some point in their lives, but schizophrenia, for example, affects a much smaller percentage of people.
Therefore, determining that mental illness has occurred needs professional assessment. It is recommended that people speak with a medical professional, such as a GP. (2)
Here are some of the general signs of mental illness:
Unfortunately, suffering from mental illness can lead to many short-term and long-term issues. (3)
The most obvious of these is that mental illness, if untreated, can get progressively worse.
In addition, some mental illnesses can lead to others.
Studies have found that some mental illnesses can perpetuate others, such as anxiety leading to depression – or vice versa.
In addition, as mentioned earlier, mental illness can have negative social, financial, and work implications.
Mental illness can also adversely affect the body. Anxiety, for example, can weaken a person’s immune system. As a result, this can make people more suitable for illnesses, such as viral infections.
Mental illness can also negatively impact a person’s motivation.
This means exercising, living a healthy lifestyle, and focusing on a career can fall by the wayside.
People that suffer from mental illness are also deemed at high risk of substance abuse. This is known as dual diagnosis – someone that suffers from addiction and mental illness.
Studies have found that people that have a mental illness are 20 to 37% more likely to use a substance.
In addition, 86% of people in the UK that suffer from alcohol addiction and 44% of people suffering from drug addiction were found to have mental health issues.
As can be seen from the previous sections, mental illness can be serious and is often a complicated issue.
It is because of this that talking about mental illness is very important – whether it is a general discussion or for people seeking help.
With regards to the former, there are several main benefits: removing the stigma surrounding mental health, helping raise awareness of mental health issues, promoting treatment, and preventing suicide.
Talking about mental health helps raise awareness. Many people have had no experience with mental illness and do not understand how it impacts people’s lives.
In turn, this helps reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness and will encourage people to seek people will help prevent suicide. (4)
For people that suffer from mental illness, talking about it has been found to have many benefits.
These include:
Another difficulty when talking about mental illness is knowing what to say.
Finding a starting point and what to focus on can be challenging.
Here are some useful tips for talking about mental illness:
Unfortunately, when dealing with serious issues, there is always the potential for some downsides – the same is true for talking about mental illness.
Some examples of this might include being judged, feeling venerable, or experiencing negative emotions.
Deciding who to speak to is important. When discussing their mental illness, people might feel judged or end up talking to someone that does not understand it or is unsympathetic.
This might lead to negative confrontation or the person’s mental health worsening as a result.
In addition, talking about mental illness can be a painful experience. It always has the potential to lead people to feel negative emotions, such as sadness, anger, frustration, or hopelessness.
Another example, for people that are employed, is running the risk of losing their job. Some employers might feel concerned about how one of their employees will work if suffering from mental illness.
Social isolation is another potential downside. Friends and family might feel cautious about socialising with someone mental illness.
However, it should be emphasised, that people should not worry about these potential downsides. What is more important is getting help and talking to the right people.
For people suffering from mental illness knowing who to talk to can be challenging.
The first option, if possible, is to talk to family or friends. However, although they will be able to offer love and encouragement, they may not be able to provide professional insight.
For those that are working, there may be human resources or on-site counsellors that can provide support.
Further, in the UK, there are many great, free mental health services.
Examples of this include:
For more information about free mental health support in the UK, see here.
In addition, the NHS offers a 24-hour mental health advice service and help accessing counselling and therapy.
For people that unsure who to speak to, a GP is always a good place to start.
They will be able to assess a person’s needs and offer access to treatment.
There are many different types of therapy that focus on talking about mental illness.
Some common examples include:
CBT looks at the relationship between thoughts and actions.
For mental illness, this can be helpful for getting people to think about their thought processes and how their behaviour is affected as a result.
During CBT sessions, people will talk about their thoughts, aiming to change negative ones into positive ones. In turn, this should be reflected in positive behaviour changes.
Talk therapy, as the name suggests, focuses on people talking to a trained professional, such as a psychologist.
During these sessions, people will be encouraged to talk about their feelings, thoughts, and emotions. The goal is to uncover the root cause of the mental health issue and try to uncover ways that they can be improved.
Integrative therapy is an undefined approach to therapy; that is, the expert will tailor the therapy to individual needs. This is useful in dealing with complex and individual cases of mental illness.
A final example is group therapy. This will involve meeting with peers in a group to share and discuss issues and experiences related to mental health.
Group therapy is particularly good for removing social isolation and stigma surrounding mental health. (5)
(1) Corrigan, Patrick W., and Abigail Wassel. “Understanding and influencing the stigma of mental illness.” Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services 46, no. 1 (2008): 42-48.
(2) Elliott, Marta, Robyn Maitoza, and Erik Schwinger. “Subjective accounts of the causes of mental illness in the USA.” International Journal of Social Psychiatry 58, no. 6 (2012): 562-567.
(3) Rüsch, Nicolas, Matthias C. Angermeyer, and Patrick W. Corrigan. “Mental illness stigma: Concepts, consequences, and initiatives to reduce stigma.” European psychiatry 20, no. 8 (2005): 529-539.
(4) Holmes, Katie. “Talking about mental illness: Life histories and mental health in modern Australia.” Australian Historical Studies 47, no. 1 (2016): 25-40.
(5) Rothbaum, Barbara Olasov, Elizabeth A. Meadows, Patricia Resick, and David W. Foy. “Cognitive-behavioral therapy.” (2000).
Boris is our editor-in-chief at Rehab 4 Addiction. Boris is an addiction expert with more than 20 years in the field. His expertise covers a broad of topics relating to addiction, rehab and recovery. Boris is an addiction therapist and assists in the alcohol detox and rehab process. Boris has been featured on a variety of websites, including the BBC, Verywell Mind and Healthline. You can connect with Boris online at LinkedIn or X.com.
