Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks-2024
*Pam Abbot, our Practice Development Lead, has written this insightful piece on Nottingham Mental Health Awareness Weeks 2024. She has been involved in the event since 2002 and has been its coordinator since 2006.
Driving me mad, crazy, psycho, nutter, mad as a box of frogs, insane, bonkers. The list is endless and, if we are perfectly honest to ourselves, there are not many of us that try and avoid using such words in our everyday language, in fact most of us will have our own family favourites handed down through generations.
There has thankfully been a whole raft of legislation, and policies and procedures, that have sought to raise the awareness of language when looking at anti discriminatory / anti oppressive practice and behaviour, and I know from personal experience, having been through some of the awareness raising sessions that were produced in the 1980’s, that they work. Anti discriminatory language becomes a part of who we are, and we learn the importance of respectful and thoughtful language in all areas of our lives.
So where does mental health fit into this societal awareness raising of language and attitude? The simple answer is it doesn’t! The same weight is not afforded to the words we use, it’s seen as perfectly acceptable to describe oneself as crazy, or as insane, or to talk about “being driven mad”. All the words pertaining to someone struggling with a mental health problem are either humorous, or even jokey, or a term of insult, and they are so ingrained in our language that we don’t even consider the offensive nature of them. Just consider, what could it mean to someone living with an on-going mental health issue when people joke and make light of, through their everyday language, the trauma and discrimination they face every day.
This year marks the 32nd Anniversary of Nottingham’s Mental Health Awareness Weeks. It all began in 1992 when a group of carers and people with lived experience got together to celebrate the very first World Mental Health Day which falls on October 10th by organising a week of events and get togethers to raise awareness of the stigma and discrimination that people with mental health distress face at both a community and societal level, often daily. And it has continued ever since, evolving from one to its current two weeks in October. I have been involved since 2002, firstly through organising events across Framework and then in 2006 I was “volunteered” by my then manager at the time to support the wonderful Rosemary Renouf, one of the original founders, who became my great friend. I have been the coordinator (in a voluntary capacity) ever since!
The weeks have always been intended to be informative and though provoking with many different groups, individuals, and organisations coming together to create a diverse and entertaining fortnight of events highlighting stigma, discrimination, and oppression. To me they’re also about community and connection, about people coming together and celebrating diversity in its many forms. There’s been laughter, tears, discussions, disagreements, lightbulb moments and inspiration, but most of all there’s been acceptance that we’re all human, we may see the world in slightly different ways but that makes us the unique individuals we all are!!
Come along and join in our 32nd year celebration (look out for our orange leaflet) or visit our website https://www.mhaw.org.uk/