Mental Health Awareness

One in four people will experience a mental health issue at some point during their lifetime.  For most, this will be a short term and usually successfully treated using many techniques from medication to self-help.

The most common of all mental health problems is anxiety and depression which often occurs after a difficult life event such as a bereavement or brought on by work related stress.

Signs of someone struggling with a mental health issue can manifest in many ways.  Some will use alcohol or drugs to help them cope, some will self-harm while others will use food either by comfort eating or by not eating much at all. Another sign which is easy to spot is someone’s change in mood or character.  

Often, one of the easiest ways to help someone you think might be struggling is to sit and talk to them.  They might not want to open up, and that’s fine but just letting them know that you are there if they need someone to talk to can make all the difference.

It’s a really sad statistic that 5,583 suicides were registered in 2021 in England and Wales which is 6.9% higher than in 2020, with males aged 50-54 having the highest suicide rate.. 

As part of our Wellbeing programme at BH&O LLP we thought it important to have our own Mental Health First Aiders on site and following some recent training, we are pleased to say that we now have four MHFA, who are Ruth Hawkins, Jayne Parker, Beth Hancock and Cheyenne Hamblin.

Mental Health should not be seen as a stigma so if you or anyone you know need help with their mental health but you’re not sure where to go, we have listed here several charities that may be able to help.