Time to Talk about your mental health
09 Dec 2013
The University held a historic event on Tuesday, 3 December at which staff and students together discussed a topic many wish to avoid: mental health.
The sell–out session, which was officially opened by Professor Clive Agnew (Vice President for Teaching Learning and Students/The Disabled Staff Network Group’s Champion), included interactive activities to encourage people to talk about mental health problems and the portrayal of mental health by organisations and the media.
Two staff members and two students also shared their experiences of mental ill health to help others understand what it is like to live with a mental health problem, and to give advice to those without.
One participant said "I thought the session was fantastic; one of the best I have been to. For me, the best thing about it was the interactive nature of how the message about mental health was delivered."
One of the activities involved attendees making their own pledges, stating what they plan to do to reduce stigma and discrimination – you can also participate by using the contact details below.
The University made a public commitment in June 2013 to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination by signing the Time to Change pledge. 1 in 4 people will suffer form a mental health problem - with 9 out of 10 experiencing discrimination as a result - this really is something that cannot be ignored.
Time to Change is England's biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination. In signing the Time to Change pledge the university is committed to help raise awareness and to tackle the stigma around mental health for our staff and students. This event was just one of our actions as part of our Action Plan.
Further information
To find out more about the campaign, please contact:
Follow the campaign on Twitter:
- @UoMTimetoChange