Scarborough Borough residents urged to start mental health talks
People in the Borough of Scarborough are being urged to speak out about mental health as part of Time to Talk day.
People in the Borough of Scarborough are being urged to speak out about mental health.
It is part of Time to Talk day today and advice is being issued on how to spot the signs if someone is struggling.
Christine Mackay is from Scarborough Survivors and North Yorkshire's Time to Change hub.
She said:
"Although it is just one day of the year, it's just a way to get voices heard more about mental health and encourage people to start a conversation if they haven't had any conversations about mental health before. It's really to just get that awareness out there.
"If you see any that somebody's struggling or if you think they might be unwell is just to reach out and ask them how they are. It doesn't have to be a long conversation but just showing that you're willing to listen to what's going on with them can make a huge difference.
"It's different to everybody but generally it would be like a change of behaviour if you know somebody and you noticed they're not behaving as they normally would like, if they get withdrawn or they don't' want to talk as much as they usually do or they've lost interest in doing things.
"We shouldn't' feel like we can't talk about what's going on with our mental health and by doing so, you're making it easier to have the conversations in the long run and also to make sure that people feel supported and aren't isolated by their mental health."
To contact Scarborough Survivors, visit: https://scarboroughsurvivors.org.uk/ or to get more advice and contact numbers from Time to Change, visit: https://www.time-to-change.org.uk/