Many countries have a Mental Health Week, and last year I was involved by sharing my story on a website and being interviewed on a local radio's breakfast show. These weeks are helpful in raising awareness, providing information and reducing stigma.

Of course, if you live with a mental illness you have had it for 52 weeks of the year not just for one week, as with any illness that has its own day or week for promoting understanding.

I feel that dividing health into physical and mental creates a division that leads to shame and unfair allocation of resources. Research has shown that mental illness leads to or can be caused by physical illness and physical illness can lead to mental illness, so much overlapping.

I think having a health week or month, when the focus is on our overall health like the old saying a healthy mind in a healthy body.

When depression anxiety and other mental health issues are isolated, it can lead to people feeling they do not belong.

Imagine if depression and other illnesses weren't separated into a mental health issue. Research would look at all areas of illness, people would not feel they were different because their illness affected their brain and thought process and not their heart or liver. Everyone would benefit as people would be treated as a whole and not fragmented into body parts. Researchers would share their knowledge.

What do you think? Maybe you disagree and you think this idea would not be helpful. Maybe you agree, maybe you have another idea. Please share any thoughts as I think this is an important discussion and I would be so interested to read all your comments.

Leah

A Moodscope member.