In advance of today’s Green Ribbon Campaign launch, A Lust for Life spoke to Celine Moran, head of the Green Ribbon Campaign, with See Change; about mental health, stigma and the overall campaign.
There are certain campaigns that capture the imagination of a country, and the Green Ribbon is one of those bright lights. So many of us want to find a way to signal that we are open to talking, that we care about mental health, that we want to break the stigma. But its precisely because of this stigma that we often tend to avoid these conversations. We often don’t talk about mental health in the workplace, at home, or with friends.
The green ribbon signifies: “I care. I’m open to talking to you about mental health. You are not alone.” Symbols like this can have a powerful resonance for someone experiencing mental health issues, even if they don’t ever take you up on this silent offer to speak, the solidarity coming from wearers of the green ribbon helps us all feel a little less isolated in our own struggles.
The green ribbon campaign is led by mental health organisation See Change, a programme from the HSE and the National Office of Suicide Prevention, which is “all about stigma reduction, and changing minds about mental health problems”, according to campaign lead Celine Moran. A key aspect of this project is that it is led by a group of 60 ambassadors, meaning their work is really informed by “the voice of lived experience”, explains Celine.
I asked Celine about what stigma is, and how the persistant stigma associated with mental health impacts on the lives of people experiencing mental health problems.
“I think there still is a real lack of understanding of mental health still out there, around what its actually like for people experiencing mental health difficulties,” says Celine. “I feel that its just really unkind. People might not realise this, but the stigma really does stop people from seeking help,” continued Celine.
“There has been a lot of research which shows if we can reduce public stigma, that really helps people to seek help. Because it can become really internalised as well. And that exacerbates their condition. So for example, with depression, part of the condition is to isolate from others, and to disconnect. So the feelings of stigma within – where people start to believe the messages out there, that they can never recover, that they are defective in some way, that has a really negative impact.”
The green ribbon campaign is a national awareness campaign running during the month of May, and you can get your green ribbon in major Irish Rail stations and in Boots Chemists nationwide. Lots of community groups and organisations have committed to wearing the ribbon for the month.
The green ribbon campaign is in its 6th year, and launches today in the Mansion House with Minister Jim Daly and other keynote speakers talking specifically about stigma reduction. A Lust for Life will be at the launch, and you can hear more about it on our social channels throughout the day today.
We are at the beginning of May, the start of the Green Ribbon Campaign to fight the stigma of mental health. Show your support, wear a ribbon to start the conversation. Together, we can be the Change. Join the conversation online by sharing your thoughts, or a selfie with your green ribbon, using the hashtag #greenribbonIRL.
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