Wake up to mental health (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Wake up to mental health

1:20pm Sunday 5th July 2009 in

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PEOPLE in Somerset are being urged to open their minds when it comes to mental illness.

NHS Somerset has launched the Time To Change - Sofa Tour campaign along with Rethink and MIND to combat the stigma associated with mental health.

The campaign aims to change attitudes and will be at Taunton’s Old Market House on Thursday and in Minehead’s Wellington Square on Friday.

Taunton nurse Jane Carpenter said: “As a nurse, I thought I had a promising career ahead of me – a job for life.

“But then I went down and it seemed there was no way out.

“It is now ten years on and I have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder so I have to face new challenges every day.

“What I find hardest is gaining acceptance in a society that would rather not talk about mental illness. The stigma is attached to the label and it just doesn’t go away.”

Figures show around one in four people in the UK will experience mental illness at some point, the most common conditions being stress, anxiety or depression.

Jane added: “This campaign is so important to people like me because it will raise awareness of the issues sufferers have to face.

“I may not be able to work any more, but I am still an individual with a lot to give.

“Please show your support for all the people in Somerset who have any form of mental illness by going along to the Sofa Tour and learning how it can affect the lives of sufferers and their families.”