Our grateful thanks to Mohammed Sbahuddin Rafiuddin from Mohammed's Mental Health Campaign for his contribution to our radio report which you can hear again via the audioplayer at the bottom of this page. To visit the campaign website click here
“Mohammed’s Mental Health Campaign” has a mission to have sound mental health enshrined as an Article in the Human Rights Act in the same way as a right to privacy or right to a fair trial is.
It has a three-step mental health mission: empowerment, improved care, education, and awareness.
He hopes this will lead to a long-term five-point mental health action plan which includes: the right to sound mental health for all, increased funding for mental health research, enhanced funding for mental health services, more public health campaigns to provide awareness into mental health illnesses and symptoms, and the reduction of stigma in all communities.
Prevalence: According to the World Health Organization’s 2019 data, 1 in every 8 people, or a staggering 970 million people globally, live with a mental disorder, with anxiety and depression being the most prevalent.
Mohammed, who is specialising in human rights law, with a focus on mental health law, is finally set to qualify as a lawyer the spring of 2024 having battled mental health issues for a decade.
With the help of extensive therapy, medication, his faith and his own self-belief, overcome his mental illness and is living a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life and has worked with charities including Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, and Humanity First, and for the NHS as an Expert by Experience.
He is now determined to help others with this campaign which he hopes will challenge stigma, save lives, and influence politicians to allocate more funding to mental health services. Mohammed said: “My therapist once said to me, ‘wouldn’t it be great if people treated their mental illness the same way they would treat an illness of their eyes, or ears, or leg?’
“While a lot has changed in the past decade, we’re still struggling to treat our mental health the same as other physical conditions, and the lack of funding for mental health research and mental health services is a huge part of that.”
Dr Giovanni Borghini, a Consultant Psychiatrist from NHS Hertfordshire, who worked with Mohammed for a number of years, said: “Mohammed's story is truly inspirational, and he is an extremely resilient and determined individual. He has a talent and passion to help others particularly those that are suffering from mental illness like he did.
“I applaud him for using his own personal experience in facing and overcoming severe mental illness after struggling for over 10 years to shine a much-needed light on mental health. I fully support Mohammed's Mental Health Campaign and hope we can break the stigma around Mental Health.”
Peter Taylor, Elected Mayor of Watford, said: “Mohammed's story of facing and overcoming his 10- year battle with mental illness is truly remarkable and inspirational. I am proud to be his Local Mayor and I fully support Mohammed's Mental Health Campaign for breaking the stigma around Mental Health.”
An integral part of Mohammed’s mission is to provide awareness and education particularly in the Asian, African, and Ethnic Minority communities where a stigma around mental health and mental illness still exists.
Listen to this weeks radio report
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