MORE than 150 people in Bradford have been sharing voices on World Mental Health Day about the importance of dignity and being treated with respect.

Professionals from care providers including the NHS, District Care Trust and clinical commissioning groups met with service users of all ages yesterday to hear their views on local help available and how it could be improved.

The event, organised by community development mental health organisation Sharing Voices, also welcomed its former chairman Bradford West Labour MP Naz Shah as one of its key speakers.

She spoke about the importance of the service user being central to all organisations and explored the taboos of stress, sharing her own experience of the emotion she experienced when her mother was jailed for murdering an abusive partner.

“It can be too easy to dismiss stress and it shouldn’t be dismissed,” she said.

Schoolboy Asad Khan from Tile Street, off Whetley Lane, who died after he was found hanging at his home by his mother on September 28, was also remembered at the event held at Carlisle Business Centre in Manningham.

The 11-year-old had been reluctant to start at Beckfoot Upper Heaton School and West Yorkshire Police is investigating the circumstances of his death amid allegations he had suffered bullying.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford Councillor Geoff Reid was another key speaker and he urged care providers to focus on giving more help to young people, making sure they were being listened to.

His chosen charity for this year is Young Minds. Cllr Reid wants to raise the profile of its work across the district, to help Bradford children, young people and their parents make use of the services Young Minds has to offer.

As well as talks from the key speakers, the event included a number of workshops exploring dignity and respect in mental health.

Sharing Voices development manager Ishtiaq Ahmed said the message from the event was that dignity and respect were basic human rights.

“Service users were telling us they want to be treated with respect, be afforded compassion and be treated no differently to people with physical illnesses.

“It’s basic human rights so everyone regardless is entitled to that,” he said.

Local mental health charity, The Cellar Trust, in Shipley, also marked World Mental Health Day yesterday with the support of a High Street name.

Retail gurus from The Broadway’s Marks & Spencer store called into the charity’s Kirkgate shop to help staff and volunteers get ready for Halloween sales and make the most out of their merchandising, window displays and stock.

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