It's been another interesting week, with many really great mental health articles in the news pages and headlines which is really great to see.
As usual, I've been sifting through all of the different sources, and gathering together the most intriguing posts, then discussing, and delivering them on here - I hope people will start to see this site as somewhere that they catch up on everything mental health related, because I'm now including suggestions for posts as well as my own selections, so please keep them coming!
Prince Harry was in the news again yesterday after making a (rather controversial) statement about the U.K press. In an interview with 'The Late Show' host James Corden he blames them for 'destroying his mental health', and cites them as the reason for his and Meghan's move to the U.S.
Harry, (as we're instructed to call him now), doesn't go into any detail about how his mental health was affected, but he has spoken up a bit in the past about his struggles, which is unprecedented for someone of his rank and position, and really wonderful to see.
He has been open about seeking therapy after not dealing with the death of his mother, and also shared his delight when it was announced last year that mental health training was to become mandatory in the British military, describing it as an 'amazing step forward'.
He seems to be prepared to dive more deeply into mental health issues than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who would rather stick to the less stigmatised subjects, like mental well-being and emotional support, which although important, don't really help those of us in mental crisis.
I have identified a problem with all of this and it's to do with the language we're using to describe mental issues, because there is a difference between mental 'health' (well-being), and mental illness which are two completely different things.
The messages we're getting like 'walk in fresh air' and 'to be the best versions of ourselves', are useless 'plasters' for the mentally ill. Who's going to talk about how we help them I wonder?! I will be discussing all of this in a future post so don't worry!
After reading Prince Harry's comments, I started thinking about his mother and how tragic it is that she was taken at such a young age. It must be a strange feeling for Harry to know that he is now exactly the same age as Diana was when she was killed in that horrendous Paris car crash.
How he copes with all that's happened, (especially under the microscope), is a miracle in itself, but it would seem to have all affected him, and culminated in a rather controversial, (and sad really) exit from the U.K.
I mentioned Princess Diana in my 'bipolar: curse or cure' post from last month, because she came 'through' to me during an (almost hallucinatory), mania in 2017.
She basically told me that I was on an important mission (granted improbable), and that I was going to achieve great things - I'm trying to prove her right but haven't seen any evidence of it yet!
But the point is that the crazy manic experience, plus Harry's comments yesterday, got me thinking about how much Princess Diana would have done for mental health (illness), had she lived.
She'd already been amazingly brave to discuss her bulimia and mental health issues, which was unbelievable, especially considering the stigma around eating disorders and mental illnesses in the eighties and nineties. What an incredible person she was - so inspirational even today.
If you would like to read the article with Prince Harry on the bus with James Corden, I have attached it here.
Today I'm doing my usual two hour walk in the sunshine for my own mental 'health', followed by curling up on the sofa for a nap, and then reading more of Cordelia Feldman's novel 'In Bloom' which is a semi autobiographical account of her experience of bipolar disorder.
It's laugh out loud hilarious in places, as well as being an important source of insight into the illness. I hope (agent permitting) that my own self help/memoir will achieve the same thing.
I will be back on Monday with more important messages and educational insights!
Thanks for reading,
Speak to you soon,
TR
www.dyingtostayalive.com
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