Glaswegian actor Daniel Portman, who plays Pod in Game of Thrones, has called for Scots to talk more about their mental health, after a survey found only 42 per cent would speak to friends and family if they were struggling.
Although fewer than half of Scots said they would be comfortable confiding in someone about mental health issues, the survey found they were more open than people elsewhere in the UK.
Only 36 per cent of people questioned in the rest of the UK said they would be willing to do this.
Portman, 26, has experienced depression, anxiety and forms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder since his teens and says more needs to be done about the stigma surrounding mental health conditions.
He said he felt as though he had a "different brain" from everyone else, which made it hard to talk about what he was going through.
He explained: “In my experience it makes you want to hide away from people because it does have this stigma. On top of all the suffering you’re already going through having judgement about something that you can’t really help is the worst possible thing."
Having people around who were willing to talk made a big difference, he said. "I have a very supportive family who have always been very sensitive to this stuff and a great network of friends who are open to talking. It is absolutely necessary that if you need to talk to your friends and family, they need to be there.
Ten years on I still have days, weeks, months where I feel awful, but I understand it better now. It’s a process, this is something I’m going to be fighting for a long time.
“I’d say whoever the right person is, talk to them however you can. Whether that is face to face, via Skype, or anonymously, whatever, talk to somebody. For me with some of the OCD stuff I found some solace on the internet. I had something to latch on to, by seeing someone else was going through the same thing as me.”
The survey of over 5000 UK adults found that the internet could be a mixed blessing, however. While the average Scot has 878 friends on social media, more than a quarter said they wouldn’t be able to call upon any more than one of those, if they were struggling with their mental health.
As part of UK Time to Talk day, See Me volunteers teamed up with Scotrail to host a gig in Glasgow Central Station today, while volunteers are taking over trains on major routes to get commuters talking about mental health.
See Me volunteer Angela McCrimmon wants to see health care staff getting involved in Time to Talk day. Angela, 41, from Livingston, said: “I had a consultant who didn’t listen or take me seriously, they got the care completely wrong and I ended up being sectioned.
“One of the biggest changes for me through this time was that I discovered writing. The consultant made me feel like I was playing the victim, so I wrote a poem called ‘I’m not a victim’. It was a huge turning point for me because I realised I was able to get my thoughts and feelings out of my head.
“I’m really lucky with the psychiatrist I have now. She recently gave me 45 minutes in a lecture to talk to professionals and read them my poetry. It was amazing."
Calum Irving, See Me director, said: “Less than half of us feel comfortable speaking about our mental health, especially when we’re struggling. The fear of being judged, or even discriminated against in work, at school, or when asking for help, stops people reaching out.
“But conversations have the power to change lives, however they take place, whether face to face, over the phone, or on social media."
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