It's Time to Talk on February 3

The research from See Me, Scotland’s programme to end mental health stigma and discrimination, shows that there are still barriers to people speaking up about how they’re feeling.

To change that, See Me is calling for people to get involved in this year’s Time to Talk Day on Thursday, February 3.

After a fully digital day in 2021, Time to Talk Day will this year run as a mix of online and in-person events and activities, in line with Government guidance.

See Me volunteer spokesperson Jamie Donoghue has struggled with anxiety and agoraphobia since the age of 18. For him, a simple conversation was key to getting the help and support he needed.

Jamie said: “For the longest time, I didn’t really understand exactly what I had. I didn't discuss it with anyone. The day that things started to get better was the day I went to my mum and said: ‘I've got a problem here, there's something going on, I've got an issue.’

“So much of my life was controlled by anxiety. When I first spoke about it, it felt like a weight off my shoulders. The moment I talked about it, I also started losing the stigma over it. And every extra person I told about it, I felt a little less shame about what I had. I felt like I was taking ownership of it.”

See Me aims to support communities up and down the country to have more mental health conversations than ever before.

From coffee and conversation events to Zoom quizzes, there are lots of different ways for groups and individuals to get involved.

See Me director Wendy Halliday said: “We all have mental health, and any of us could go through a period where we struggle. So we want everyone to feel comfortable talking about mental health.

“With this year’s Time to Talk Day, we’re looking at all the different ways you can start a conversation on mental health, whether that’s in person, over the phone or online.”

To find out more about this year’s events, visit www.seemescotland.org.