After reading an article I have to question how useful celebs and charities are when it comes to mental health talks and campaigns?
Social media influencer Joe Sugg is an ambassador for Every Mind Matters, with TV personality Scarlett Moffatt an ambassador for the Samaritans.
Princes William and Harry and the Duchess of Cambridge are also patrons of and founded the mental health charity, Heads Together.
Its all very well having all these charities and celebs who give talks every other mental health day or week but what have they done for mental health.
There are lots of mental health charities here in the UK, however, we still have a rise in mental health especially during the COVID lockdowns.
Its all very well raising money for mental health but who and where does the money actually go to?
Celebrities might not be being paid but they do get travel costs paid for.
Would the money not be better spent on treatments and researching mental health?
Having worked for a charity before I know that everyone who works at these charities (accept the volunteers) earn a significant amount of money especially the CEO’s.
For example did you know that the CEO for Mind, Richard Brook earns £72,800 per year?
Royalty are also raking in the money as patrons.
They don’t actually do a lot of work just a few media talks and visits and the charity has to pay for their appearances and security.
Back in 2018 Theresa May’s 2018 Green Paper on transforming children and young people’s mental health committed to a radical £300 million shake-up of support in schools.
The government promised its plans would tackle the “burning injustice” of mental health illness.
However, the government have now used the pandemic as an excuse for not delivering and with rising numbers in both young and older people more funding and staff are needed.
The NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, provided a number of further commitments to improve mental health services.
On adult mental health services, the Plan committed to providing an additional 380,000 people per year with access to adult psychological therapies by 2023/24.
It also stated that new services to support patients going through a mental health crisis would be introduced.
I have personally contacted many local mental health charities for help and reached out to the CMHS on many occasions.
Out of the charities I have contacted I have only had success with two, Penhaligan who I’m currently having counselling with and Mind in Devon.
I’m still waiting for Waves Counselling to contact me, I haven’t heard anything from them since my telephone assessment a few months ago.
I received a letter from Trevillis House inviting me to a one off appointment to assess my needs. But I don’t hold out much hope. Watch this space.
