1 in 7 Northerners wouldn’t ask for mental health help

Savage Cabbage analysed the latest YouGov mental health data, which also revealed people in the North are most likely to speak to a partner about their mental health (51%), followed by a close friend (38%), and then a GP (34%).

In fact, Northerners are more likely to speak to their GP for mental health support than anywhere else in England.

If you were struggling with your mental health, would you, or would you not, talk to the following person / people about it?

My partner

51%

My close friends

38%

My GP

34%

My parents

18%

A therapist

17%

My siblings

16%

I would not talk to anybody

14%

My friends

12%

An anonymous helpline

7%

My colleagues

6%

My boss / manager

6%

Don't know

5%

None of the above

3%

Across the UK, the most popular option was a partner (50%), followed by a close friend (39%) and then a GP (32%).

If you were struggling with your mental health, would you, or would you not, talk to the following person / people about it?

UK

London

South (Excluding London)

Midlands

North

Scotland

Wales

My partner

50%

39%

53%

52%

51%

50%

48%

My close friends

39%

40%

42%

35%

38%

36%

46%

My friends

11%

12%

10%

9%

12%

9%

13%

My parents

17%

22%

18%

9%

18%

12%

25%

My siblings

16%

16%

17%

12%

16%

10%

25%

My colleagues

6%

5%

6%

5%

6%

6%

7%

My boss / manager

6%

5%

6%

5%

6%

4%

7%

My GP

32%

27%

33%

29%

34%

37%

21%

A therapist

18%

22%

18%

15%

17%

15%

16%

An anonymous helpline

6%

9%

6%

6%

7%

5%

5%

None of the above

2%

2%

2%

2%

3%

3%

5%

I would not talk to anybody

12%

8%

10%

17%

14%

15%

13%

Don't know

6%

9%

6%

6%

5%

4%

7%

Louise Farey from Savage Cabbage said: “It’s reassuring to know that so many people across the UK have somebody to speak to when they are struggling with their mental health.

“For me, talking to my family is essential to keeping on track with my mental health, the same goes for my friends, without them I’d really struggle.

“It’s also nice to see that a relatively high number of people are comfortable speaking to their GP, as seeking professional help is vital if you’re struggling.

“However, it is disheartening to see people respond saying they would not talk to anybody, or don’t know who they’d speak to. There’s absolutely no shame in talking about your mental health or asking for help.

“I strongly implore anybody who's struggling to reach out to their loved ones or a professional – you are never alone in your mental health journey.”