Why Speaking Out Has Never Been More Important Than Ever Before, Especially in Regards to Our Mental Health and Wellbeing
Now this is something that had been spoken about for quite some time in the past eighteen months, but it has taken somewhat of a back-burner in the past few months. Well now I firmly believe that it is something that I strongly believe that should now return to the fore of the public psyche.
And for the sake of both our mental health and well-being, both physically and mentally, we need to readdress the issue again.
I am of course talking about abuse that happens behind closed doors, the acts of verbal, psychological, emotional, and physical abuse that during the nationwide lockdown we were utterly oblivious to. And because of the pandemic, it was soon going to be inevitable that we wouldn’t see it. We had to stay behind closed doors, not able to see our friends, family, and neighbors leaving us therefore unable to see what was going on. The victims were couped away unable to call for help.
Unable to speak out and get the much needed help that they were so desperately after
For anyone who had been paying attention to the news during the national lockdown period this had been mentioned fairly frequently, though some could argue that it probably wasn’t spoken about nearly enough.
According to reports there was around 33% rise in incidents that were documented, with a reported 66% rise to number of people that called the Domestic Abuse helplines during that time.
According to the organisation, Refuge, there was an estimated 54% increase in the amount of female victims of domestic violence contacting them.
This sort of situation isn’t an unfamiliarity by any means though. Quite often the victim could just as easily be someone we know or pass by on the street with not much of a second thought.
On some of our best-loved TV shows this issue has been explored, but most recently in the BBC’s tv soap, EastEnders.
For anyone who has been keeping up with the viewing over this past year, circa 2020, we had the on-screen couple, Chantelle and Gray, played by Toby-Alexander Smith and Jessica Plummer, had what was initially believed to be the ideal marriage. We then learnt the horrific truth. During the lockdown that was frequently referred to in the soap viewers saw Chantelle suffer in silence. One of the factors being unable to reach out due to social restrictions.
Sadly, as viewers also saw her die at the climax of the domestic storyline. This was something that was reportedly decided and agreed on by both Plummer and the show’s producers so as to reflect the reality of what many victims of the subject suffered during lockdown.
Even though I was a bit taken aback by the decision but I definitely understand why it was taken even though I’m fairly sure that it probably wasn’t taken lightly. At the end of the day their job was to reflect a harsh reality faced by many victims, and sadly, for many that was a reality.
Also the way that the many suffer mentally and the psychological toll it has on their well-being sooner or later becomes apparent as well
According to some estimated figures by National Police Chief’s Council there around 163 deaths that happened which were documented last year.
As a nation, when we went into lockdown, this led to many victims of domestic violence and abuse being put at even greater risk of harm, and in some cases, death.
Now i’m not blaming any government officials for what happened as they already had enough to deal with already. However, what this did lead to is a reminder in why we need to remember to support each other to find the courage to speak out and tell others out there what we are all going through. And especially even more so where our physical and emotional well-being, as well as our mental health, is concerned.
And I am fairly sure that I’m not the only one who has been thinking about this every once in a while.
But as much as I don’t want to have to constantly go on and on about it but whilst this problem is ongoing, I, like many others, we won’t be going away anytime soon either.
#Speakup
