Trisha's story

Join Trisha and Time to Change in Pledging to Help End Mental Health Prejudice

  
Trisha has personal experience of mental illness, even spending time in a psychiatric hospital. And compared to when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, Trisha believes that her mental illness was more difficult to deal with.

“Both experiences were horrible. But with breast cancer, people ran towards me with open arms and hugged me. With depression, people ran away.”

Pledge to help end mental health prejudice

Comparing the two experiences, Trisha sees clear evidence of how people behave differently to those with mental health: “When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was inundated with ‘Get Well Soon’ cards. When news leaked out that I was in a psychiatric hospital following a breakdown, not a peep. And certainly no cards.”

According to Trisha, part of the problem is that people are more comfortable talking about physical health than mental illness. “With breast cancer, people talk about it and wear pink ribbons; people are open about it.”

As Trisha knows only too well, the reactions of other people can make recovery from mental illness even more difficult, quite often without realising it.“When I tried to talk to people about my depression, they made me feel embarrassed and ashamed. They wouldn’t look me in the eye. And that made me feel guilty.”

One in four of us will have some sort of mental health problem, so Trisha’s keen to see an end to this intolerance. “In time, I really hope attitudes can change.”

Pledge to help end mental health prejudice