Mental Health is finally getting the focus it has long deserved. With stigma slowly dropping and support services being increasingly scrutinised for quality, we need to ensure that provision is improved in both quality and quantity to meet the growing need for support.

I’m pleased to announce the launch of a new group today, called the LibDem Mental Health Association (LMDHA).

You can visit the website and sign up to offer your support, guidance and, where able, your commitment to help grow the group to help form policy in our party and government. You can join at www.ldmha.co.uk/join

Commenting on their support for the group are Nick Clegg, Norman Lamb and Tim Farron. Norman is the current Minister of State for Care and Support, which includes Mental Health provision; Nick and Tim you know well as our current Leader and President respectively. You can see their statements on the website.

The reduction in stigma surrounding Mental Health matters is largely thanks to the many organisations, charities, nurses, care workers and friends and family of people with mental health considerations and a host of other people who work tirelessly to help improve lives on a daily basis. This along with Norman in government, who is working hard to integrate health and social care.
The word hero gets banded about too often these days. But those who support people with mental health considerations are heroes. Also remember that if you have worked through any mental health issue or, as many people do, you strive on whilst dealing with issues on a daily basis, then you are heroes too. It’s time we recognised you all.

The scope is very wide, in that, as you can probably imagine, it touches all areas of our society, in terms of age, race, sexual orientation, gender, nationality, career choice….the list goes on. Please consider joining the group at www.ldmha.co.uk/join

You’ll note the website is currently basic and the joining form is just a rough snapshot of your support. Part of the growth of the group will mean that we need people to help with functions such as treasurer, secretary and website/media developers, as well as people interested in debating and evolving policies.

The group will grow, with your support, and I’d like to help form various areas of policy development using our knowledge, expertise and, all too often, our personal experience to draw upon. This can be done by having enough members to form an executive and then make policy in the party by becoming an SAO.

Please, visit www.ldmha.co.uk and you can tweet me on @leedargue (#LDMentalHealth) and Lee Dargue is my Facebook name, further details of the LDMHA on the Contacts section of the website

I look forward to hearing your experiences, and working on policy.

* Lee has long campaigned on mental health in and out of the Lib Dems, he is the PPC for Birmingham Ladywood and speaks for the Party on Health, in the West Midlands.