100 Voices: Louise Carroll - on Taking the Lead on Mental Health #NowWereTalking

I've met many adults embarrassed to admit they feel low when they can vouch for a good upbringing, are surrounded by a good family, and have great prospects. They are aware that on paper, they could be viewed as one of the "lucky ones", and in this context, feeling low can sometimes result in directing additional anger and frustration inward at the self, further exacerbating the problem.

It's important to understand that emotional issues can arise from a build-up of stressors over the years, which have had an impact that lies unresolved - mental health issues by a 1000 little cuts.

So much money has been pumped into unearthing biological causes of depression when the contributing social factors are staring us in the face: the abuse they never told anyone about; the teenage bullying that is dismissed as irrelevant now they are in adulthood, while struggling to identify the cause for their social anxiety; the violence at the hands of a parent or a partner; or the isolation that has arisen from being different to what a majority is comfortable with.

The three biggest protective factors contributing to good mental health are physical health, positive relationships and believing that you have a meaning and purpose in your life. It cannot be underestimated just how powerful and protective these factors are, and conversely, just how potentially traumatic it can be not to have them.

We can take a lead in our society by moving towards more of the conversations that help us to explore the events in our lives, even if they are seemingly insignificant, and to realise that how we understand, take meaning from, and make sense of these events and experiences, impacts massively, and without exception, upon our own emotional well-being.

100 Voices was published in the Hot Press Mental Health Special in conjunction with Lyons Tea and Pieta House as part of the Now We're Talking Campaign. For more please visit hotpress.com/now-were-talking/