Scottish mental health video goes viral

An awareness video by Scotland's programme to tackle mental health stigma and discrimination, See Me, has gone viral on the internet, receiving over 150,000 views on YouTube.

‘Power of Okay’ features a poem about speaking out about struggling with mental health. Although shorter versions have appeared online, the latest version posted this week, complete with explicit language, has proved a hit on the social media sharing site Reddit.

Gathering over 380 comments on the site in the last day, See Me said it had sparked “an amazing conversation”.

RELATED CONTENT

Soapbox: mental health stigma in the workplace is a major issue- Judith Robertson

Mental health up the agenda

Many shared personal experiences on the site about how simply asking 'are you OK?' can help those who find it hard to speak out..

“Sometimes just knowing there are other people exactly like you is enough. Hearing someone complain about the exact same thing you have convinced yourself only you have to deal with can make you feel more human, and help you through a dark time,” said one.

Another comment said: “I love this because it reminds me that the people you see everyday, who you think nothing much of, could be going through some really full-on stuff.”

Scotland’s permanent secretary Leslie Evans tweeted congratulations to the campaign.

“Well done @seemescotland - powerful video, due recognition. Shorter (politer) version available too...” she said.

You can watch the video on SeeMe's Youtube channel