Adrian joined us late last year as a See Change ambassador. After working in the industry for 30 years, he shares his own experience of the pressures of the workplace and the impact it can have on your mental health. He is also heavily involved in Taekwon Do and enjoys reading and motorsports.
Adrian shares with us some important things to note about prejudice, one of the core components of mental health stigma.
“PREJUDICE is a powerful, negative force in society and a major reason why those of us who experience mental health issues continue to suffer in silence.
By definition, prejudice is “an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling, especially when formed without enough thought or knowledge.”
Prejudice, of itself, is bad enough but what is worse is that it creates the foundation for very negative behaviours and/or actions, for example discrimination, exclusion and isolation.
Green Ribbon seeks to address these damaging behaviours by tackling the stigma around mental health and starting conversations which neutralise the power of prejudice.
- By talking openly about our mental health, the veil of secrecy is lifted, and everyone learns more about the challenges of mental ill-health.
- Talking openly about our mental health increases the knowledge base and counters unfounded stereotypes.
- By talking openly about our mental health, in a way, we normalise it, thereby stopping prejudice in its tracks.
We can all contribute to making a better society by joining the Green Ribbon initiative and starting our own conversations around mental health.
#GreenRibbonIRL #EndTheStigma @SeeChangeIRL”
