Championing positive mental health for all in Bucks

Buckinghamshire Council is reminding everyone of the importance of looking after our mental health and supporting one another following World Mental Health Day.

Alongside this, the council wants to raise awareness of the support available for those who may be struggling. If you need help with your mental health, you are not alone and you will not be wasting anyone's time. Your mental health is as important as your physical health.

Free mental health support is available for anyone to access. You can refer yourself to local services or speak to your GP for support. Some groups find it more difficult to access mental health support or are more likely to experience poor mental health. That's why Buckinghamshire Council have focused on support for men, children and young people and ethnic minority groups in the past year.

Angela Macpherson, Buckinghamshire Council's Cabinet Member for Adults and Health explained: "Support for anyone struggling with their mental health is readily available but we know that some groups, including men and people from ethnic minority groups, are less likely to seek support. The mental health and well-being of children and young people is also of widespread concern with a steady increase in children and young people seeking mental health support nationally and in Buckinghamshire."

National figures estimate that 1 in 10 children will have a clinically diagnosed mental disorder in childhood and that half of all mental disorders will emerge before the age of 14.

Earlier this year, Buckinghamshire Council awarded £94k funding through the Heart of Bucks Community Foundation to 17 local partner initiatives addressing mental health in children and young people. This is in addition to existing Buckinghamshire Council funded projects relating to suicide prevention targeting men and boys in Buckinghamshire.

One of the council's funded projects, Champion the Change, delivered by Buckinghamshire Mind, aims to tackle stigma and discrimination by promoting positive attitudes towards mental health and encouraging open and non-judgemental conversations. As an employer, Buckinghamshire Council has signed Champion the Change's Employers Pledge and has set about creating a successful Mental Health First Aider staff scheme as well as recently introducing a new Wellness Action Plan which all staff are encouraged to sign up to.

Buckinghamshire Council continues to look at new ways to raise awareness of mental health. A new initiative trials next month when specially developed training courses will be run for hairdressers. Presented jointly with Bucks Mind, the three-hour workshop will encourage attendees to address their own mental health, but also will also look at how hairdressers can play an important role in spotting the signs of poor mental health in their customers. The course aims to arm those who attend with the knowledge of how to help anyone who they feel may need additional support, for example by signposting them to services, as well as encourage mental health to be more openly discussed to banish stigma and discrimination.

Angela said: "We all have a role to play in supporting each other in our health and wellbeing. Hairdressing is one of those occupations where you can get to know your customers pretty well, so you can be uniquely placed to spot the signs if something is wrong. This course is just one example of the way we are trying to reach different communities in different ways and bringing positive mental health to the forefront of everyone's mind."

A range of support is available:

For adults:

• Buckinghamshire Talking Therapies – a free and confidential NHS service offering therapies that help with low mood, anxiety, worry, stress, long term health conditions and employment support.
• NHS 111 – if you need urgent help for your mental health, but it's not an emergency, call 111 or go to NHS 111 online and they will advise on where to get help.

For children and young people: 

• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Single Point of Access.
• Kooth

If you or someone else is at risk of harming themselves or others, please visit your local A&E or dial 999.