From the 14th to the 20th of May, Mental Health awareness week is shared across several areas. But the whole month of May is also known as Mental Health Awareness Month. The idea of an awareness month is to allow people to share time together and talk about mental health, as well as identifying factors that can contribute to negative mental health, such as stress and to find ways to talk about it and find ways to improve the negatives and turn them into positives.
I am taking part in a virtual event this month with ‘runr’- called ‘Miles For Mind’ to help raise money for Mind and spread the word about mental health.
Mind is a Mental Health Charity with the ultimate goal of ‘support and respect for everyone with a mental health problem’ (Mind). Check out their website to see the amazing work they do!!
I had a plan for this month to write a letter a day to a person or people who have impacted my own personal health. they are currently in the drafting stage and as of today I am 7 days/letters behind-I will work on that to get them live asap!!
I hope you read them and support my honesty, vulnerability and true experiences.
Healthwise Wales is working to improve the health and wellbeing services for the Welsh population. They ask that we help them by answering questions about health topics and our own information to help them with their work. Whether you have health conditions or are fit and healthy, you can still help them with their work, no matter your age or health status.
I signed up to Healthwise Wales as I thought it was a fantastic idea when I received a work email encouraging us to sign up.
I received a phonecall and was asked if I would be willing to share my experiences, I never thought about a camera and filming taking place (duh….how else will I share my story). But I am glad I took part (even though I forgot half the stuff I wanted to say and forgot at points how to speak Welsh so ended up doing the ‘Wenglish’ version 😉
If you are interested in finding out more information and signing up to Healthwise Wales then go to;
If you click under ‘Research stories’ there you will see my face and the article written.
or click on this link;
https://www.healthwisewales.gov.wales/research_stories/?id=16
You can also register and help Healthwise Wales.
If for some reason you do not want to follow the link, or cannot access it then keep scrolling to read on this page.
The Below Research Story is my story but published by Healthwise Wales;
Stacie-Mai’s Story
A woman from Barry who suffers from anxiety and depression has joined a unique health research initiative in Wales to help fight major diseases, and is urging others to do the same.
26-year-old Stacie-Mai Pemberton has signed up to HealthWise Wales, a flagship study aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of the nation to inform new healthcare treatments in Wales.
It is the first large-scale survey in Wales to build a picture of the health of the nation, using detailed health information gathered from people of all ages to help inform future health service planning.
People aged 16 and over and living in Wales are asked to complete short questionnaires every six months as part of the project, which is led by Cardiff University and backed by the Welsh Government.
Once registered, participants are then invited to help inform relevant health research on specific conditions, their management and treatment.
Stacie-Mai, who works as a peer mentor for Welsh mental health charity Hafal, began to suffer from anxiety and depression when doctors struggled to diagnose her appendicitis.
This, combined with previous insight into different healthcare issues gained while working for the Welsh Ambulance Service, made Stacie-Mai sign up to HealthWise Wales.
She said: “My appendicitis wasn’t a textbook case of the illness, so when I went to the doctors with complaints they struggled to diagnose my illness. I was upset and frustrated and developed depression and anxiety. I was finally diagnosed and operated on, and my appendicitis cured, but I felt very mentally fragile.
“Supporting people who suffer from mental health issues at Hafal has meant that I’ve realised things about my own mental health too. I know now, for example, that there were also more long-term reasons for my depression and anxiety, aside from the appendicitis.
“Trauma from my early childhood, such as losing a parent, have definitely contributed to my mental health issues. Knowledge and education on mental health is vital, which is why I feel so passionate about improving the NHS by supporting initiatives like HealthWise Wales.
“The NHS is a great service, but there is still room for improvement. For this reason, I am committed to initiatives like HealthWise Wales that strive to paint a clearer picture of the changes that need to be made to improve the state of healthcare in Wales, and I’d urge others to do the same.”
