My script would be for accessible long term specialist therapy to be made available and understood to be perfectly acceptable request and need. A safe and consistent space to explore self. Where a “patients” narrative is held with regard, and their symptoms are seen as desperate attempts to survive and to be understood. To exist in a world that does not want to understand or even acknowledge childhood trauma and the effects this has, is simply nonsensical for society as a whole.

I prescribe art or access to the arts.

Let's talk!

Mental health commissioners need to work across government departments to address the economic and ideological incentives that maintain policy and practise that fails to help communities experiencing high levels of emotional distress.

Psychology services and psychiatry services need to learn from organisations like PPR who know how to really engage with communities and speak truth to power.

I would like to see the Mental Health Strategy in Northern Ireland reorientated towards social determinants and prevention.

The prescription for government: End inequality and support people with a living wage and suitable employment or occupations to meet their needs.

More therapeutic services in the community. More supporting connections and wellness and prevention, alongside counselling, talking therapies, either one to one or group based.

All pharmacists and gps to be prescribed training on the World Health Organisation and the UN definition of mental health, and specifically on the statistics on prescribing of medication and diagnosis in deprived communities.

Get yoga into the school curriculum.

An end to the mental health 'business'. Move to community based working with mental health issues.

A better understanding of mental health and money should be spent at the start of life, in schools.

Mental health training, more classes with experts by experience. Paragraph more honest training about the side effects of medications, ECT etc.

Our young people need to feel seen and heard . We need to create safe communities to replace the idea that “ it takes a village to rare a child “ We need “wise grandmothers” wisdom to come back to life - less screens We need to teach our children about how our nervous systems work . Why staying in fright / fight long term is damaging . We need to teach our population how to use their breath to move them into the parasympathetic - rest and digest . They need to feel safe and they matter . How we can control our thoughts or sit with the thoughts . Meditation . We are the master of our breath and our thoughts . Movement is medicine ! Get yoga

Here is someone who will listen to me without criticising me or minimising my difficulties.

Community. Collaborative and inclusive rather than hierarchical conversation. Curiosity over judgement. Courage to let go of control and status quo. Teaching children radical empathy through action in schools. Connecting the dots between all existing systems. Funding for somatic / body-based psychotherapy. Examining and challenging competitive, capitalist doctrine. Magnifying voices of marginalised groups.

The ability to rest my mind without having to reach for medication Managing stress in our fastpaced environment To be clear on what it is that has made me a closed of person Why do I question the relationships in my life? An answer on why I am afraid to be fully myself Something for my mind to feel free and not so busy.

Stop throwing tablets at me every time I present with a problem, mental and physical. Offer more talking therapies. Offer more group based taking therapies, and not just 'counselling'. Speed up waiting times. Listen to me.

Stop telling me I’m trans and recommending hormones and surgery. I’m actually gay, or autistic, or I have had adverse experiences in childhood. STOP MEDICATING ME! Listen instead to why I hate myself!

I wish I could go to the doctor and be treated with dignity and respect. I wish I could be listened to without judgement and without having to control my emotions and watch what I say to make sure they don’t interpret my emotions as an ‘episode’. I wish I could be given honest information about the long term physical impact of my medication and supported to come off it in a safe way. I wish the receptionists and the pharmacists would be sensitive and gentle with me when I’m struggling. I wish the doctors would take a holistic approach and support me with exercise, diet and housing issues.

An open door support service to emotional distress as the only option at present is referral to a waiting list. In the absence of psychosis or overt risk of harm to self or others there is little options for support in the short-term.

Reach out to someone you know who is struggling. Don't feed into the stigma. Don't be afraid of mental health. I hope for better understanding and treatment. I suffer and I still don't understand it.

You can't pour from an empty cup. My experiences led me to this job. My own struggles with mental health make me a more empathetic and experienced practitioner. This strengthens me but I am not infallible. I still get depressed. I still get anxious. I carry my own burdens and the burdens of my clients. I can feel overburdened, overworked and burnt-out. Care for the carers. Support us with opportunities to recharge, safe staffing and a living wage that reflects our toll.

A fully funded, holistic NHS run for the people, by the people.

A holistic approach, which helps address the underlying issues rather than the presenting symptoms. I want to be listened to with my experiences and knowledge valued. Work with me to help & support. Look outside the box for new approaches to supporting my mental health. Remember the pills just mask the issues.

1 course of evidence based treatment, free of charge for the duration of treatment required. Reduced working hours, with no loss in pay for family and self care time. Repeat prescription available on request.

My new script is a world that supports everyone, no matter who they are, or where they come from.

Holistic approaches. Less pills. Time with individuals. Group activities with support.

H for Happiness O for Openess P for Power E for Empathy

Having your G P listen to you without firing medication at you. Being able to access counselling appointments. Better conditions in the A and E departments, where there are currently waiting times of up to ten hours. Better facilities for the elderly to help them overcome loneliness.

A direct line to a mental health nurse based in the GP practise, who can make a more knowledge base decision on what the next step in your treatment is. I think all GP surgeries should have access to this so a patient who has built up the courage to actually get help is not met with a GP receptionist asking inappropriate questions.

I would like to see a better understanding and compassion for the elderly. My experience is it's very scary for them in today's world, to change and go with the flow as they say. Health isn't just for the young. Mental Health is a big issue for me what is it going to take, prevention is better than cure. Children with learning difficulties and autism should have their addressed; they deserve for others have.

Clear and accessible FREE healthcare for all. Better signposting to services, not being passed from pillar to post or being shamed for using A&E services when there's nothing else available.

Having ordinary people on Boards of health bodies when discussions are happening about what's needed in their area

Treated as an individual when I attend the doctors. Health taken seriously. Families getting a forever home. Supporting the community. Localising services. Childcare. A living wage. Counselling available for all ages.

Instead of focusing on what's 'wrong' with the person struggling, focus on what needs fixed in their environment, be it a sense of community, adequate housing, or better financial support.

Our health system is falling apart and the impact of that on the community has been terrible. I want for us to be heard and for services to be made priority. One is being wasted and things that aren't needed and people are falling through the cracks of a broken system. Access to appointments needs to be made easier.

We need a proper mental health facility and people need to be offered better ways to cope with situations in their lives. Alternatives such as counselling therapies and community resources need to be provided.

Timely access to counselling. Access to a GP. Affordable access to childcare. Social housing. Better wages. Equality.

Free health care for everybody. An end to waiting list for serious health conditions. Coping strategies should be taught in schools. An end to violence against children and women. Access to creativity for mental health issues. Coping strategies should be taught in schools

Schools need more help with kids with ADHD or behavioural problems. These children need to be assessed on a package of help put in place.

More information on where to go for help. Doctors and dentists need to be more accessible for everybody. Access to more outdoor activities. More access for young teenagers to social activities that don't involve phones and computers.

I would like to see an end to bullying and for people to be kinder. Manners cost nothing.

I want to see more done for mental health. My wee granddaughter died of a cot death eight years ago and my daughter was not offered any help. My 4 year old grandson was not offered any help either and it has affected him to this day.

I would like to see a youth club for kids, as they have nowhere to go.

I would like to see my own GP. Not seen him in 4 years. You ring you're pammed off to someone you don't know.

more support for mental health not just 6 sessions of cbt - thats a tick box exercise - we need ongoing therapy that we can pop in and out of, sometimes we need 1 session, sometimes 20 Free exercise classes in community centres - all different types, boxercise, zumba, yoga, circuits, martial arts, self defence. Neighbourhood walking groups - different groups so its not clliquey Pensioners groups Mens gym groups for equal ability people / equal ages Drugs awareness / education in schools & community centres Peer support for young adults Peer support for any groups All these groups can have experts/presentations on different subjects each week

I would like to see less stigma attached to seeking counselling, especially at schools - mental health support for young people that suits them and understands where they are coming from and the pressures that they are under. Better in school provision that doesn't take kids out of class making it really obvious that they are seeking help. Holistic and somatic practices that recognise that we are whole people...

Available appointments wtih GP - general everyday. Access to counselling - mental health/change in circumstances. Access to men's group for mental health PTSD. Access to council run gyms, free, long term, on-going Subsidise healthy foods. Subsidise mens products. Access to free therapies - reflexology, accupuncture etc. Access to free classes - cooking, gardening, yoga etc in relation to mental or physical health.

If we could see ourselves as otehrs see us. It's like looking in a mirror, it's still you but something feels different. You're less inside your own head and start to notice qualities and details about yourself you wouldn't have picked up on before or don't see 24/7, like everyone else does.

More truama recovery trainings. More gateway trips to quiet places and areas. Different activities outside of your occupation. Getting to know more of the asylum process and how to navigate through it. Doctors having study sessions together to help out with future exams ( for asylum seekers) Know the medical route through the NHS.

Time to reflect on what has happened to me and process how that is making me feel e.g. the different parts of the brain. Counselling/CBT to help me understand the effect of that and how I can address it and heal in my body and mind. Medication if needed in the short term.

Socialising suggestions i.e. meet new friends exercise suggestions encouragement to try new skills and new challenges help with finding something the person loves to do.

Coming out of a bad situation as a better person. My mental helath was in shambles. It was too much effort for them to look deeper. Think smarter, not harder. For 12 years they gave me all sorts of medication. Limited choices. Unhelpful labels. If we could see ourselves as others see us, the true goodness of our nature, then the invalid and untrue judgements wouldn't matter. Inside is hectic. You can really bully yourself. We are different people but we are connected. How good it is to be with like minded people.. How good it is to connect. Coming out of a bad situation as a better person. You have got this.

Being put in a bubble but thinking smarter not harder outside of the box. Having been given unhelpful labels gave me limited choice. People need to start looking at the bigger picture, not labels.

Please consider chronic mental health issues as requiring continuous treatment, rather than one-and-done quick fixes, especially for young people and immigrants.

Green Health - time outside/prescribed outdoor therapy sessions e.g. forest bathing. Recommended sleep/water intake/dietary etc. An holistic approach that can benefit energy spikes etc. Exercise/sport prescriptions depending on symptoms/diagnosis.

People need help to not decline in their mental health. They need guidance and support in building resilence. The NHS needs to work and stop frightening peolpe who can't afford private health care. Financial instabilty causes stress and ill health. The government has to stop frightening people who are in danger of losing their income, or have lost a way of making money, and stop being punitive, cynical and hostile. We need an enirvonment that isn't going to collapse.

My New Script for mental health is a road map with crossroads, detailing all options that can be accessed to support your mental health and well being. Not only in times of crisis but throughout your journey in life.

Guaranteed employment and housing. Remove profit as a leading motive in mental health system , with big pharma etc.

My new script is not to be so clinical, have more human connexion. Less of 'take this script for X amount of weeks and return for a check-in. That results in an auto-generation of another script, without any human connection. Move away from sitting in a box room with two chairs and a box of tissues

Manuscript for mental health is having a space in a non-judgmental environment which brings people together to discuss and share.

Manuscript for mental health is a person centred approach. To find the needs and best approach for recovery for that person; a holistic approach.

My new script for mental health would be funding communities to provide sports and art services, free of charge, to the local community, to help tackle the mental health problems faced in society. Financial difficulty shouldn't burden anyone from accessing these services, which have a huge impact on people's mental health.

To examine and redefine our place in nature, as part of nature, so that we can lose our isolated, alienated states of mind, reconnect through art and activism to heal life.

My New Script involves providing spaces for people to come together and take part in a new social movement that promotes a humane, dignified and inclusive approach to mental health. A social movement that can provide agency to those who are suffering in isolation and affirm that they can overcome their challenges in community with others, and who can collectively imagine a new way forward.

Compassion centred care which focuses on a preventative model and practices which bring Proven benefits in a holistic sense. A healthier society wide debate and understanding about what is mental health and how the type of society and culture we live in contributes to, or alleviates people's view of themselves, their mental health and people around them.

Compassion from government; education and support for families; treatment tailored to the individual; support groups to encourage socialisation.

Society to have a trauma informed view of my distress and difficulties. For society to no longer stigmatise, discriminate and oppress me so I can more readily access support and feel less ashamed about doing so. If society was more compassionate and understanding, would my difficulties be as profound in the first place?

I want a health service that can cure me of society's ills, not a health service that makes me sicker, and puts the onus on me to heal. Ecomomies should be based on provding the best for people, not what's best for the few per cent who benefit from our economic system.

I feel there's something missing in the conversation and that is that while we're engaged in 'ambulance' work, the class system is still spewing out damaged people. Part of healing must be clarifying for people where their pressure comes from and helping them fight for change. Fighting back is empowring personally.

I live in an area wehre there's so many 16 year olds, four months out of school, smoking, drinking, vaping, looking for work but not confident enough to go out of the area to look for it. Its an unhealthy environment. We may vary and provide better treatments for mental health, but we're still SLAVES in this capitalist system.

GPs need more training. Need more services with choices to help people, in many more ways than are available now.

GP 's need a lot more training. Change the mindset about mental health. Show men where they can where they can go to get help; men can cry. Show young people where they can go to get help. Counsellors need to come into youth centres.

More things for people with different complex needs including more time, addressing the age barrier, providing support for parents, as parents know and see more, more understanding, more knowledge and more experience.

More befrienders available.

In the new script I hope to see a change in stigma and stereotypes and hope to see more funding and training.

To enable young people to speak about their mental health from a young age and to know that its ok to talk. Also, making young people aware of who there is to go to. 'you have two hands, one to help yourself and one to help others'

Need more talking therapies and someone who understands what you are going through

Healing takes time. A set number of sessions may or may not help everyone. Not everyone can heal at the same rate, same way, by the same things. New groups, new therapists, new services are needed. Stop cutting services, limiting sessions, and putting a time stamp on healing.

I want to be treated like a real and listened to properly and not treated like just a range of symptoms

I would definitely encourage healing through the arts. It worked greatly for me. Also talking therapy was of great value and needs to be available here.

Mental health input into schools, early years to advise on mental health improvement. This needs to be as important as physical education. As a social worker with young people, I seldom have enough time to spend to support their mental health needs. Young people feel awkward discussing their mental health and this can often lead to suicide/self harm. Those young people who receive mental health support during periods of mental ill health - greatly appreciate and benefit from this .

We need patient advocates in every mental health service. Patients with mental health illnesses often do not know there is a patient advocate nor how to access their help. This needs to change and every patient who accesses a Trust mental health service must be given this information. Carers of patients with mental illness also need advocacy services. There are no carer’s advocates in some Trusts and this prevents carers getting the help and support they need, especially when something goes wrong.

“No Decision about me, without me Mental health services are often not giving patients information and choice, helping them understand options, and ensuring access to all relevant treatments and services. Diagnoses can be poorly explained. Written information on diagnosis and treatment may be non-existent. Involvement of relatives and carers, with the patient’s permission, is not always welcomed or valued. Patients need to be at the centre of their own care.

1. Community Mental Health Teams (CMHT) Have choice - what team, what consultant, what key worker. Be able to change team + consultant & know how to. Be given entry information on the team, how team works, other staff available (support worker, peer worker etc), benefits information, carer’s information, information on what to do when things go wrong/what a crisis team is for/how to contact, information on psychology services and information on community support services. Diagnosis - written & verbal information Key worker - CPN (not a social worker) Benefits - regular review of benefits and housing etc with team social worker. Feedback form

We need to improve access to mental services and destigmatise mental health issues. This should be a combination of medication, talking therapies, social precribing and taking steps to reduce poverty (especially child poverty). Our mental health services require funding for service provision and in work force training to deliver the services. These steps may help people to improve resilience to difficulties that people encounter and focus efforts where the greatest need lies.

Relevant counselling for what each person needs, i.e. it could be for grief or for sexual abuse. And access for all, no matter what. Not a post code lottery.

A place to see someone quickly when I am in crisis. The phone always seems so detached.

Transport to access services like support groups, especially as I live in the countryside and money is a barrier

Access to social prescribing such as equal therapy, gardening, music, creative writing, nutrition and nature.

a power based approach to mental health that goes towards giving people the tools to create "good" mental health instead of fighting "bad" mental health - restoring A sense of agency and making the task of improving mental health seem less daunting. showing people that they can lean into difficult experiences such as anxiety with exercises such as medidation and mindfulness. Teachig people a value based approach where they put their time and energy into what they value in the present instead of worries of the future or doubts of the past. Provided through workshops, exercices, support groups, book shares or links to useful books.

Someone to listen and actually hear. Someone who is present and not on zoom, who has lived a life and not reciting it from a textbook, someone who has no vested interest except that they make me feel glad I took a chance and got the courage to reach out, someone who makes me feel like I am a worthwhile, lovable human being just for showing up.

The prevention of isolation and loneliness should be a high priority, particularly for men. Support groups should pro actively but gently invite sufferers to fellowship and coffee groups. To integrate with fellow sufferers and with the wider community. Buddy relationships should be offered on a daily basis. I'm not sure what this would look like but safe spaces should be available were mentally ill people can be mentally ill, without fear

More art classes and projects

Gym membership. I've never felt better physically, mentally and emotionally, than when I belong to a gym. Craft classes, crochet pottery, art. Counselling services for young people.

A sense of community. Prescribing art classes! Investment in the arts.

Poetry, music, listening, learning an instrument, arts and crafts, DIY projects, mindfulness, yoga, exercise, nature, sea dips, safe spaces and talking therapies.

More funding for nature, art groups for self help. Like minded people sharing experiences , growing from hearing other strategies, advice or even just their compassionate listening. Talk, talk, accept differences- educate the young.

The power of women, sharing experiences.

Immediate access to counselling and for as long as needed.

I don’t know, coping methods. A way to eradicate anxiety, fear, unwanted memories/ thoughts, catastrophe predictions, being able to communicate without fear and to find peace inside my mind.

Kindness, understanding, respect, engagement, well-being focused activities

Take one small true story with a glass of water just before bed, what did you hear? - Listen carefully to what it does inside you, what did your body hear? - Enter the Dreamtime and listen again, what did your dream hear? - Wake up and pay attention to the detail of weather and living world around you, what did the earth hear?

Respecting, enabling and empowering individuals to tell their story in safe spaces, to support changes and solutions for themselves, families and communities together. This is for our health and social care colleagues, of whom I am one, to take notice. It is a human right

Vitamin D Get out in nature daily Move more Find your purpose Sessions with a nutritionist Reiki, monthly for one year 2 litres of water a day Weekly Counselling/CBT Daily Meditation Spend time doing what you love ❤ Spend time with people who light you up and less time with people who don't! Be kind to yourself and about yourself.

The New Script should move away from circumstances of individualising suffering, to the social/ political/ economic and gender / class contexts, which create the contextual issues of suffering.

Collectivism: an essential belief in and commitment to the collective and the need to look outwards to resolve the inner pain.

Being moved to reflect on the impact of the suffering of others... coming to terms of self reflection as not being selfish.

Listening. Hearing is not listening.

A whole lot of listening. Listening to understand. We are all learning. 'Being with', respectfully and humble connections and relationships heal. Shared humanity- I, you, we. Speak, hear.

Access to free space and physical activity for all ages and abilities is my new script.

Stop the privatisation of the NHS. Tackle the roots and causes of poor mental health e.g. inequality and poverty . Develop the capacity of working class communities to challenge the policy makers.

A new script for mental health for refugees and asylum seekers needs to address the conditions we live in. We come from countries torn by wars and poverty. We come traumatised and we face more trauma here. Asylum seekers need to be able to work and have access to services so they can live in dignity.

An end to lifelong crippling and stigmatising diagnosis. An end to individualised approaches which lead to social isolation in favour of group slash peer slash community led approaches go stop. Family therapy- a whole family approach

An end to treating people who may already feel isolated, in isolation. A focus on relational healing.

Identification of support networks for each individual and recognition and provision of alternative resources where no support network exists. Help for carers.

Fully informed consent around prescribing of psychoactive drugs to include the risk slash dangers of long term use and the difficulties of coming off these drugs, with horrendous withdrawal effects.

An end to lifelong crippling and stigmatising diagnosis Family therapy- a whole family approach. The end to individualised approaches which lead to social isolation in favour of group slash peer slash community led approaches.

Policies to support people in crisis, reduce stigma, raise awareness, increased funding. Systems in place to target high risk groups.

Creative programmes- healing through arts. Education around self-awareness, emotional intelligence, recognise and self and emotions , emotional literacy, finding the words. Exercise- movement, dance, martial arts. Grounding meditation, yoga, breathing, complementary therapy.

Movement away from the medical model. Research on how ineffective antidepressants are, the chemical imbalance myth. Counselling and support more available. Community initiatives, away from the individual approach, to give people a sense of belonging, being part of a team or group.

Shelter, food, clothing, love and proper income to provide, are essential to human existence. Proper healthcare, physical and mental are also essential clearly the provision of proper Healthcare is not there for us.There is a clear pattern in the increasing levels of poor mental health and suicide. Poverty has been clearly identified as a big contributory factor. And poverty is in fact inequality and exploitation. Sadly our system and government support this.It is ingrained in a system that seeks to maximise profits. We must change that by organising our communities to change this and work together to confront the real causes of mental health problems.

That people have an actual ( non-tokenistic) voice in the mental health services they receive. They know what they need. Their voice is not heard enough! No access to power!

My new script would be for well-being to be prioritised over economic outputs. For children and young people to know from the start that their value and worth is not contingent on academic, sporting or other successes, that being a member of a community and positively contributing to it is a successful career of purpose. For universal emotional well-being to be a core part of school's experience.

Connect with each other and community. An end to poverty. Less medication. Empower people to help themselves. Make everyone feel equal and not a hierarchy. Less pressure and demands on people e.g. work. Recognise the present system is not working.

Improved recordkeeping and communication between services. People should not have to repeat their story multiple times when being assessed or passed between services. Warm boundaries in place. When people are being transferred to other services, there should be person to person contact and handover to the new service, not just a letter or a phone call.

Greater availability of social prescribing for social, creative and active pursuits. People may have a one hour appointment with a mental health professional once a fortnight, but what support do they have in between these appointments?

Involvement of families, carers, friends or any supportive person in the person's care and treatment and their journey through mental health services.

Greater attention to the context in which people live.

Take a whole systems approach to care- personal, family, community and government.

Offer services other than drug prescribing, including sign-posting to community services that have been given funding.

Timely access to mental health services for children, young people and adults.

Valuing lived experience in the co-production of services, in a trauma informed,people-led way, not just tokenism.

Destigmatization of complex mental health. More information needed, training and awaerness.

Trauma informed practise by all healthcare professionals and awareness of the impact of trauma. We need to move away from the What's wrong with you? approach.

Access to counselling.

Additional funding for the community and voluntary sector and long-termm funding for community based peer support.

Recognise the role of nature and access to creativity and the arts can have and support this.

Provide early intervention, timely support for children and young people.

Recognise, appreciate and support community expertise, knowledge and compassion.

We cannot keep asking those in power who have created and sustained our mental health problems to find the solutions we need and deserve as humans. Listen to those who are suffering and resource grassroots programmes that work. Solidarity and activism is frowned upon by governments, minimised by power and ignored by the media. Listen to the activists and their solutions.

All services should be human rights informed.Mentally ill people should not be treated as if they have no rights.

Medication available when needed, but must be regularly reviewed by a doctor or pharmacist and the patient must understand what they are taking and why. Medication can save lives when done correctly

Creative treatments, therapeutic art services for those who want to access this, as well as access to nature and outdoors activities.

End the six to eight week model of counselling. End the over reliance on community services.

Counselling and psychiatric support available in a timely manner through GPs, including for children and young people.

Systemic issues that cause poor mental health outcomes need to be identified and remedied.

Self presence, allowing emotions to be, breathing, not stereotyping, allowing others to be, identifying my judgmentalism, marginalising myself.

We are all human, deserving of dignity and respect. Understand where we're coming from. Don't tell us how we should feel comment let us share how we are feeling. Six weeks of counselling is not enough as it takes time to open up. Give a safe space that we can explore our feelings of despair from stop No judgement. It takes a lot of courage to reach out.

Access to community based therapy including, psychotherapy, counselling, group support, access to nature, access to people in place, lifelong therapeutic access, free tailored exercise, free yoga, free breathwork.

Education system based on person centred development for life skills first front step

Address the legacy of transgenerational trauma.

A house. Universal income. Food. Heat.

Be able to speak to a person comment not an automated answering machine at the GP. Be able to meet the GP face to face when you need support. GPs need to be trained to understand beyond the medical model.

We believe two areas to explore are key: 1) the pursuit of a universal basic income 2) the move to legalise drugs and move addictions and problematic substance use, including prescription drugs and counterfeit versions into mental healthcare instead of treating as criminal matters. We need to resolve the dual diagnosis ********

We need more places provided by the government and councils for physical and mental well-being Gyms and pools are oversubscribed others are too expensive to use for most people on low incomes. As they are busy and often full of screaming school kids people stay away. Yet there is no attempt to collect this data, off the opportunity cost an underserved community. Johann Harri's book Lost Connections, breaks down all the ways in which as humans on society we have lost connections which promote well-being.

We need timely intervention at the time of crisis, services that go beyond talking therapy and medication, in order to help people build community and networks that are supportive. Holistic, creative, person centred empowerment. Cognitive behavioural therapy is not a six-week fix for trauma. Support needs to be ongoing and evolve along with the client.

Stronger together! How we come together to address the power imbalance. People with lived experience know the change we want but who is blocking that change? How do we break the barriers to change, the barriers to reform? How do we protect people speaking out against discrimination and disclosure? We need to empower and protect people to share personal stories. Get the message across that we are all human, and all our complexities and we don't fit neatly into medicine size boxes. Universal design across services why accept exclusion and barriers?

Promote emotional and psychological safety in all areas of life eg work, living conditions etc, rather than emotional and psychological resilience. The obsession with building resilience is damaging people who then feel like failures if they aren't able to overcome their problems, problems that are usually not of their making. I'm sick of the resilience narrative being forced on my kids at school when it should be the duty of paddles to create a context that feels safer for them. We need to teach kids there aren't 'broken' just because they struggle sometimes

Promote emotional and psychological safety in all areas of life eg work, living conditions etc, rather than emotional and psychological resilience. The obsession with building resilience is damaging people who then feel like failures if they aren't able to overcome their problems, problems that are usually not of their making. I'm sick of the resilience narrative being forced on my kids at school when it should be the duty of paddles to create a context that feels safer for them. We need to teach kids there aren't 'broken' just because they struggle sometimes

Put talking therapy at the heart of the mental health framework. This means huge investment in making it acceptable to everyone, not just small increases to funding. A total refocusing is needed. There is a defacto 2-tier system of mental healthcare, where those who can pay £50 -£60 per session of counselling have more options.

A new script for mental health involves power at the community level, redistribution of power downward from those at the top to those at the bottom. This is crucial because too often those at the top want those at the bottom to blame themselves. To blame themselves for hunger, for illness, for substandard housing. In this way, redistribution of power promotes Wellness. In this way telling the truth about power creates healthy communities.

Reconnecting with our humanity, putting people at the heart of what we do, listening and providing space for people to be heard, understood and supported. Flip the power dynamic by placing responsibility at the door of those with power, lifting the burden of blame from the individual. Shifting the narrative to one of reciprocity.

Support for parents to understand how to help their children who are unwell, with complex presentations such as OCD, which affect the whole family. Well-intentioned but ill-informed parental help can prolong and exacerbate conditions. Resource is needed to be made available to support and provide information to parents, partners, siblings et cetera who have responsibility for supporting an impact on those with mental illness.

Social prescribing to community based, activity based and volunteering structures with follow up and support for participants eg walking group, gardening, litter picking et cetera

An alternative to A and E for crisis mental health presentations, to avoid 12 - 14 hour waits in unsuitable surroundings for assessment.

All inclusive, non judgmental approach, no egos, no hierarchies of needs. Everyone is equal, no matter what the story. Promotion of trauma informed storytelling- workshops where private senses of narratives can be heard.

End the tendering and procurement of mental health services.

Let funding for mental health support services follow the patient and their choice of service.

Greater investment in community based counselling services.

Stop automated phone operators on essential services

Please investigate my physical problems, like I ask. This is my body, and I know that something's not feeling right. I know how to access emotional and social support, thank you!

The Dr realises my biggest struggles are due to circumstances and instead of prescribing pill after pill, provided food bank access, gym membership, community support before writing me off as a chronic depressive

- fixing the benefits system so I'm not perpetually traumatised by possibly losing my income - getting the Executive back in Stormont so we can fix the NHS locally - lobbying for changes to our funding model so the Health Dept can do multi-year planning

The therapies people need are out of reach. The amount of time we have to spend working to try and afford to live, leaves no room for bonding with friends and family and no room to catch-up on life admin. It's really easy to think we are still connected but it's only digitally. We need a range of talking and moving therapies, not only CBT or DBT that might be harmful to people who need something else. Training new counsellors in lots of therapies and also making it affordable for new counsellors to practice, so they are people from backgrounds who understand what it is like to be in difficult financial circumstances too and how much that affects things

I am not a diagnosis. I am a human being having natural responses to the terrible things that happened to me - please treat me as such. A peer support network. Pills should not be the first "treatment". There are loads of services out there that can help - recommend those first. To be seen, heard, listened to, and accepted.

Addressing socioeconomic issues preventing people from achieving, progressing and living their life in full. Braking the circle of unemployment providing opportunities to upskill and build capacity. Addressing intergenerational trauma and it's impact. Providing various opportunities for people to find their voice with creative approaches at the heart. Meaningful therapeutic interventions focused on exploration rather than symptoms tailored approaches.

Well-being as a basic human right, not something to be capitalised on. Communities of care over hyper individualism. A love ethic - bell hooks; embodying respect, care, knowledge, affection, trust A mental health approach that isn’t head centred, taking the body and somatic based approaches that acknowledges trauma is stored in the body and a portal to healing and reconnection after trauma.

See me. Understand that much of what I am experiencing is because of what has happened in my life. With nearly all of this it was outside of my control. So understand me, but also understand that it is society that needs to change not me.

My new mental health prescription is respecting racial and ethnic diversity and recognising explicit and implicit discriminations experienced by minorities and immigrants. It is about recognition of the fact that immigrants just had to leave their homeland and be shifted into an “other” in another society. It does not mean they are inferior.

A cradle to grave approach to planning, implementing and measuring good quality mental health services based on dignity, compassion, and justice. For those of us who work in mental health I want to see greater respect for what we do, and an end to worker exploitation.

My new script for mental health is a system that is compassion driven, not problem driven. That I will be heard and not judged for all the loss, pain and suffering I have experienced n my life. That my family will not feel lesser men, because they carry the wounds of conflict, historical and transgenerational trauma. That awareness and education for all on the pain and suffering of trauma for humanity is collectively held and healed by community in love.

Challenge & remove stigma associated with medication for mental health issues. Where taking Prozac is as normal & accepted as taking paracetamol. Access to more than six counselling sessions & access to a range of mental health professionals so we can get someone who’s a good fit to us. Mental health is taken as seriously as physical health & sees the two as medical issues rather than have a two tiered view with mental health at the bottom. Children are empowered to look after their mental health in the same way they’re taught how to care for their physical health & can access counselling etc in schools. Fully funded mental health strategy & services.

So for me, I have lived experience of serious mental illness, childhood trauma, only 10 months ago I tried to take my own life. Now I am completing a PhD in people with serious mental illness and their palliative and end of life care. Having a serious mental illness you have a mortality gap of up to 30 years and the lack of global research shows that the access and opportunities for the same palliative and end of life care like the rest of the general population does not exist. My New Script for Mental Health is the same palliative and end of life care for people with serious mental Illness and drop the stigma, it’s time!!!! Unacceptable 💪🏻

That all parents are supported in forming positive attachments with their children and that adult mental health services take a systemic approach when working with clients

Spaces for free/affordable community joy: community gardens, group walks, music sessions, art sessions, community cafes. Time. (Real living wages that mean people aren’t working and fighting and surviving all the time.) Access to information and education. More social housing. Waiting lists are a joke. Affordable housing. Rental market is so stressful. Free counselling services without long waiting lists. Alternative and accessible therapies like arts, music, movement. Either wages go up or cost of living goes down or both. Funding for youth services and community groups. Funding for schools.

For statutory mental health services to be more flexible and responsive to the needs of people.

Offered alternatives before prescription drugs Walking therapies Access to counselling including group sessions if appropriate No one size fits all solution

See me as a person, treat me with respect, sincerely try to help. Perhaps by imaging how you would help if I was your brother, father, son etc.

We need a population health approach that addresses poverty and appreciates the impact it has on physical and mental health. Instead of everyone wringing their hands and thinking it’s someone else’s responsibility- we must empower ourselves and each other to take collective responsibility.

We need to tackle structural inequalities such as safe and stable housing, poverty, access to childcare, education which is fit for living, and access to local Green spaces plus arts and leisure activities

A human rights focus that acknowledges systemic injustice, inequity, and violence as the key driver of trauma and mental ill-health. Access to networks of community support for wellbeing that include body based offerings, third spaces to gather, support for those offering care, and activism.

Relational approaches in public policy to build community and support healthy family relationships. Educate; prevent, protect Prioritised Action to reduce inequalities that we are aware of Increased community voice in prioritising support and action for community - sharing power

Flexible working for parents and childcare options

Choices for treatment more than just meds or standard therapy choices that mean something to me rather than professionals ticking a box

We need an active government which listens to and acts upon the needs of the community

To be listened to. To have my voice. To not be labelled or diagnosed but to feel supported and heard. To be giving support that comes in forms of listening, talking, movement, massage, energy work and not to be medicated. To feel and move through the situation, problems or trauma that is being experienced not stuck within it and medicalised models.

Reverse the privatisation of the NHS that was started by Thatcher in the 80's. Get rid of the purchaser-provider split, like Scotland and Wales did when they became devolved. Remove targets and focus on caring relationships, with systems designed to facilitate relational work. Draw from the Power Threat Meaning Framework and similar approaches to heal as communities and see the wisdom and truth spoken through pain and suffering - because when any of us suffer, our whole society is tied up in it.

Referral time within seven days of being seen, training in place to connect with waiting times.

A one-to-one sponsor: for example, alcoholics can phone a sponsor when they are at breaking point, the same should be in place for someone suffering a mental breakdown.

More community-based initiatives like The Rest of the Story storytelling programme, to empower people to frame their own experience, enabling them to support each other in the community.

Fast access to the appropriate mental health professional. No rush to discharge and no going back to the end of the waiting list if you need additional support.

Invest in NHS and Social Care, vetting those who provide it more intelligently and rewarding them for caring properly for patients. The prospect of safe care provision for people without family members to take care of them or provide support as they enter old age would reduce the anxiety and improve health among the elderly overnight.

Get rid of automated phone messaging in Health outlets, Broadband and Media services, Banks etc. Have essential services manned by real people to go to for help and advice. Get rid of unhelpful bureaucracy, technology, paperwork and get back to meaningful face to face communication. Bring compassion back into the workplace.

People prepared to listen and actually hear what I’m not saying as well as what I am. Often people talk at people who are going through stressful times and are quick and keen to take at face value, the way someone in need presents which may often be quite at odds with what they are attempting to communicate.

A recognition that I was not a problem who needed to have power removed from me but a product of my life’s circumstances who needed empowered to have agency over change in a collective way with my neighbours and friends.

An identification of Support networks of people who have overcome trauma and distress and who could support me within the community.

That the doctor was validating me as a person and not treating me as a set of symptoms to be ‘medicated’. And his acknowledgment that it was the lack of a living wage, security of tenure and access to a proper standard of living which was fuelling the trauma and distress so prevalent in our community.