Prince Harry speaks out.

And, he was so young when his mother told the world his father wanted a daughter , brutal ,

A case of this?

www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/48419

Yep MawBroon , exactly so

Well said Azie

Mental health problems and emotional problems are the same things!

Annie, the Army isn't there to pick up on mental health problems (uness they're obvious). And they'd hardly single Harry out for special 'mentoring', would they? The press would have had a field day!

mental health illnesses have no explanation, my elder daughter has bi polar, no explanation, she has it.

Emotional illnesses such as grief have an explanation so a councilor can help , it can lead to serious depression but there is still that difference .

Thst is worrying Ana, letting anyone have guns and they could have a mental illness

I expect entrants have to pass medical exams, I don't know how mental health is assessed. A lot of it will be tick-box stuff, they're not supposed to be doing personality profiling!

And we've seen the sort of aftercare servicemen/women get if they're traumatised while on duty - exactly none...

True Ana

You know, if you don't actually know something it's really not difficult these days to do a little research:

www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/bipolar-disorder/#.WPfIy__TVpU

www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/

www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmdfence/63/6306.htm

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/mental-health-issues-illness-uk-armed-forces-army-a7086996.html

The armed forces are now highly professional, they do attract recruits from vulnerable backgrounds but fortunately they recognise the reality of mental health problems and don't shrug them off as incomprehensible. The services fall down in their inability to provide ongoing care for ex servicemen.

You know, for some it can be difficult Azie09

Not sure what your point is Azie, not disagreeing with the relatively easy access to information for those who are good at finding their way around the internet, nor am I saying that any of this is not relevant.
Surely the main thrust of "speaking out" though is that as a group, young men are the least likely to articulate their grief, anxieties, insecurities, depression or suicidal tendencies. Samaritans have had specific campaigns targeting just this demographic. Of course suicide is only one, extreme aspect but the % of young male suicides is frightening, it is also very different from the "cry for help" suicide attempts which are seen more often in women and girls. Sadly, young men usually succeed.
Prince Harry in particular is a very blokey bloke, his time in the army, his involvement in the Invictus Games, even his night clubbing image, all combine to make him by far the "coolest" young royal - so an excellent role model, someone who can say to young people "I've been there, it's OK to talk about it. "
That is the first step. Addressing the problem from the other end, his position and that of the Cambridges might go a long way in persuading the powers that be to find some decent funding.
Prince Philip has his D of E Award Scheme which is excellent, Charles's Prince's Trust does a huge amount of good, training young people for worthwhile careers which their background, disaffection with education or life experience might have denied them and now the next generation has launched an equally valuable initiative which in a funny way seems absolutely the RIGHT one for our day and age.

to be honest I think its a PR exercise to make the young royals look good and caring...the same PR they used with their mother.I dont believe they care about anyone else's problems ,otherwise they wouldn't accept ANOTHER refurb at Kensington costing 10 MILLION pounds ....its just lip service so we think they're worth the cash .I listened to Kate and her wittering about the pressures of being a mother....well maybe she should try living life in the real world before she opens her mouth.She hasn't a clue !!

paddyann

I have asked this question before and given your comment I will ask you the same.

Can I ask please, do you think ' HEADS TOGETHER ' is a good thing or just a bunch of posh, wealthy Royals making themselves look good ?

Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Seems whatever the Royals do it will be wrong for someone. If they don't get involved they are seen as uncaring if they do they are just self serving.

I do just wonder, sometimes, why it is that when something good seems to be happening with the Royals, there is always someone who will smear it in some way. Maybe it is a PR exercise, maybe there are underlying reasons for this promotion, so what, if he brings to light for EVERYONE the plight of those who suffer from mental illness, however caused, and however bad, then it is a good thing, and perhaps will bring more understanding for those who suffer.

My worry with this is making mental illness seems clean and middle class, it is not always so.

Pogs I've said what I think ...its a PR exercise ,sadly the mass of fawning syncophants BELIEVE it....if these people had any REAL interest in us "common" folk good old Harry wouldn't be having a £10 million refurb on his crash pad for him and his bidey in .....he's already got more homes than he needs ...spend that money on HELPING people .Look, in hindsight an awful lot of people now understand that the sainted Diana was a spotlight junkie who manipulated the press and the people, well, she did want to be "queen of peoples hearts" ,how sick was that .So she played the same game ...and it paid off ....it ended badly sure ...BUT that was because she didn't obey the law and WEAR A SEATBELT . Not some terrible conspiracy .Time the monarchy and all these hangers on was abolished

paddyann

As I asked youabout 'HEADS TOGETHER' I am assuming you believe 'HEADS TOGETHER' is a PR stunt.

Each to our own.

mawbroon good post, yes, I agree. Christinefrance also completely agree with you, they just can't win.

paddyann why do you have to be so very mean about them? I've never been a Royalist but I just don't see the point of venom. As for for what you said about Kate, well, as far as I can see (and hear, tbh, because I have a friend who lives in the next village to the Middletons) and considering what she has married into with all the precedent and expectations of the Royal household, she is doing a pretty good job of being a mother and is actually quite hands on (to the dismay of the lackeys in the Palace). George is going to a standard nursery school too, a huge step away from the education Charles and Anne had. Doubtless Eton will follow but I do think William and Harry are doing their best to modernise the family image.

Anniebach, of course mental illness is a factor of all classes and I would say the middle classes are better at asking for and getting help, as well as being able to pay privately for it. But I still think Harry etc are helping overall by fronting this campaign. There are sportsmen and women from working class backgrounds who are honest about having had breakdowns and finding help. How else can those who are working class be encouraged to get help?

I do think Mind (to which I linked above) is a brilliant mental health charity with lots of free information and some free courses and advice available. The NHS has approved the availability of mental health care though it is not enough. The problem of those on lower incomes is likely to be beyond simple mental health care though (because poverty and lack of opportunities in life is intimately linked to depression and other health inequalities) and the campaign which prompted the OP is never going to be able to deal with that.

Azie, I will wait for those who live in houses they cannot clean, infested with creatures, those who wear the same clothes day and night , never bathe, who steal , who cannot get out of bed even for a wee so lie on a urine sodden mattress , who walk the pavements talking to themselves or shout f* off if anyone looks at them to be listened to, to have neighbours call in and help them . To tell the country how they found help and how long they waited.

I agree with your sentiment anniebach but it ain't gonna happen, very sadly. The prisons are full of these people too.

I just came across this link to an article about how mental health conditions may be handed down the generations though epigenetics. Something I've come across before and think is very much food for thought:

bigthink.com/philip-perry/the-bad-news-trauma-can-be-inherited-the-good-news-so-can-resilience

It isn't going to happen Azie, we will see a devide, respectable mental health illness caused by grief , loss of employment and those I described .