Charter-topper Professor Green has encouraged people to talk more about their mental health – and said there shouldn’t be a division between mental and physical health.
He spoke about his own personal battles as he officially opened a multi-million pound mental health service hub in Nottingham.
The rapper, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, also talked about how important it is to see people’s recovery and hear the stories of how they have been helped.
"Mental health became important to me when my dad took his own life when I was 24,” he said.
"When I was a kid, there wasn't really any such thing as 'mental health', it wasn't a phrase that was ever said.
Need to be open
"When you internalise grieving, it manifests and becomes a much bigger problem. We need to be more open about it.”
He added: "I don't think there should be a division between mental and physical health. It should just be health."
Professor Green has been a prominent campaigner for mental health issues for the past few years.
He is part of the Heads Together campaign, alongside Prince Harry and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Professor Green. Credit: Eva Rinaldi
In 2016 he received the MIND Making a Difference Award for his dedication to campaigning about men’s mental health.
In 2015 he filmed a BBC documentary looking at his father’s death and investigated why suicide is the biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK.
He has regularly spoken about his own mental health battles in interviews – but also about how his experience and profile can help other people.
"I started to care and I realised I had a platform that I could use to help other people,” he said.
"The more you talk about something the more honest you are about things and the more you share with people.
"Seeing the recovery and seeing people get better is what is so amazing.”
It's a huge shift
The rapper added: “I go into schools and children are aware of what mental health is. It's a huge shift.”
He spoke at the official opening of Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust’s Hopewood centre.
The 40-bed site in Nottingham, opened to patients in June, and offers specialist inpatient care and support for adolescents and perinatal women experiencing acute mental health difficulties that can no longer be managed in the community.
It is also the base for the trust’s community Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and perinatal services.
If you want to seek advice or help about mental health issues at work you can find a BACP counsellor or psychotherapist via the BACP’s Therapist Directory.