Talking about mental health can make a real difference and Histon and Impington’s Mental Wellbeing Week (7-14 October) offered a whole host of mental well being events, many of which were geared towards encouraging people to feel more comfortable talking about their mental health.
Lucy Frazer MP was pleased to be a panel member alongside Steve Mallen, founder of the MindEdTrust, Annabell Webb, Histon and Impington's Mental Wellbeing Champion and clinical psychologist Dr Carrie Baker on a Mental Health 'Any Questions' panel chaired by local resident and Trustee of the Cogwheel Trust in Cambridge, Nigel Walter. Questions asked led to a discussion on mental health in general and approaches to tackling mental health issues in the local community.
Lucy said, “Mental health is no longer stigmatised in the way it was and any initiative that encouarges people to be open about their mental health and talk with others about mental health is to be welcomed. Tackling mental health problems early on is vital to avoid low level problems becoming much more significant problems in later life. The government are working alongside mental health charities to transform the way we deal with mental illness in this country so that it is tackled at every stage of a person’s life, not in our hospitals, but in our classrooms, at work and in our communities. I am proud of the efforts of all those who are helping to change the way we manage mental health for the better and applaud Histon and Impington Mental Health for their work in the community.”