Each year people all over the world come together for World Mental Health Day to address matters that are important to mental wellbeing, challenge stigma and raise awareness.
This year World Mental Health Day has a focus on suicide prevention to raise awareness of the fact that every 40 seconds a human being loses their life to suicide.
To help shine a light on the issue and show that mental health sufferers are no different to anyone else, service users from Cygnet Hospital Maidstone have written and recorded a song, ‘How Can You Heal a Broken Heart?’ The song challenges assumptions and reminds anyone suffering that help is out there. It also demonstrates how music therapy can be a key part of recovery for people suffering mental distress.
Music 2 Empower
The song is the first release in our new Music 2 Empower project. Raf Hamaizia, Cygnet’s Expert by Experience Lead explains more about Music 2 Empower and the benefits of music therapy:
“As one of the largest independent providers of mental health services within the United Kingdom, Cygnet Health Care has a strong commitment to supporting both World Mental Health Day and this year’s important and sensitive theme of suicide prevention.
“As a former service user myself, I understand what it’s like to suffer mental ill health. I have also personally lost close friends to suicide.
“I remember learning about the death of one of my friends and the amount of emotions I felt were overwhelming. I was angry that he felt it was the only option, I was upset with myself for not identifying what he was going to do or providing the support my friend evidently required. I felt sorrow for his family and lonelier in myself because I had lost a friend.
“I would often reminisce about my friend’s passion for music. It had always been a passion of ours together and we would often get told off for playing it too loud. It had also been a source of therapy for me and helped my recovery back from mental ill health.
“In my role as Expert By Experience Lead at Cygnet, I have researched the history of music therapy and I was intrigued to find out that it is one of the oldest forms of therapies for people experiencing mental distress. When the first psychiatric ward was introduced to the world in Baghdad nearly 1300 years ago, alongside aromatherapy and spiritual healing, music therapy was one of the only therapies that existed at the time.
“To this very day music therapy still exists both in community and hospital settings, benefitting countless numbers of service users every day as an evidence-based approach to supporting people experiencing mental distress.
“That’s why we are proud to share this song, written by Cygnet service users to mark World Mental Health Awareness Day. Through one of Cygnet’s Recovery Colleges, they have been encouraged to write the music and lyrics and then record it in a professional studio so it can be shared more widely. One of the service users spoke about not being ashamed of her mental illness but rather wanting to speak out about it and the importance of being honest about what it feels like to be a patient.
“We know that mental health disorders such as depression can lead to suicide but we also know that evidence demonstrates the ability of music therapy to prevent suicide through improving ones underlying mental well-being.
“This year’s World Mental Health Day is all about preventing suicide and so, in the memory of my friend and people who have died by suicide, Cygnet Health Care is launching the ‘Music 2 Empower’ initiative to support music therapy related projects throughout the organisation and support both studio time and music videos for the talented services users in our services to showcase their abilities, give hope, inspire others and benefit from this well-established psychological approach.”
For more about the song and to hear from some of those involved, please watch the video below.