10 ARTICLES IN 10 DAYS: DAY 7

20^th September 2016: Celebrities opening up about mental health issues is helping stigmatization come to an end.

Talking about mental health has become a lot less taboo in recent years, the media have started talking openly about issues, such as depression, anxiety and eating disorders. Celebrities have even started opening up the dialogue and are talking openly about the obstacles that they have overcome.

In April, Coronation Street star Beverley Callard took a trip away from the cobbles and joined Rylan Clark and Ruth Langsford on This Morning sofa. Beverley talked sincerely and honestly about the struggles she has faced and even discussed the medication that she takes in order to control the symptoms of her depression.

However, Beverley isn’t the only familiar face being brave enough to speak candidly about their difficulties regarding mental wellbeing. Among many celebs, the author of The Fault in Our Stars, John Green discussed his use of medication, saying “Like millions of others, I take medication to help treat my mental illness. Treating chronic medical conditions must not be stigmatized”.

Now that conversation about mental health has become easier to access, it is hoped that people will discuss their own personal issues and feel more comfortable to ask for help. Educating people on the effects and causes, confronting the discrimination that sufferers and their close ones face and simply challenging the negative stereotypes that are still present, will all help to destigmatize a problem that 1 in 4 people suffer with on a yearly basis.

Sources of information:

Deepika Rajani (2016). Coronation Street's Beverley Callard opens up about her depression battle in candid interview: 'I don't get these amazing highs or hallucinations but I get the tremendous lows'. Available: http://www.ok.co.uk/tv/this-morning/604879/coronation-streets-beverley-callard-talks-candidly-about-her-depression-on-this-morning. Last accessed 20.09.16.

This Morning. (2016). Beverley Callard's Battle With Depression [Online Video]. 6 April 2016. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAqwlyA39HA. Accessed: 20 September 2016.