Crewe mum whose son took his own life wants conversations around emotions to be normalised
She says there's still a great deal of stigma among people with talking about their feelings.
Last updated 11th Oct 2024
A mum from Crewe whose son took his own life says everyone has a responsibility to encourage conversations about our mental health.
A recent survey shows that over half of people associate it with shame - and the likelihood of young people struggling with mental health conditions has increased by 50% in 3 years.
Jude Rouse's son Sam died when he was aged 20, back in 2018. She told our Chief Reporter Adam Smith:
"Just talk about it. Let's get to the bottom of why it's happening. Let's be open about why people are having these dark feelings."
She said: "Sam was 20 when he lost his life - he was a comedian to his peers, and he was mainly up in his bedroom listening to music, and he always like to support the underdog, and he was a fan of Wigan Athletic!
"He loved gigs, music and travelling and life seemed good on the outside, little did we know what was happening internally."
Jude said: "I want it to be normal conversations. Even when I'm out with friends, or with people who don't know me and they ask how many children I've got, and I say I've got four but I've lost one to suicide - you can see them take a breath and not know where to look.
"Mental health really should just be like physical health. If you saw someone who didn't look so well you'd say 'oh are you not feeling too well'. You might offer advice for a cough or cold. It should be like that, you should be able to open any conversation about it and not feel any shame.
"Make them feel it's natural and normal to have these thoughts and that it's a temporary situation, and that they know they're going to be looked and after with hope for the future.
"Conversations should look at what to do and what the nexts steps can be for them. It's so important."
Health leaders at Cheshire's NHS are also encouraging more conversations in workplaces and for employers to recognise the importance of mental health awareness.
According to research carried out by YouGov on behalf of Mental Health UK, nine in 10 UK adults experienced high or extreme stress in the past year, almost a quarter of UK adults feel unable to manage stress and pressure levels in their lives, and one in five workers needed to take time off work in the past year due to poor mental health caused by pressure or stress.
Mental health is just as essential as physical health and talking openly about mental health issues in the workplace can help break down barriers and foster environments that support good mental health for all employees.
Normalising these sometimes-difficult conversations provides opportunities to correct misconceptions and empower individuals to ask for help when they need it.
NHS England North West interim Regional Medical Director Dr Gareth Wallis said: “Life is very fast-paced and it is important people at work look after themselves physically and mentally.
"We’re calling on everyone to take responsibility for enabling good workplace mental health. We must come together in educating each other to recognise the signs of poor mental health and provide mutual support so that we can create healthier, more resilient workplaces where mental wellbeing is a priority for all."
Members of the public can access NHS talking therapies for free on the NHS by referring themselves directly with or without a referral from a GP.
The Every Mind Matters website offers expert advice to help improve your wellbeing, as well as practical tips on sleep, coping with money worries and self-care.
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