A SHIPLEY man who has experienced mental health problems has backed a national scheme after 280,000 people in Yorkshire have not spoken about their own difficulties.

One in seven adults surveyed in Yorkshire and the Humber (14 per cent) who say their mental health got worse during the pandemic haven’t spoken to anyone about it during this time – equivalent to around 280,000 people – according to research published today.

Almost half (47 per cent) of all respondents in Yorkshire and the Humber reported a worsening in their mental health during the pandemic.

The poll was conducted as part of Time to Talk Day, a national day of conversations about mental health. The aim is to spark millions of conversations about mental health in communities, schools, homes, workplaces and online across the UK.

 

Time to Talk Day 2022 is run by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness in England, See Me with SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) in Scotland, Inspire and Change Your Mind in Northern Ireland and Time to Change Wales. It is being delivered in partnership with Co-op.

Lee, 33, is a music-obsessed amateur chef, passionate civil rights activist and mental health advocate who lives in Shipley, with his wife and stepdaughter.

He has experienced mental health problems since his late teens and has since been diagnosed with depression and generalised anxiety disorder.

Lee is supporting this year’s Time to Talk Day by sharing his story. He said: “The most positive conversation I’ve had about my mental health was with my wife.

"I was at rock bottom and didn’t think I could carry on anymore, but sharing this with my wife and talking it through and receiving her support and comfort gave me the strength to try and tackle what was going on.

"It was a very difficult and upsetting conversation but talking, in that moment, was life saving.

“I would say to anybody that is worried about opening up, that just talking about your struggles and saying it out loud can be a massive weight off your shoulders and very therapeutic.

"Staying quiet and trying to deal with things on your own can be a very lonely and sad place to be.

"It might not be easy to speak out and personally I’ve always found it very difficult. But it is the best thing you can do.”