One in four of us will be affected by mental illness in any year. That’s why starting a conversation about mental health is important. It helps people to know they’re not alone and can start to take the taboo out of something that affects us all.

On Thursday 6 February, Time to Change, England’s biggest mental health anti-stigma programme aims to get more people talking about mental health than ever before with ‘Time to Talk Day’. People all over the country will be running events, sharing experiences online and even just having a cuppa and a chat with a friend to help get that conversation started. You can join them! Visit the website to find out more: www.time-to-change.org.uk/talkday

Speaking in London, Ian Jones, CEO of ianjoneslaw said “The time has come for people to realise that those with mental health problems are ordinary people, who have a wealth of insight, experience and talent. Those resources are untapped because of the antiquated attitudes of many towards mental illness. These are reinforced by stereotypical or misleading statements in our media”

“For example: recent research shows that 63% of references to mental health in TV soaps and drama were “pejorative, flippant or unsympathetic” terms included: “crackpot”, “a sad little psycho”, “basket case” , “where did you get her from?”, “Care in the Community?” and “he was looney tunes””

“The best way to find out the truth about mental health and its effects is to sit down and talk to someone who suffers from a mental illness such as depression, OCD, bi-polar disorder and phobias.”