Heads Together campaign launches groundbreaking films to encourage conversation on mental health
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry today released ten films as part of the Heads Together mental health campaign of which the Anna Freud National Centre is a charity partner. The films feature people from all walks of life talking, often with the person that they first opened up to, about the life changing conversation that helped them cope with mental health difficulties.
The series of films includes: two mums of young children; musician Professor Green and Cricketer Freddie Flintoff; comedian and Anna Freud National Centre trustee Ruby Wax and her husband Ed amongst others highlighting that it is #oktosay.
Alongside the films, Heads Together today published findings from a YouGov survey of how people in Britain talk about their mental health. It shows that almost half of us (46%) have talked recently about mental health, with a quarter of us talking about our own mental health. Eight out of ten people who have talked about their own mental health found these conversations helpful. The findings show Britain is ‘opening up’ about its mental health but equally highlight some of the challenges that still remain.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry said:
"We hope these films show people how simple conversations can change the direction of an entire life. Please share them with your friends and families and join us in a national conversation on mental health in the weeks ahead."
Professor Peter Fonagy, Chief Executive Officer said:
"At the Anna Freud National Centre we are proud of our history of supporting children, young people and families with mental health problems. Having conversations about mental health can help children and young people by making them feel less isolated. Starting conversations is always the hardest part, but we believe that children and young people should be able to talk about ‘big’ and ‘small’ feelings with a language that makes sense to them, knowledge of who they can talk to, and with the experience that conversations can change lives."
You can watch the film series on Heads Together's YouTube channel and website, and join in the digital conversation on Facebook, Twitter and SnapChat with #oktosay @AFNCCF.