Even if you are unable to get away this summer, I do hope that you will find an opportunity to relax and de-stress as a way of avoiding dis-stress later in the year as the days grow shorter and winter comes once more.
Sadly, all evidence points to a large increase in those suffering with depression and other forms of mental illness especially among the young. I was surprised to read that New Zealand – a country which in my mind is always associated with beautiful landscapes and a more gentle pace of life than here in the UK – has the highest youth suicide rate in the developed world. Commentators highlight the stigma that is attached to depression which instead of being recognised as an illness is regarded as weakness. Those who suffer tend to be told to ‘pull themselves together’ (whatever that means) and to ‘grin and bear it’. The pressure is on boys particularly to ‘man up’ and emulate the big tough guy image of the rugby playing All Blacks.
I would like to think that we are more accepting of mental illness in our country but sadly all the indications are that here mental and physical illness are still treated very differently.