Royal wedding? Are we coping? Even Harry took time out for Mental Health Awareness Week

Prince Harry may be marrying Meghan Markle but he still took time out to focus on Mental Health Awareness Week (May 14-20).

Just days before his wedding, the voices of Prince Harry and his brother, the Duke of Cambridge, were heard in support of the royals’ mental health charity, Heads Together.

The princes joined celebrities including Lady Gaga, Dame Judy Dench and Dame Jessica Hill to speak in a radio broadcast at 10.59am on 15 May which was aired on over 300 radio stations across the UK. The broadcast urged listeners to take a #MentalHealthMinute.

Anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, addictions, paranoia, post-traumatic stress disorder, the list of mental health illnesses goes on but the time taken to think about these conditions and how they impact on those around us can be limited.

’Stuck in your own head with horrible thoughts’

Hazel Hayes, is one of many who have tweeted about their own struggles with mental health. She tweeted (@TheHazelHayes): ‘I’ve been battling mental illness for a long time. But this recent episode really scared me into taking immediate action. I was advised by my therapist and GP to try anti-depressants so I started them straight away.

'I’ll admit the first two weeks on them were hellish, and even now the side effects can be annoying, but they are helping to keep me balanced while I work through the causes of my anxiety and depression in therapy.

'I know how hopeless and lonely it can feel to be stuck in your own head with hundreds of horrible thoughts.'

This year, Mental Health Awareness Week is focused on stress. According to the Heads Together charity, mental health problems are the leading cause of absence from work in the UK. Some 70 million work days are lost each year due to mental health problems in the UK, costing employers approximately £2.4 billion per year.

Isabella Goldie, director of the Mental Health Foundation, said: “Princess Diana was instrumental in tackling stigma around HIV. The princes are following in their mother's footsteps and doing the same for mental health.”

'Anxiety during royal engagements'

Prince Harry has previously spoken about the counselling he had for his own mental health, describing how he only began to address his grief over the death of his mother when he was 28-years-old. And, he said this was only after feeling “on the verge of punching someone” and facing anxiety during royal engagements.

Ms Goldie added:"Two thirds of people say they have experienced a mental health problem over their lifetime. It can affect anyone, including members of the Royal Family, celebrities or members of the public. Yet we can still find it so hard to talk about.”

On 18 May, the day before the royal wedding, the spotlight fell on Windsor with fans already gathering outside the castle, but 18 May is also the anniversary of the death of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis who took his own life in 1980.

Ian Curtis was living with epilepsy and depression before he ended his life. One in five people aged over 65 are living with depression. Some 5,668 suicides happened in the UK in 2016.

All invited: Diary dates this week

The financial burden of mental ill health alone is £35 billion annually in the UK. This week, to help those with mental health issues, events for the young and old are taking place throughout the country.

On 16 May, a Circus and Mindfulness workshop for children aged 8-12-years-old took place at Islands Art Centre in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, to boost children’s physical skills and promote calm and inner reflection.

At Nottingham College, staff and students took a 17-mile walk to promote the benefits of walking and talking about mental health on 18 May.

The walkers are fundraising for Harmless and the Tomorrow Project, a local suicide prevention service which has already supported many of its students. Stalls were also set up with people giving information to students about how they can look after their own mental health.

In Ayr in Scotland, a pop-up Stress Less Café came to Ayr Central Shopping Centre. Hosted by Ayr Action for Mental Health, ‘talk-ins’ and free tea, coffee and cake were being served on 16-18 May.

And on Saturday 19 May - the day of the royal wedding (in case we forgot) - the general public are all invited to the Feelgood Festival in Weston Super Mare, where an eclectic mix of music will be performed thanks to the Warriors of Wellbeing.

Whatever you do this week, some are taking time to join the conversation about mental health in #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek.