Oxfordshire man launches national mental health campaign
The campaign calls for clearer language to be used when discussing mental health
A social enterprise leader from Witney has launched a national campaign aimed at improving public understanding of mental health.
Barry Ingleton, founder and CEO of Synolos CIC, lives with bipolar disorder and says the UK needs “an evolutionary step in how we communicate what mental health is.”
The campaign, called Rethinking Mental Health Together, focuses on the distinction between natural emotions and clinical mental illness.
Barry said: “It's about asking the question – ‘do we know the difference between everyday emotions and a mental health illness?’”
He believes confusion over these terms is contributing to demand on NHS services.
“We are using clinical language at the moment to describe everyday human experiences,” Barry said.
“If I say to you I’m depressed and I haven't had a professional diagnosis, I shouldn't be claiming that label… in the same way that if I wake up with a headache, I wouldn't say I’m suffering from a tumour,” he added.
Barry also highlighted his concerns about self-diagnosis and “diagnosis by social media” among the younger generation.
He said: “A lot of young people are talking about mental health difficulties, but they've never been to a doctor.
“It's incredibly dangerous because there's so much confusion out there.”
Barry’s ultimate ambition is to “amend the Mental Health Act” so that it recognises the difference between natural emotion and mental health illnesses, and that only trained professionals can determine when one crosses into the other.
He said: “We must reclaim those clinical labels otherwise we'll go into the next 20-30 years unsure what it is to really be human.”