Time to Change reveal biggest mental health clichés

Anti-stigma campaign Time to Change has revealed the biggest clichés used when people try to talk about mental health issues.

'Pull yourself together' topped the cliché chart, commissioned by the programme run by the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness, which explores unhelpful comments that people say are one of the hardest parts of the illness, and often worse than the symptoms themselves.

The poll also revealed that; ‘there are people out there much worse off than you’; and; ‘snap out of it’ were other expressions used frequently.

With results showing the continuing widespread myths that still surround mental health problems, Time to Change has launched a new viral film with tips on how to start a conversation about mental health.

Sue Baker, director of Time to Change, said: "starting a conversation about mental health can sometimes feel daunting. Our aim is to take the awkwardness away from it and enable both people with a mental health problem and those without to talk about it openly and honestly."

“The more we’re all able to have a conversation about mental health, the more we will remove the stigma and discrimination that still affects so many of us living with a mental health problem.”

For more information visit www.time-to-change.org.uk