Close
Search
Menu Menu

The Royals’ help launch historic mental health program

By
London, UK
0 energy + Add Energy
What is energy?
Want to show your appreciation? Give an article “Energy” and it will help us know what you like.
0 comments
0 comments

The website for the new royal-backed mental health service ‘Every Mind Matters’ launched this week, promptly crashing within its first half hour. The severity of the UK’s mental health emergency has never been so clearly highlighted.

The official campaign video for ‘Every Mind Matters’, a UK government led campaign in collaboration with the NHS and championed by the royals, was broadcast this week on multiple UK channels. Viewed by an estimated 10.3 million people, the three-minute-long film introducing the campaign was written by UK darling Richard Curtis – director of Love Actually – and narrated by The Dukes and Duchess’ of Cambridge and Sussex.

For the uninitiated, that’s Will and Kate and Harry and Meghan.

In the short production, the glamorous royals so often elevated from the public by status and privilege humble themselves as they discuss the universality of mental health issues. ‘Everyone knows that feeling, when life gets on top of us’ comes Prince William’s reassuring lilt, reminding us of the great leveller that is being mentally unwell.

The clip also featured a range of celebs and recognisable faces who have themselves openly admitted to struggling with mental health, including Gillian Anderson, Glenn Close, and Nadiya Hussain. The video explains how Every Mind Matters plans to go about aiding the nation to get off the toxic track of managing mental health issues in isolation.

According to the video, the campaign website will allow people to take a short survey about their mental health, which will generate tailored advice and resource lists to help with any struggles they may be experiencing.

Megan states confidently that the new initiative is a ‘new way to help turn things around’.

It’s not the first time the younger generation of royals have made themselves heard on this issue of mental health. Their Royal Highnesses have previously collaborated to create Heads Together, a foundation that aims to change the conversation surrounding mental illness, whilst fundraising for increased availability of psychosocial services.

But this is the first time the British government has created a cohesive policy to integrate mental health and wellness projects more widely into the public sector.

Within the first half hour of the video being aired, the Every Mind Matters website crashed.

It’s not clear exactly how many people tried to access the site, but the volume was massive enough to justify the need for the service ten times over.

Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, commented: ‘over the past few years there’s been a profound sea change in public attitudes and awareness about mental health… people are increasingly interested in practical steps they can take themselves to prevent and manage common mental health problems…’

Yet despite the increased awareness of mental health issues, and the slow stripping away of stigma surrounding its discourse, the surge of people towards the website is evidence that people are still in the dark when it comes to treatment. Diagnosis and recovery plans are time consuming and often costly processes and wait lists to be seen by therapists on the NHS can stretch to over a year long.

Critics of the new campaign have pointed to this overstretching of public resources, questioning whether the money spent on the campaign and website could have been better spent on making public councillors more prevalent and better paid.

‘Its great that [Every Mind Matters] has launched BUT for those of us stuck in a failing NHS system that keeps people with chronic mental illness on long and pointless waiting lists for therapy that doesn’t happen- I don’t see how this can help if you’ve been in the system for years,’ tweeted writer Eleanor Segall Mandelstam.

Some have even accused the campaign of being a ploy by the Conservative Party to lure liberal votes away from traditionally more public health conscious Labour.

It’s true that if Every Mind Matters, there should be enough funding to support every mind that struggles, and the campaign is at risk of seeming like a Band-Aid solution. But it’s hard to see any step towards increasing dialogue about mental health in harder to reach corners of the country as anything other than positive.

According to a new PHE survey of more than 3000 adults in England, 83% have experienced early symptoms of mental health issues in the past year. Whilst existing NHS psychological resources are there for those already in the thralls of mental illness, it seems that Every Mind Matters is there to fulfil a more preventative role. The notion of planning for mental health emergencies and recognising the early signs of mental unwellness could be a revolutionary concept to many, saving them from needing more costly services further down the line.

There’s no doubt that the NHS has a long way to go before it starts effectively dealing with the overwhelming number of people suffering from mental illness. But Every Mind Matters seems to be yet another example that people across the UK, and the world, are becoming more and more comfortable talking about mental illness, and accepting it as a common part of their society if not their immediate reality.

Now let’s just hope they can keep their website up and running…

Departed London, UK

My interests include social and climate justice, women’s issues, and human rights. If you\’re keen on current affairs and social change, check out my profile! Follow me on Twitter and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

Popular

Keep up with thred by signing up to our planet-positive newsletter!

More from thred.

Opinion – we need to take self-care from the screen to the streets
Credit: Pexels
People

Opinion – we need to take self-care from the screen to the streets

Though scrolling on social media gives us the short-term dopamine hits we crave, ceaseless overexposure to tragedy means that many of us have developed a guilt complex. To combat this, we’re increasingly switching off in the name of self-care, but what if we redirected that to bringing about tangible change and helping others the way we’re helping ourselves? Without doubt, social media is having detrimental impact on our mental...

By Manchester, England
Paralympians were finally allowed Olympic ring tattoos
Credit: AFP
People

Paralympians were finally allowed Olympic ring tattoos

The IOC had previously placed a ban on the symbol in favour of the Paralympic Agitos logo.  For the last few decades, one rite of passage has continued to unite the world’s best athletes, and it isn’t medals. The Olympic rings tattoo has become a tell-tale sign of a top-tier sportsperson, signifying their place at the prestigious games and etching it permanently into their professional journey. Alongside individuals like Tom Daley and...

By Brighton, UK
Nobel Peace Center launches ‘Free Narges Coalition’
Credit: Thred
People

Nobel Peace Center launches ‘Free Narges Coalition’

The Nobel Peace Center demands the immediate release of Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi, who is unjustly imprisoned and has been violated by guards due to her activism. When you hear of someone who has won a prestigious award like the Nobel Peace Prize, you would naturally assume that they are held in high regard in their own country. Unfortunately, Narges Mohammadi is being unjustly imprisoned for her gender equality advocacy and...

By Milan, Italy
Accessibility