From the 9-15 May 2022 The Mental Health Foundation will run it’s Mental Health Week as they have for the last 22 years. Setting the theme and reaching out not just in the UK but globally, making it one of the biggest awareness weeks you’ll come across.
The Mental Health Foundation has announced 'Loneliness' as the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2022. Tackling loneliness, which unsurprisingly affects millions across the UK and, this has increased significantly with the pandemic, having a collective effect on mental health in our society. Anyone can suffer times of loneliness, especially now as lockdown has lifted and the vulnerable and extremely clinically vulnerable try to find their way safely through a difficult road to some kind of normality where they feel safe, supported and comforted.
So Why Loneliness?
Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said:
“Loneliness is affecting more and more of us in the UK and has had a huge impact on our physical and mental health during the pandemic. That is why we have chosen it as our theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2022. Our connection to other people and our community is fundamental to protecting our mental health so we much find better ways of tackling the epidemic of loneliness. We can all play a part in this. The week is also an invaluable opportunity for people to talk about all aspects of mental health, with a focus on providing help and advice.”(https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/news/mental-health-foundation-announces-loneliness-theme-mental-health-awareness-week-2022)
Working in Partnership with The University of Cambridge, Swansea University, the University of Strathclyde and Queen’s University Belfast, the Mental Health Foundation leads an ongoing, UK-wide study of how the pandemic is affecting people’s mental health. For full in depth study results you can find everything you need here, including;
Resilience in the UK against COVID
The divergence of mental health experiences during the pandemic &
The Mental Health Experiences of Older People
Mental Health Support
Good Mental Health For All is the very ambitious target, with prevention being the preference. On this site you can find some fantastic resources. COVID restrictions may have lifted but that doesn’t mean it’s vanished or that there’s still a significant amount of people affected by it. So the Coronavirus and Mental Health Hub remains with a range of topics such as;
Tips as lockdown restrictions ease
Loneliness during the pandemic
Change, loss & bereavement
Loss and gain
Acts of kindness &
The uncertainty of Omicron
Living through COVID if you already have a mental health condition is a brilliant inclusion. One group that can easily feel isolated are those who already had mental health conditions prior to the pandemic. This can make the world a confusing place to be. Everyone has become used to the vulnerable/sick/elderly being at risk but those with mental health conditions have often been faced with their own battles and, use of coping strategies left to slide and perceptions in an ever changing world, become more difficult to navigate. Integration back into society is far more challenging than others realise, despite the increased publicity. This can be forgotten as those who can have had their conditions or poor mental health ‘eased’ simply by unlocking those restrictions.
Support For Those With A Mental Health Diagnosis
So for those already experiencing problems this handy A-Z Guide has some condition information and some helpful blogs around general help and support.
Prevention
Extensive research by The Mental Health Foundation and The London School of Economics and Political science showed that Prevention interventions do work. When you look at the diagram below and see the enormous drain on public money to treat Mental Health it is clear that this is the right direction moving forward.
Get Involved in Mental Health Week
There are many ways in which you can become involved in this. Both through Mental Health Week or in the Long term. The site is like ‘pandoras box’ with the amount of information and support on offer. Some key publications and support mechanisms are;
A newsletter
Ordering of publications list
Purchasing a ribbon pin or face covering
Fundraising
Sharing your story
A Blog
Access To Research
Events & Projects
Mental Health Week 2022 page has all the information that you could possibly need! Add that to the Get Involved Page and you are all set!
Although we are focused on a week here, this is a subject that should never be allowed to disappear and people need to be reminded of the benefits to society of inclusion and acceptance of mental health conditions. The significant impact they can have and will continue to have unless we all come together, share, accept each others conditions, understand, relate. Perhaps even remember what it felt like to be in lockdown and how it made you feel. Then think about others and how they have dealt with those feelings, emotions, hallucinations and stigma for years.
Therefore the Getting Help page is a crucial addition. Whether you need help yourself, you want help for someone else or you just want to understand what others are going through better and support them you can find plenty of options.
The All Important links
Mental Health Foundation - Home Page
Mental Health Foundation - Corona Virus Research Resources
Mental Health Week - Home Page
Mental Health Foundation - Coronavirus Hub
Mental Health Foundation - A-Z Guide
Mental Health Foundation - Prevention
Mental Health Foundation - Get Involved
Mental Health Foundation - Getting Help