We speak to six people from across the globe about their personal experiences with mental health, the options that are available to them, and the goals they are working towards
No matter where we’re from or what we do, mental illness has the potential to touch us and our loved ones throughout our lives. According to the Global Burden of Disease, 13% of the global population lives with a mental disorder – that’s approximately 971 million people.
It’s something that unites us across borders, but no one person’s experience with mental health will be the same as another’s – and that’s especially true when we consider how the levels of support and stigma varies so drastically around the world.
It’s time to escape our respective bubbles and get a fresh perspective on the state of mental health care across the continents. Here, we speak to six people from around the world to find out about their personal experiences, and to learn more about what it really means to live with mental illness in 2020.
Anita in Nigeria
“My experience with mental health issues has been tough and sad – having family and friends not accept me for who I am during crisis, and an identity where I am seen as a ‘mad’ and ‘possessed’ human being,” Anita Ikwue explains.
For Anita, being open about her mental health came with challenges from those in her family and her wider community.
“Most of them are hearing something like this for the first time, and usually have a negative impression of mental health problems,” she says. “Some would be interested to know more about mental health. Others would say terrible things like ‘mad people’. For me, this means people are speaking from an ignorant angle, and they just need to be more educated.”
David in Sweden
David Brudö has experienced bouts of depression since his teens, but it wasn’t until later in life – when things became unbearable – that he decided to reach out for help. David notes how, in recent years, more people in Sweden have been willing to talk about mental health openly – yet he still feared colleagues and family would view him as “weak”.
“While people are more willing to speak about, for example, stress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness, mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are still not spoken about as openly,” David explains. “But it’s not unusual to see Nordic countries topping the World Happiness Report. And while Sweden has historically been concerned with one of the highest suicide rates since the 1960s, it now has one of the lowest suicide rates in the world.”
As way of explaining these stats, David points to the introduction of the Psychiatric Emergency Response Team – a dedicated mental health care ambulance that is being piloted in Stockholm – as well as Swedish values such as ‘fika’ which is a midday pause to socialise with friends and colleagues, and ‘friluftsliv’, the value of spending time outdoors.
Today, David is the CEO and co-founder of mental health and self-development app Remente, and he sees prevention rather than treatment as the key to better overall health.
“We will not be able to solve all mental health issues overnight, but it is important to make sure that all walks of life are provided with the right attention and support, to ensure that we continue to see the numbers of suicides decrease, and happiness rates increase.”
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