Italy and the UK: what mental health means, how to know when it’s time to ask for help, and how to do so.

This article is dedicated to the Italian-British community, to start a simple yet culturally sensitive conversation on these pages about what mental health means, how to recognise when it’s time to ask for help, and how to go about it. Let’s talk about it, together.

What is mental health?

Mental health is about the way we think, feel emotions and cope with life’s ups and downs. Just as we see a doctor for a physical illness, it is normal to seek support when emotional or psychological problems interfere with daily life.

Common experiences include worry, low mood, difficulty sleeping, feeling overwhelmed or difficulty concentrating.

Why talking about it can be difficult in our community

Stigma remains strong in many Italian families. Phrases such as ‘There’s nothing wrong’ or ‘Just be like everyone else’ can silence those who need help. Older generations may expect resilience and discretion, whilst young people grapple with bilingual and bicultural identities that increase the pressure. Recognising these cultural patterns helps us find ways to communicate that respect family values, whilst leaving room for change.

In recent years, people have begun to talk about mental health, increasingly removing the stigma and shame associated with how we feel. Words such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks and ‘burnout’ have become more common in everyday language – not merely as figures of speech, but to seriously convey a state of mind that reflects a reality shaped by relationships within the family or at work, for example, where we encounter difficulties we no longer know how to manage. The complexity of Italian society, and of ours in particular—an Italo-British migrant community that is part of a vast diaspora—often shapes the profile of a person who feels caught between the place they emigrated from and the one they have moved to. The impact of new cultures leads us to confront our own habits and, in doing so, to reflect on who we are… and perhaps, on who we would like to be.

Italy has been at the forefront of mental health worldwide: Law 180 of 1978 aka the Basaglia Law, which initiated the closure of mental asylums and promoted local care and community services, is considered a pioneering reform… However, it took many decades for mental health and the recognition of significant symptoms to begin entering everyday vocabulary, no longer seen as a source of shame or a sign of weakness, but rather as an emotional-psychological situation with deep-rooted causes that can be transformed and resolved through a process undertaken with a psychotherapist or counsellor.

You feel down, cry often or feel hopeless for more than a few weeks.

- You worry constantly or panic in situations that used to make you feel safe.

- You have trouble sleeping, eating or concentrating.

- You find it difficult to carry out daily activities, work or look after yourself and your family.

- You rely on alcohol or other substances to cope with the situation.

-Try talking to your family and/or doctor:

- Telling family members: “I need to talk” or “I feel very sad and I don’t understand why” can start a conversation that helps resolve some difficulties and break the isolation we feel. Give small, concrete examples, such as not being able to sleep or feeling overwhelmed by worries, and try to find a solution together with people you feel close to.

- Contact your GP to assess the situation: your GP can refer you to counselling services or specialists, and in some cases prescribe medication. Talk to your doctor about how you’re feeling and consider the solutions they suggest.

- In religious or community settings: many parishes and associations sometimes provide opportunities where you can be listened to and, if you wish, referred to support groups.

This monthly column aims to facilitate a dialogue on situations that may prove difficult to deal with. If there is a particular topic you’d like us to discuss, please write to us and we’ll do our best to respond.

— COMPLITALY Magazine: https://www.complitaly.uk/benessere/parliamo-di-salute-mentale