Blogging Helps To End Mental Health Social Stigma

Following our last post about how campaigning has led to a fall in the levels of mental health discrimination - we thought we'd showcase how blogging has been part of the project to tackle this social stigma.

Earlier this week we wrote in our Study Shows Fall in Mental Health Discrimination post about how the Time to Change has successfully challenged people's perceptions about mental health issues.

The findings provide the first evidence that it's possible to change the way the people think about mental health problems which are more common than most people think.

A quarter of us are affected by such conditions during our lifetimes and being able to talk about mental health is something which should be important for all of us.

This is why encouraging people to talk about their experiences of mental health forms a central part of the Time to Change strategy to discourage discrimination.

Most people find it difficult to talk about mental health problems - mainly through fear or awkwardness - which is why Time to Change has asked people to blog about their thoughts on mental illness and help spread via social media.

A few small words - whether spoken or written - can make a big difference and you - and all you've got to do is look at the Blogs & Stories section on the Time to Change website to see how this is definitely the case.

The campaign offers tips to encourage people to talk to someone about their mental health problems while its blog section provide an avenue where people can put forward their thoughts in writing.

If you'd like to write a blog post about your experiences of stigma or related issues for the Time to Change Wales website please email info@timetochangewales.org.uk.