I've set out to run a half marathon with a 15kg weighted vest as my own personal goal but I wanted to raise some money whilst doing so. I will be doing this on Saturday 3rd April. 

Below I've written a small educational piece on the state of mental health and depression in the UK to help raise awareness. I've also briefly described what Mind charity is and what they do. 

About the state of Mental Health and Depression: 
Mental health, particularly depression, is a sociological disease that is witnessed in every country around the world. 

The World Health Organisation states that over 265 million people suffer from depression, and this has increased by 95 million since 1990. 

In advanced and westernised societies, the rates of atypical and situational depression - what can be referred to as societal depression - is increasing at an alarming rate. 

In the UK:

• 1 in 4 will experience some form of mental health each year, and 1 in 6 report having such mental health problems in any given week in England.
• 1 in 10 children experience mental health problems.
• In 2018, over 22% of all people aged 16 and over showed symptoms of depression and anxiety; 24% of women and 13% of men in England are diagnosed with depression in their lifetime.
• In 2018, there were 6500 deaths due to suicide and 3/4 of these were by men. That is 14 times more than soldiers we lost in Afghanistan. Suicide rates in females under 25 years old has increased by nearly 90% since 2012.
• 1 in 10 people will self-harm over their lifetime and 1 in 5 will have suicidal thoughts. 
• The amount of people with a common mental health problem has increased by 20% since 1993.
• The UK ranks 7th in the world for antidepressant usage which equates to nearly 70 million dispensaries each year, and since the pandemic started the UK has seen a doubling in the rates of depression, anxiety and loneliness.

The situation is profoundly difficult to address. So many people are suffering on a level that is almost indescribable and it's not slowing down....

The increase in depression is being experienced by each successive generation, meaning the rates are getting worse and worse.

Our grandparent's generation, when they were aged 20, had a lifetime prevalence risk of depression of less than 2-3%. Our generation, when we are aged 20, has a nearly 25% risk. In just nearly 60 years, the risk of depression has increased by over 20%. If you extrapolate that trend, when our generation reaches middle-age, we have a lifetime risk of 50%. Shockingly, again if you use this trend, our grandchildren will have a lifetime prevalence risk of 40-50% by the age of 20, and an 80-100% risk by the time they're middle-aged. That potentially means over half of the entire population will experience some form of depression in the next 40-50 years. The reasons for this are vast, but it's clear that the manner and rate in which our societies are developing does not correspond with our evolutionary psychology. 

To address this situation will require an immense restructuring of our societies, the way in which we live, and our attitudes. 

It's evident that mental health, depression, and the rate of it is a crisis. This isn't just in the Uk either, in fact, most westernised societies have similar statistics.

I'm glad awareness has skyrocketed and I think, slowly, things will improve over time. I think that mental wellness will be the biggest societal trend over the next decade. It needs to be.

In the meantime, at the individual level, we can all play our part to improve the situation. If everyone, in their own way, can contribute some form of behavioural change, or to help bring awareness then things will improve. In the very same way we all recycle plastic 'to do our bit' for the climate crisis, then to ask someone from time to time 'How are you feeling?' and really listen or to simply not judge anyone, ever - that is doing your bit for the mental health crisis.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world" - Mahatma Gandhi

About Mind:

Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding. They provide professional training; they have nearly 500 staff members; they host campaign events; they carry out a number of different roles, and they have over 125 local support networks across England and Wales. They have teamed up with Depression Alliance which have been helping people deal with depression for over 40 years, and they have a number of future plans to bring about change, raise awareness and to help those in need. Overall, Mind is a great charity that is run by a dedicated group of people with many links. It does incredibly important work, and this couldn't be more significant now given the state of mental health across the Uk. Please visit their website and check them out. 

If you've read this far, I thank you. Please donate anything you can spare, everything is appreciated. It's going to a great charity that's working really hard. Thanks.