Mental Health Shouldn't be a Taboo Subject

I think it's mad that people are slated for talking about what is purely another health condition that you have no control over. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it's not real. You don't tell a person with a broken leg to just get up and walk normally or that sitting in nature will fix the broken bone.

A lot of mental health is caused by your brain not managing to produce the correct concoction of hormones to stay level. Medication can help your body produce the hormones it is currently struggling with or limit any hormones your body is making too much of. You can't will your body to make what it can't make. So why dmeno people say it's wrong to be on medication like anti-depressants?

Well, I don't think anybody enjoys relying on medication. Always having to keep remembering when and how many to take, knowing that if you stop taking them things could get worse again, and of course the lovely side effects. So we don't need you telling us we don't need them. If they didn't help we wouldn't take them, they aren't fun. What we need instead is your support, and love, and care.

Mental health issues are way more common than society lets us believe. Approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. In England, 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety and depression) in any given week. It is nothing to be ashamed about, just another thing to go to the doctor about really.

Here are some statistics and explanations as to what goes in the body for some of the most common mental health issues for those of you feeling a little alone and overwhelmed:

5.9 in 100 people were diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder in 2016 in England. Anxiety is about that "fight or flight" response to situations that involve fear, dread, or apprehension. Anxiety will trigger a flood of stress hormones like cortisol designed to enhance your speed, reflexes, heart rate, and circulation. It can cause panic attacks, a struggle to concentrate, nausea and plenty more symptoms.

3.3 in 100 people were diagnosed with depression in 2016 in England. Depression is when there's an abnormal functioning of brain messengers so hormones that your body uses to identify pain and happiness are not being produced how they should. It can cause increased pain, fatigue and decreased appetite as well as many more symptoms.

2.4 in 100 people were diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in 2016 in England. BPD means your brain is on high alert and your "fight or flight" response is often triggered by very little changes in a situation. It causes intense emotions, paranoia, impulsivity and many more symptoms.

On top of these diagnosed conditions, a lot of them come with harmful or suicidal thoughts or tendencies that seem rational to the people who have them. So you say it's all in our head? Well yes, it is really. Our brain is in our head and our brain is ill! Just think before you speak and have a little compassion. Love one another please, life's too short.

by Rebecca Gannon. Photography by Rega Photography.