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You take ownership of the things you can control, and you let go of the things you can’t Dr Alex George As explicitly mentioned in this interview, in July 2020, Alex’s younger brother, Llŷr, died by suicide. Alex, a former GP, has since used his platform and large social media following to raise awareness about mental health. In January 2021, Alex launched a campaign directed at the UK Government to prioritise mental health amongst young people. On 3 February that same year, Alex was appointed as the UK Ambassador for Mental Health by then Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Suicide has not been a crime since the sixties and we aren’t supposed to be a society that criminalises people for being mentally ill. And yet those words are still used. No wonder there is so much stigma still attached to mental illness.”
The publisher’s synopsis says: “ The Mind Manual will show you how to assess your mental health today and understand what’s normal for you. It will reveal the seven universal truths that everyone should remember and the mental fitness foundations that will boost you.On top of this there is the problem of, as he says, “How we build our boys.” In his book he reflects on how we are all born the same, but men are chiselled by ideas of what masculinity is.
Me being an ardent Liverpool fan, we laughed off the Liverpool-Man United rivalry here. “It’s all fun and banter”, joked Alex. We’ve also chosen the winter colour of the season, and embroidered the word that has helped to change my life: STOMP 🥾 Dr Alex is on a mission to empower us to make our own health choices, take positive control and feel equipped and inspired to make those small changes today that energise and future-proof for life. I hear it all the time, in literature, in healthcare, in politics: ‘committed suicide’. And it’s wrong. You commit arson, you commit murder, you commit a crime. Suicide is not a crime.” He has two major goals for mental health in this country. To fund Early Support Hubs so people can access support before they reach crisis, and to establish legislation for the workplace which would include training around mental health first aid in parity with physical first aid.He stressed: “It’s not being pro-medication – it’s actually being anti-stigma. It’s the idea that if you need help, you should have access to that without shame. Taking medication should be a decision between you and your doctor, the pros and the cons, not whether you feel ashamed or not. That’s what it comes down to.”
We discuss antidepressants, their efficacy and over-prescription. George is not against them. He says his #postyourpill campaign, which asks people to take a selfie with their medication, is anti-stigma and not pro-medication.
Health and happiness come from the cumulative effects of many small and positive daily changes to our lifestyle. It's about building sustainable and healthy habits - taking small and purposeful steps to a healthy future. By the end of the book I hope my readers have developed their own 'bespoke health toolkit' to be used across every aspect of their lives, and to make long-lasting and meaningful change." After Alex mentioned that “we can be very hard on ourselves and believe we can take on anything”, we naturally, both interviewer and interviewee, began to open up about our experiences dealing with mental health. One thing that The Mind Manual mentions so early on is the role of schools. You say we are not taught enough “mental fitness”. Could you elaborate a little more on that? During my rough patch, I was advised to get help from my school. I tried using the NHS, but as you know waiting lists are through the roof, and it’s rather inaccessible. What would your ideal setup be regarding mental health in schools? Alex said he wanted to use his experience positively and came up with the idea of sharing it as a social media post. His friends suggested coming up with a hashtag to help raise awareness about taking medication and antidepressants.
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