Is Mental Health Condition a FAD?

Since the pandemic in 2020 and the years that followed a lot have been discussed in the media about mental health. It has been covered on the radio, the television, online and of course on social media with different opinions being discussed by different people. It has also been a topic of discussion in the UK government  due to the high number of absentees and sick leave of people who are physically able to work but mentally not able to do so.

Majendi enjoying the sunset in Santa Marta Colombia

I thought I would address this topic this month to give my opinion and throw some light on this topic as a mother who lost her son to a mental health condition during the pandemic.

I believe a lot of people had been suffering with mental health condition before the pandemic but kept it quiet as most of us did not understand it.

I believe the pandemic and the years that followed have given a bit more understanding to what it is and also to take away some of the stigma of having a mental health condition.

I am definitely one of those who was very ignorant of the impact of having poor mental health on a person until my son Marley suffered from it.

There are signs that I saw but dismissed it as nothing serious.

My son showed signs as early as the age of eleven when he transitioned from primary school to secondary school but since I lacked the knowledge on this topic I put it down to just the change of environment, being in unfamiliar surroundings and  the need to adjust to a new school and make new friends.

I did not realise that there was more to it than just getting familiar with a new school and making new friends.

Mental health has been defined by WHO (World Health Organisation) as ”a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realize their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community. It is an integral component of health and well-being that underpins our individual and collective abilities to make decisions, build relationships and shape the world we live in. Mental health is a basic human right. And it is crucial to personal, community and socio-economic development”. 

Therefore, anything that causes individuals to not have a good state of mental well-being can lead to mental health conditions such as mental disorders and psychosocial disabilities as well as other mental states associated with significant distress, impairment in functioning, or risk of self-harm. 

In the case of my son Marley, it was the transition from primary to secondary school which triggered anxiety and stress that led to poor mental well-being which he disguised for a long time as his inability to make friends and fit in a social setting.

Naively, I thought that the pandemic would help him by taking the pressures off him of socialising and meeting people but instead it made him worse and he became more withdrawn into himself and found it very hard to even socialise with us his immediate family.

This is the core for the increase of mental health conditions in the UK and other parts of the world where there was strict lockdown. Prior to the pandemic most people with a mental health condition where compelled to be in a social setting whether its in the office or schools or universities it was a place where you had to function physically and whilst it was hard for most people in some instances they found that being compelled to be in these settings did them good rather than bad.

A beautiful scene Magdalena Colombia

Unfortunately, in lockdown there was no need to be in these settings which made them uncomfortable and as time went on they became used to being in their “comfort zone” which seemed to be good on one hand but on the other hand bad for their mental health.

Mental Health condition is not a fad, I have been on the front row witnessing it as a mother, feeling helpless, not knowing what to do to change the situation and ultimately being in that position where there is nothing I can do to bring back my son apart from helping others.

I hope that if you are one of the sceptics who think all this “hype” about mental health is a fad that I have been able to give you some understanding.

You can read more about Marley by getting my books on Amazon.

Get in touch, I would love to hear from you.