People in Sussex encouraged to speak up about mental health
New figures from Samaritans suggest we're reluctant to ask others how they are as we're unsure how to go about it
People in Sussex are being encouraged to open a conversation surrounding mental health - as it's revealed a fear of small talk's stopping many of us from asking others how they're doing.
New figures from Samaritans have found that while over half of us would appreciate someone checking on them, 64% of us would avoid it as we don't have any go-to phrases for small talk.
It comes as the charity launches it's "Small Talk Saves Lives Campaign", encouraging more of us to pluck up the courage to start a conversation if someone doesn't seem okay.
The message is something that resonates with Sean Orr, who began the Menshare listening group in Crawley after his own mental health struggle.
He told Greatest Hits Radio that when he spoke to people about his own low mood, he got the "typical masculine response of 'man up' or 'what's up with you":
"After all of that was said and done, I still went back to that point, where I knew something wasn't right.
"I felt I couldn't talk to my best mates about how I felt, because they'd just tell the rip."
He said the key to encouraging someone to speak about their feelings is to begin with an open ended question: "Just say, I'm just checking in - how have you been?
"If you go up to someone and go 'are you okay?', then that's the end of that conversation - because if you challenge that and say "well you don't look okay", they're going to get guarded." He added that it's also important to get the right environment when starting the conversation - advising against a "busy coffee shop": "They're not going to be able to hear you, and won't feel comfortable talking about it.
"A phone call, or maybe a walk in nature, is a good place to go."
As Samaritans' campaign continues, a series of portraits showing people who "used the power of words to save a life" will also be embarking on a regional tour around train stations, in hopes to build on the rail industry's suicide prevention programme.
Olivia Cayley, Head of the Rail Programme at Samaritans, said:
"We know that people can worry about saying the wrong thing or feel like it's not their place to step in, but it's always better to say something than to say nothing at all.
“A little small talk and a simple question like ‘Hey, are you alright?’ can be all it takes to interrupt someone’s negative thoughts.”