Prince Harry speaks out.

I absolutely agree Nelliemoser. To lose your mother at that age particularly in the full glare of the whole world must have been very very tough. I think is work with Help for Hero's has probably helped him, but even so facing demons and conquering them is no mean fete. I for one wish him well, and hope he can/has? find personal happiness that lasts for the rest of his life.

I read that too Nellie and thought the same. He's obviously taken a long time trying to come to terms with his mother's death and in speaking out about it now, I think it was a courageous thing to do. He was very honest when he said that he'd been encouraged, by William, to seek help with a counsellor and that he knew he just needed to talk. I hope it encourages others who are struggling.

to describe the windsors as buttoned up is unfair, apart from Diana who had to inflict every emotion on the country they like many the age of the windsors do not choose to express their grief to the public

We can but hope money will be put into mental health services because not everyone can afford a councillor and the waiting list on the NHS is so very, very long

Harry has been courageous to speak as he has. He and his brother had a difficult time in the middle set of an acrimonious divorce, played out publicly. To then lose their mother in such tragic circumstances which led to all manner of conspiracy theories must have been grim. Harry of course, had the added pressure of gossip about his paternity.
He's done great work with Help for Heroes and the Invictcus choir. Of course proper therapeutic services need to be provided and Harry speaking out like this highlights the lack and also the increasing cuts to mental health services.

I think Harry, William and Kate have all been promoting Mental Health issues in a considerate manner for quite a while.

It is good to see they are comfortable to use their personal issues to help promote Mental Health Awareness.

Young men are more likely to die from suicide than any other cause. What is needed is a proper mental health strategy that acknowledges the issues in society that underpin that statistic as well as properly resourced mental health services.If any young man is encouraged today by Harry's interview to seek help for his mental health problems, he will probably be facing a wait of months and months before he can get a full assessment and the appropriate treatment. A few months ago, there was media coverage of very mentally ill young women/girls having to be placed 300+ miles away from home as there were no suitable placements near their homes. It was almost impossible for their family to visit which distressed both the girls and their parents. In most parts of the country, CAHMHS simply do not have the resources to meet the growing need -and we have to ask ourselves why the need is growing. Of course it's good that he's spoken up but I've heard some incredibly shallow responses to this today - sort of 'this will make it easier to seek help' and then the facile ignorant expectation that that help will be there, just like it was for Harry when he finally was able to acknowledge the need. A leading psychiatrist actually said that the 25 min interview had done more good than he had in 25 years of practising as a psychiatrist - I'm sorry but that is utter and complete crap. I can just see this being a 9 day wonder - real change will only come from macro level changes to society and micro level changes to service provision which will be predicated upon better resources, more staff, residential placements and do on. That requires political will - does it exist?

Privileged Royal he may be but he's brave and honest about his need for counselling. I hope he inspires many others to seek help to keep going.

Well said rigby46 sad but so true.

Quite agree with that Elrel. It's his honesty and the courage that it takes to just speak out that I admired. I have no experience, or knowledge, of accessing any of the mental health services.

I can be very difficult if a person is not ill enough or too ill ...

IT

Oh to be able to edit!

Concerns about the poor availability of mental health services and especially CAMHS are discussed regularly in quality newspapers and programmes on radio 4- you really don't need to have experience of trying to access them to be informed about the national disgrace that are our mental halts services. You see that's why I despair about the plaudits being handed out today - people just think all that is needed is for Harry to speak and people will get the help they need - utter utter utter rubbish but dangerous rubbish because people will believe it's 'job done'. I've just head that TM has praised his contribution towards smashing the stigma of mental health -what about her contribution now towards funding the services?

I agree with you Rigby. I'm glad he's spoken out,but it really is only the beginning. I doubt if the public will hear any details of Harry's depression (and they shouldn't), depression caused by grief is one of the least stigmatised forms of depression. People can see a reason and can empathise, but mental health issues often have no reason - at least not one which can be easily identified.

Like you, I've read some of the responses today and it would appear that some people (many people?) think it's as easy as taking ADs and/or seeing a counsellor. Firstly, it doesn't "cure" people like paracetamol cures a headache and, secondly, mental health services are almost non-existent on the NHS.

I fear that Harry has only scratched the surface. There needs to be a lot of public education about the realities of mental health.

Agree Rigby and Daphne. While I am all for Harry speaking out accessing MH services is difficult and can take months to get an appointment even to be `assessed` to see if you are ill enough to be put on the waiting list .

William and Harry are a credit to their Mother , Along with Kate they are the only Royals I can stomach . I am glad he has brought this subject to the fore and hope funding will be more forthcoming than it has been .

There will be no overnight improvements to mental health services Rigby but Harry, William and Kate are at least trying to highlight some of the issues faced by people with mental health problems. It's not a popular cause to support so well done them I say.

it will not make the slightest difference, people will cluck and say - bless him he lost his beautiful mother .

Let's hear him speak out when yet another mentally ill person is shot by the police, or he and his brother could use a fraction of their wealth and open a couple of hostels which would help a few if the many mentally ill to get off the streets.

It will make a difference. Maybe not tomorrow or even next year, but people are becoming more open and more understanding about mental illness, more accepting of it as illness in the same way as measles and polio are: something that affects people's health, often quite badly. Harry's speaking out helps that painfully slow process.

I hope he and others (including us talking on public forums like this) will eventually shame our government into investing more in mental health services. Attitudes do change.

I agree thatbags. Harry, William and Kate's willingness to talk about mental health will help keep this issue in the media. This leads to the lack of services, the continued cuts to mental health services being highlighted. The government isn't being pushed enough by voters, or the opposition parties, on the impact of the cuts on all public services. Over 1000 Sure Start Centres have closed which will impact on vulnerable families. Mental health problems in parents are often picked up at family centres, with support offered that might just prevent the situation deteriorating.

I would think they must feel strongly about mental health issues having a mother who was mentally ill , children of parents who are mentally ill often suffer greatly.

Well I am going to probably cause a bit of a backlash from those who don't see 'The Royals' as being of any use.

It is certainly not the case that as Rigby states only 'quality' newspapers and programmes discuss/ mention Mental Health issues and related problems. Perhaps if a poster doesn't elect to read or watch certain media outlets they have missed the coverage.

William, Harry and Kate have been doing quite a lot of promotion over the past 'few months' regarding the Royal Foundation called ' HEADS TOGETHER ' which has the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry as Patrons. I am surprised posters seem to have missed their 'many' media interviews etc.

Did you not see William, Kate and Harry 'running' in a race to promote HEADS TOGETHER ? They were at the track during a training day for runners taking part in the London Marathon for charity Heads Together. The charity will have more than 150 runners wearing distinctive blue headbands on the day of the race.
news.sky.com/story/royals-on-the-run-william-kate-and-harry-race-for-heads-together-10757622

www.royalfoundation.com/heads-together-duke-duchess-cambridge-prince-harry-working-eliminate-stigma-around-mental-health/

www.headstogether.org.uk/about-heads-together/

HEADS TOGETHER is a partnership between:-

Best Beginnings
CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably)
Contact (a military mental health coalition)
Mind
Place2Be
The Mix
YoungMinds
The Anna Freud Centre

William, Kate and Harry will never win in some folks eyes because of who they are , Royals. I bet if the likes of Corbyn, Clegg or Farron started a Foundation related to Charity or Mental Health the same view would not be taken. They can't win , damned if they do, damned if they don't scenario simply because they are Royals. Such a shame.

I have no problem with the fact they are windsors , Catherine Kent spoke out years ago of her severe depression following a miscarriage.

What I don't understand is the constant praising of queenie for not showing any emotions , the praise for Diana but condemning of Charles , now praise for this generation of windsors for not being like queenie .

No comment on Harry taking drugs, drinking heavily etc, yet a court case with Jo Bloggs on trial for actions caused by drugs and or drink and we read - lock him/her up.

Seems mental health problems bring an awwww if a Windsor but a - hang her - if a mother such as Karen Matthews is in the news

Mental illness is not clean and tidy when the sufferer sleeps on the streets, loses benefits, cannot have help as Harry did.

Anniebach

" I have no problem with the fact they are windsors. "

Then why are you so negative about any good they 'may' be doing.?

I don't understand what you and others see as a negative when it comes to the promotions, the charity work, the personal aspect the Royals have brought to the table when the subject of Mental Health issues are mentioned.

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 ?

POGS the whole point I am making is not anti-Royal- it's about the hypocrisy of the response to his interview when the mental health services in this county lie in tatters. And as dd has said, not all mental health problems are equal in terms of the sympathy they elicit or their ability to respond to treatment and to be 'cured' or at least managed so that the person with the problem can lead a relatively normal life. Where's the sympathy and services for people who end up in prison because of their mental health problems? And those problems are then exacerbated by the prison and the drug taking. Any publicity for the need for better mental health services is welcome but not if it dumbs down the debate to a simplistic level and doesn't mention the deep rooted societal and systemic causes of mental illness and the resources required to even begin to provide a half decent service. And TM's fawning response is as ever breathtaking in its hypocrisy.

A mixture POGS, they do care about mental health problems mthey lived with it. But there is the fact they cannot carry on as previous generations of windsors have done, this family have survived by reinvented themselves come every new head of state.

I do believe William does care deeply about the problem, I just find the praise heaped on Harry irritating when so many are judged harshly , and on this forum as well as the media