World Mental Health Day: "You can get past it"
World Mental Health Day is on the 10th October every year
Last updated 10th Oct 2022
Today (10th October) is World Mental Health Day. The theme, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is 'Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority'.
Kyla's Story
Kyla Borcherds, a mother of three from Birmingham, tried to take her own life last year.
She tells us: "It was like something in my head broke, I couldn't think straight, I couldn't stop crying, life felt completely overwhelming to the point where I couldn't get out of bed, and I just felt that I couldn't carry on."
Kyla struggled to access the help she needed at the time and believes that there should be the same help for mental health as there is for physical health.
But after attending therapy, Kyla tells us she is now in a good place: " I love my life and I am looking forward to the future. I want everyone who is feeling as desperate as I was feeling to be able to experience that kind of transformation, because you can get past it and you can have a fantastic life afterwards."
She believes that it is important for more people to speak out about mental health.
And there is help out there, we spoke to the 'Improving access to psychological therapy' (IAPT) services in the Black Country, who offer help to people with mild to moderate depression and anxiety.
Operations manager Marcus Leonard told us how there is a much lower rate of people accessing help in the Black Country than other areas due to the "stoic attitude" of people in the community.
He is encouraging more people to come forward to receive help and says "early intervention is vital."
"Mental health doesn't stand alone, it can lead to a more difficult mental health experience and could lead to a physical health difficulty, so it's imperative that we see people as soon as possible," he says.
IAPT services operate across the country. To sign up for help or for more information, click here.