Discussing Male Mental Health in Priest's Hole Cave

This July I'll be running a 100km/62mile off-road ultra marathon to raise money for the mental health charity Mind. As well as the challenge being a ridiculous test of my body, it's a hugely personal charity for me and, indeed, for a lot of people out there. The statistics are, quite frankly, shocking: men in the UK aged 20 to 49 are more likely to die from suicide than any other cause of death. As someone who has previously suffered some significant lows, I gathered some good mates and headed deep into the Lake District mountains to spend a night wild camping in a cave to do what a lot of men find really difficult to do: talk. We shared our own collective experiences of depression, anxiety and panic disorder, reflected on what has helped us, and, hopefully, gave some strength and advice to anyone going through similar things currently. Please give it a watch as it took the lads a great deal of courage to speak up so openly. Finally, if you'd like to help me raise much-needed funds for Mind, please consider sponsoring my ultra marathon effort so that we can drive that shocking statistic down...
www.justgiving.com/pottyadventures

[@AndyMorfett]

Hats off to you and you mates for opening up about this. Admitting your own weaknesses is difficult at the best of times. Admitting you have suffered from mental health issues is even harder. Anxiety/depression can be debilitating and becomes a spiral that takes you further down if not treated or recognised. On a personal note, I found CBT worked well, put things in place for me to cope with my illness. I remember thinking that I shouldn't feel like I did and that I should be tougher and 'man up' but it's not that simple. People that fail to understand or who have never suffered would say things like you look fine, you're always laughing and joking, you've got everything going for you just pull yourself out of it. Because mental health illnesses have no physical symptoms that others can see, its often difficult to explain to others how or why you suffer. I remember sitting at home thinking I can't go out because I'm signed off work but don't look ill if I bump into someone in the street. This often compounded my problem, being confined and overthinking things. Keep up this excellent work and spread the message. Andy