Dr Karen Goodall talks mental health on BBC Scotland's The Nine

Helping raise awareness of the issue of men's mental health and the stigma surrounding it.

Following Mental Health Awareness week and a recent documentary A Royal Team Talk, fronted by the Duke of Cambridge, the programme makers focused on why mental health issues are still so prevalent. In particular, the documentary focused on high rates of mental health issues and suicidality in men, prompting discussion of the barriers that prevent men from discussing their emotions openly. Dr Karen Goodall of Clinical and Health Psychology appeared on BBC Scotland's The Nine on Monday 20th May so talk about the topic.

Karen’s own research focuses on how we, as individuals, learn to regulate our thoughts, emotions and behaviour through our early life experiences, particularly through our attachment relationships. Her research has revealed that our attachment histories are linked to the ways that we choose to manage both negative and positive emotions, and these styles of emotion management can have an influence on our well-being and mental health.

Karen feels that raising awareness of the difficulties that many people face in identifying, expressing and managing their emotions is crucial to empowering individuals to be more psychologically resilient. For men, in particular, there are still invisible barriers which make it difficult for them to talk about mental distress and seek help. Karen said ‘Still today, there is an attitude that boys and young men shouldn’t open cry or expose feelings of vulnerability. All young people need support in learning how to manage their emotions and the first step in that process is being able to openly express our feelings’.

Watch the full video below:

Full credit to BBC Scotland's The Nine