Mental health is like diabetes OR Postponement and Positivity

I was really anxious. I felt low and had nightmares. Even with my birthday.

I was meant to have my first HR meeting regarding my formal complaint but due to unforeseen circumstances on their part, it has now been delayed by 2 weeks. It is an enormous weight to be lifted, but it still hangs over me. My only concern now is that when we do hold the meeting I will have been off work for a full month and potentially no investigation will have been done.


Matts birthday xx
Posted by Carol Campling on Saturday, 31 October 2015

 Still, I'm now 26 and after an awesome birthday weekend I feel enthused to be active.


However, this week we have good reason to be positive about the future. In the past few days the British public has been very open and hopefully accepting of mental health. It started with a fantastic documentary on BBC Three by the musician Professor Green around male suicide and affect his Father's suicide had. To talk about a taboo such as suicide is brave. To put then appear on BBC's flagship news programme Newsnight and discuss your own mental health, putting your reputation on the line, even more so. To educate, entertain and inform is the remit of the BBC and the join effort by BBC Three and BBC News did a fantastic job to rugby tackle such a complex and difficult issue and honestly explore it.
"The life expectancy for people with mental health problems remains 20 years lower than for the general population." - BBC News
Everyone is so scared of discussing their mental health. My own Father voiced concerns on this blog about my honesty. Would it affect my future career or how people treat me? If anything, the fantastic work being done shows that mental health is like diabetes; when managed correctly we can be perfectly functioning members of society and normal (or not!) as everyone else.

Equality is a key ethos. Everyone should be treated the same regardless of who they love, what genitals they have, their skin colour or their medical condition. Yet, I have faced discrimination. Ruby Wax with several key politicians and celebrities such at Matt Lucas, Alan Rickman and Caroline Lucas kickstarted a campaign this week. I honestly believe the staff of the NHS do their best to treat mental health equally to physical health yet we all know that in the end, this is not the case. We've discussed here on this blog before that when compared to cancer the physical signs of mental health are harder to see, that people get pushed back. For many years, Time To Change, has championed that one in four people will be affected by their mental health however it was former 'spin doctor' Alistair Campbell who argued that we all have mental health. If you read back through my blog, I have already lead a charge that we all have mental health and that it sits on a spectrum; we have all suffered with mental health moments when you take the breakups, grief and turmoil we have endured into account. Mental health isn't just the physical brain not working, but in cases like mine it appears to be more that the software on my 'computer' doesn't work either. Mental health is like diabetes; when managed correctly, whether therapy or medication or more, we can be perfectly functioning members of society. Please take this opportunity to have browse through my blog and sign this petition by those experts and celebs to pull mental health away from this victorian asylum image that horror portrays into the 21st century because, one day you will need it.

If you keep a close eye on twitter and my local newspapers, then you may see my name and that of the Iver Heath Drama Club crop up. I can confirm that Pinewood Studios has renewed their sponsorship of the club. IHDC is over 60 years old and is funded through donations, membership fees and profits from shows. It has over 40 members of all ages, abilities and disabilities and I am proud to be Chairman of the group. I am also proud to be the pantomime dame which you may have noticed. There is a video below of work thus far on our next show as well as information on our KickStarter campaign where we are raising money for props, paint and costumes through selling badges, VIP family tickets and even a dinner date with me. All the money we raise helps us keep ticket prices and membership down so we can include and entertain the whole community.

Carrying on with the club, I have been approached by Thames Valley Police in Iver to create a display regarding home safety this festive season. Did you blow that candle out? Did you lock the doors? Did you leave a light on? If you are in South Bucks and have any 'empty' and wrapped christmas presents you wish to donate, I will be at Iver Flowerland on Saturday morning constructing a makeshift bedroom with PCSO Rav Lewis.

Thank you once again for all your support and feedback on my blog and my Huffington Post articles. Please keep sharing the link to my blog and have a browse of my highlights below xxx 








A photo posted by Matthew E Streuli (@matthewstreuli) on

#equality4mentalhealth   #equality4mentalhealth

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