Social media users have joined in a discussion about mental health after Public Health England (PHE), in partnership with the NHS, launched its Every Mind Matters campaign.
The campaign launched with a short film, which aired at 8.45pm on Monday, and featured a voiceover by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Every Mind Matters aims to help people take steps to look after their mental health, with a platform to create a personalised action plan – with “self-care” actions to deal with stress and improve sleep.
The film, written by Richard Curtis, featured celebrities including Gillian Anderson, Glenn Close, Davina McCall, Will Young, Sir Bradley Wiggins, and Nadiya Hussain.
Many social media users had a positive reaction to the campaign, with one Twitter user describing the video as “powerful”.
Wow what an amazing, powerful advert on TV tonight. Well done to all involved #everymindmatters #MentalHealthMatters
— Gary O Connor (@Gazza_11391) October 7, 2019
Fans of the celebrities involved in the campaign took to social media to praise the stars’ involvement in the campaign.
I absolutely love the #everymindmatters video. Pleased but not at all surprised that @professorgreen was a part of it. 💚
— Jordan Price (@mrjordanprice) October 7, 2019
Just seen @Joe_Sugg on #everymindmatters so proud!
— SianFirkinsMakeup (@MakeupSian) October 7, 2019
Some users expressed that the campaign was “important”, but that it should be followed by an investment in mental health services.
Another #mentalhealth campaign – #EveryMindMatters has launched. Important absolutely but when is the government going to properly fund mental health services so people who need help can get it instead of waiting months, sometimes a year + for support they need?
— H; (@helen_a15) October 6, 2019
#EveryMindMatters I am all for these campaigns to encourage people to talk and remove the stigma surrounding mental health but at some point there has to be a switch from the ‘conversation’ about mental health, to the actual actions plan.
— hannah ✨ (@Hannanar) October 7, 2019
One Twitter user explained that the PHE platform could provide a “first step” for those looking to improve their mental well-being.
#everymindmatters is a great way for people to take the first step into looking after their mental health #MentalHealthAwareness
— Bene and the Jets (@benethornton) October 7, 2019
Following the campaign video’s premiere, the NHS website briefly crashed due to high traffic, leaving users unable to access the Every Mind Matters platform.
A spokeswoman for PHE said: “We’re back up and running now. We think it was due to high [traffic]. We’ve had technicians working on it immediately and we’re back up and running now.”
This is what happened when I tried to go on the website #everymindmatters pic.twitter.com/78K2btrd6A
— Shelley Tonks (@shelley_tonks) October 7, 2019
Every Mind Matters is backed by several mental health charities, including Mind, Mental Health First Aid England, Time to Change and Samaritans.
