HSE Launches 'Your Mental Health' Awareness Campaign With Research Report Campaign Developed By HSE, Ireland

Main Category: Mental Health
Article Date: 09 Oct 2007 - 15:00 PDT

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The HSE National Office for Suicide Prevention launches the 'Your Mental Health' Public Awareness Campaign to increase awareness of mental health and well-being in Ireland. The campaign is informed by a national survey of attitudes to mental health among Irish adults which reports that 85% of adults agree that anyone can experience a mental health problem. The 'Your Mental Health' campaign has been developed in consultation with more than 30 key voluntary and statutory agencies working in the area of mental health in Ireland.

Geoff Day, Head of the National Office for Suicide Prevention, HSE, said: "It is an awareness building campaign aimed at changing negative or neutral attitudes to mental health issues into positive attitudes and in doing so, reduce the stigma attached to having mental health problems."

The Report of the national survey which informs the campaign, Mental Health in Ireland: Awareness and Attitudes, shows that awareness and attitudes to mental health in Ireland are generally positive. A reasonable level of 'mental health literacy' or understanding of mental health problems is also reported. When given the fictitious example of a woman who was tired, experiencing trouble sleeping, showing weight loss and feeling unusually sad or miserable for a few weeks, 74% of survey participants correctly identified the woman as experiencing the symptoms of depression.

More generally, when it came to asking people about things that can help your mental health, 95% of respondents said that talking to family or friends would be positive and helpful, while 92% said getting out more and 81% said counselling and psychotherapy might be helpful as well. Nine out of ten participants (91%) said they believe they can have an affect on their own mental health.

Survey respondents also reported things that have a positive effect on their mental health, with two thirds of people (66%) saying a supportive family helps, 61% citing being physically healthy, 56% noting the value of having good friends and 47% mentioned having time to rest and relax. When asked what kinds of things might have a negative impact on their mental health, respondents cited not having a supportive family (54%), the death of a loved one (54%), being physically sick (51%), lack of sleep (46%) and not having good friends (42%).

People were asked what steps, if any, they had taken in the past year to improve their mental health. Twenty seven percent said they had taken up physical activity, 23% said they had tried to get out more and see their friends, 18% said they had talked to people about things that are bothering them and 15% had reduced their alcohol intake. According to Derek Chambers, Research Officer with the National Office for Suicide Prevention, "the research highlights a strong relationship between levels of social support and reported quality of life, especially for people who had personally experienced mental health problems."

"It is very encouraging to note how informed people are about how they can look after their mental health," said Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children with responsibility for Mental Health and Disability, Dr Jimmy Devins, TD. "People in Ireland appear to have a good understanding of how to look after their mental health. We now need to reduce the stigma attached to mental health problems and encourage people to speak publicly and privately about their problems so that a broader sense of acceptance and understanding can begin to emerge in our society."

The stigma attached to mental health problems is still a major challenge. Six out of ten (62%) say they would not want other people to know if they had a mental health problem, 39% think the public should be better protected from people with mental health problems, and over half of those surveyed (52%) believe that people with mental health problems should not be allowed to do important jobs e.g. doctor, nurse. One third of survey respondents (33%) said they would find it difficult to talk to someone who had mental health problems.

In welcoming the campaign, Suzanne Costello, Director of Samaritans Ireland commented that "encouraging people to seek help when they first experience distress, isolation or anxiety is an important factor in reducing suicide. Talking to family, friends or support services is a simple but effective action. This campaign is a significant step in reducing the stigma which surrounds emotional distress, the stigma that prevents many people seeking help. We at Samaritans are delighted to support this initiative."

While the issue of stigma persists and will remain a focus of the 'Your Mental Health' campaign, there are many positive statistics emerging from the Mental Health in Ireland: Awareness and Attitudes report. Nine out of ten people believe that they can have an affect on their own mental health, 85% agree that anyone can have mental health problems and 81% believe that people with mental health problems should have the same rights as everyone else. The research also found that people who thought they might have a mental health problem would be most likely to speak to their GP about it (74%). Other people they would speak to include a partner (27%), close friend (22%), mother (20%) and counsellor or therapist (17%). When asked who their first point of contact would be, 79% of respondents said their GP.

While the World Health Organisation reports that up to one in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives, two thirds of the Irish adults surveyed thought that the incidence of mental health problems was one in ten or lower. Building awareness of importance of mental health for all of us will be a key challenge for the 'Your Mental Health' awareness campaign.

For a copy of the information booklet you can log onto http://www.yourmentalhealth.ie or call the HSE infoline on 1850 24 1850 (open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm). This campaign will also roll out in Northern Ireland in conjunction with the Health Promotion Agency and the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.

The campaign objectives are:

· To increase understanding of mental health
· To increase knowledge of mental health and mental health problems so as to positively influence attitudes and behaviours
· To encourage people to seek social / professional support
· To encourage people to recognise the importance of social / professional support

http://www.yourmentalhealth.ie

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