Businesses need to get pro-active about mental health says Lancashire football star Clarke Carlisle
A former Premier League footballer from Lancashire has urged businesses to get proactive about the mental health of their employees – rather than waiting for something to go wrong before they act.
Clarke Carlisle, the former Preston, Blackpool and Burnley centre-half turned mental health adocate, was speaking at his first official engagement as an ambassador of mental health charity Lancashire Mind at Mitton Hall Hotel, near Whalley.
The 45-year-old from Preston was candid and open about his own challenges with his mental health but said he was now “the most well that I have ever been in my life”, thanks to the right help, support and hard work.
Clarke said: “I attempted to take my own life on five occasions due to the way that I mismanaged my adverse mental health. I had recurrent depression that I didn’t even know about. I didn’t even know it was a thing. And when you don’t know something’s a thing, then you can often attribute symptoms of it to something totally arbitrary.
“If I was going out and going on big two, three, four-day drinking benders, people would often explain it away. I would explain it away and say, ‘oh he’s lost a match’, ‘oh he’s not been picked’, ‘oh he’s won a match’. But these were very dysfunctional behaviours, copingstrategies that I used in a destructive way.
“But because I didn’t know that there was something that was feeding that, I didn’t do anything about it – I explained it away. The difference that we have to make now in this narrative that we have about adverse mental health, is we always wait for something to go wrong before we do something about it.
“When we talk about mental health support systems and structures, even with this appetite that we have in workplaces to support employees. What have you got in place? ‘Well, when this happens, then we do that. If you’re feeling like this, then we do that’. We need to transform that.
“We’ve got to get proactive about our mental health. We’ve got to start approaching it like most of us do with our physical health understanding. You get regular checkups, not because something is wrong, but just to check where you are. If you have a lump, you get it checked out. If you have a cough for more than two weeks, you get it checked out, which are singular symptoms that may be a sign of something greater. Do you do that with your emotions? Do you do that with your mental health? If you have a prolonged period of low mood, do you know what to do about that?”
The former pupil of Balshaw’s High School in Leyland talked about the importance of paying attention to emotions and “triggers” and then taking action.
The father-of-five said: “Let’s say the fuel gauge on your car beeped up. You wouldn’t ignore it and cover it up and pretend it didn’t happen. You’d go to the petrol station, and you’d fill your tank. “Do you know your pathway to get to safety or to get help or to fill your tank once your emotions are spiked?
More than 100 guests from across Lancashire’s business world gathered for the fundraising dinner in aid of Lancashire Mind hosted by James’ Places, the hospitality company behind Mitton Hall and a list of other Lancashire venues.
Support for your mental health or supporting a loved one
Lancashire Mind has a vast array of support services for adults, children and young people and many are offered free of charge, like wellbeing coaching for adults and young people. Therapy is offered at low-cost, and the charity also delivers support in schools and workplaces. Visit lancashiremind.org.uk for more details.If you need to talk to someone about your mental health, please call;
- Samaritans on freephone 116 123. They’re always open and are there to listen.
- Mental Health Crisis Line – this is a 24-7 helpline staffed by mental health professionals who can provide assessments and referrals if you need support. Please telephone 0800 953 0110.
If you need help urgently or due to an emergency, feel at risk of harm to yourself or from someone else, ring 999 or go to your nearest A&E.