Denial...isn’t this the biggest obstacle to achieving good mental health?

How often have you heard the words...

                 I’m just a bit low right now but I’ll be back to my old self in no time
             or
                 They’re talking about me again, I know they are...
             or
                  Blimey I must be seeing/ hearing things. I could have sworn...

Quite a few... a lot....more than that

Well I certainly have and more often than not I’ve never thought any more of it. They were just things people said, didn’t really mean anything and they certainly didn’t make me think the person should see their doctor but whether I was right in that is another matter.

The Attitudes to mental illness 2010 research Report (http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_114902.pdf )

 69% of respondents stated they would feel comfortable talking to their family about mental health issues

And that
8 out of 10 people said they would be willing to go to their GP if they felt they had a mental health problem,

which doesn’t make it sound like there’s actually a problem, however in a household survey of mental health issues 2007

http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/mental%20health/other%20mental%20health%20publications/Adult%20psychiatric%20morbidity%2007/APMS%2007%20%28FINAL%29%20Standard.pdf

it was found that of the 7.5% of the population who they deemed to have, a common mental disorder that was likely to warrant treatment, only 24% were actually doing so and only 15% of respondants with mixed anxiety and depressive type were being treated.

 So it appears that people are not seeking treatment when they are considered to require it.  

            Denial?     but then who is to say what needs treatment and what will resolve itself with time. That in this snapshot 76% of people who are deemed to have a common mental health disorder are not seeking help is cause for concern.