MENTAL ILLNESS AWARENESS

SPEECH; ENGLISH GCSE
So I did my speaking and listening gcse (final year exams) today!!! I think it went really well
which I’m very happy about! I decided to do it on something I am passionate about; mental
illness awareness…so this is the speech I presented…

“What do think of when you hear the word illness? Flu? Diabetes? Cancer?
Does it make you feel sympathetic towards them?

But what about when you hear the word depression? OCD or Anorexia?

Some people, as soon, as they hear these words automatically think weirdo, nutter, psycho, get
over yourself!

But they too are illnesses! Just like physical illnesses, but mental illnesses. Illnesses which are
not belonging to a nutcase or a weirdo, but normal everyday people who are suffering an illness
not of the body, but of the mind. Illnesses that, like physical illnesses, can be treated.

However, so many people clam up, walk away, turn their backs on people who are suffering with
a mental illness. They find it hard to talk to the person, want to ignore it and hope it will go
away. It’s such a shame that there is so little understanding and compassion towards these
illnesses.

So why are people so accepting of taking Paracetamol for a headache, the pill for acne, insulin
for diabetes but think its an embarrassment or a failure if you are given antidepressants?

At the beginning of 2014 the government published a plan that expressed their ambition to
reduce mental illness stigma and enforce mental wellbeing. They stated that mental health must
have equal priority with physical health and that everyone who needs mental health care should
get the right support, at the right time. There is still insufficient support within communities for
people with mental health problems. They agreed that so much more could be done to promote
good mental health and prevent mental illnesses.

At least 1 in 4 people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives. Do
you realise that means almost every house hassome sort of connection with a mental illness? A
lot of the time this is kept secret or not even discovered. Yes, secret. It’s a MENTAL illness. You
cannot physically see it.

What really, really, REALLY annoys me is stereotypes related to eating disorders…especially

anorexia.
Just like depression, an eating disorder is a mental illness. It can affect anyone, from any
background, from any race, from any gender, from any age. It is not an illness about being thin.
It is an illness of the mind, which only sometimes results in people looking very thin.

Eating disorders are a fight, and its unfortunate that 20% of those who suffer, die from it.
Charlotte, my friend, was a beautiful girl with a bright future ahead of her. She had a loving
family who wanted the best for her, however anorexia took her life before it took her weight. But
it is safe to say that she battled.

What I want to say here, is, If you don’t give up the fight, you wont lose; if you lose the fight, its
because you’ve given up.

STOP the stigma and the stereotypes. Be aware. Be supportive.

I know that if we work together, we can stop stereotypical judgements and help people get the
support they need. We need to bring awareness too an illness so close to each and every one of
us; there are more people affected than we realise. So STOP the discrimination and do something
about it. NOW.”