Recycling expectations and moving forward: Mental Health Crisis

How do we challenge mental health? Should we be dependent on the state for support? 

To narrow it down to basics; I feel as though many people are struggling. Despite the growing acceptance and shift in stigma in regards to mental health within UK society, millions of us are struggling on a day-to-day basis. As much as the media implies that the Government are tackling mental health, CAMHS accounts for just 0.7% of NHS spending. Substantial evidence elaborates on the insufficiant research, policy implementations and funding for local organisations. I believe that good mental health is a priority during the transition through adolescents to adulthood. An article published by The Independent last month stated that 122,281 patients waited more than eight weeks for a follow-up appointment in 2018-19. This is a small percentage compared to the mass population that do not disclose their mental health conditions to the NHS. It's at no surprise that more people are developing mental health conditions in this fast-moving technological world. Despite these struggles, I often wonder if the answers and support we need is right under our noses.


The question I've been asking myself for some time now is whether we should we be dependent on the state for support with mental health difficulties. I am starting to analyse our behaviour and attitudes, and who we blame for our problems. Is society to blame? Government? Is this structural ideology that we are enforced to obide by the reasons we struggle so much? I don't know the answers. But what I do know is that we all need to accept where we stand in our lives, and in our minds. Fundamentally it is us, as individuals, to help ourselves and really try our hardest to tackle our emotions and fight our demons. Thus, does not include more severe mental health issues such as schizophrenia, or any other disorders that imply the consumption of medication to stabilize cognitive functioning. 

In order to tackle mental health problems, we all need to be aware of the sheer impacts and consequences of social inequalities. We need to educate ourselves on the root cause of our mental instabilities, and challenge these demons that eat us up everyday. As a community we need to collaborate and communicate about our difficulties without any judgement. We should we able to talk to strangers on the street, smile at a person on the train. I find it crazy how we want to make change, yet we can't even communicate without feeling like we're doing something wrong, or that others are judging us.