OCTOBER 26 - A LITTLE MORE INFO
The following is a little text that I wrote for my other blog, http://grotesquefurniture.blogspot.com , when I decided that I was definitely going to do this, and there was no turning back...
"About 3 months ago, I stopped shaving. Usually I'm crisp, clean shaven, short haired, and look the very model of a modern British citizen. But after 3 months of ignoring my razor, I now look like a freakish beardy - which is what I suppose I now am. The reason I've not been shaving, is because I intend to dye all this mass of hair magenta. Yup. The whole beard, all the hair. Magenta. I think my hair-mass weighs about four kilos now, so I will look quite a shocking sight. But this act of shameless dyeing is for a purpose, not just a change of looks. I'm dyeing it for charity - for Primhe, a charity which deals in primary healthcare for people with mental disabilities & Depression. Depression affects so many people (you probably don't need to look further than a family member, the man who you see at the train station each morning, your best friend, the lady at Tesco, the man next to you at the bar...), all trying to deal with things in their own way. Whilst depression is ultimately something that individuals have to sort out themselves, Primhe is there for people at every stage along the way. I've been wanting to help Prime for quite a while - initially it was to provide some of my cartoons for Primhe leaflets & publications, but I feel that by dyeing all my hair so that I look like Animal from the Muppets, is a much more public way of helping out.
I really hope to advertise what I'm doing, to highlight that Primhe is there. So many people don't think that there are people out there to help them.Even if I can't raise much money, if I can raise awareness, that would be great. After Stephen Fry's recent TV programme, and the amount of feedback from the press in its wake, Depression is really in people's minds at the moment (if you excuse the pun), and I really think (and hope) that people are starting to think of Depression as a real and tangible thing - a problem that many many people have to live with, and not an some affliction to excuse people's tantrums.Obviously, there are some people who don't understand, but as long as there are TV programmes, and charities out there, being loud & open about things, then that is a good thing. If anyone wants to find out more, please visit the Primhe website at http://www.primhe.org/ (which is just about to be updated), or send me an email - also if you'd like to sponsor me, then do get in touch. You can also leave a comment with your email address, and I'll get back to you."
In this country, there is no word to describe illnesses of the brain other than "mental". And when describing someone as 'mentally ill', most people see the stigmatic word "mental" than "ill". Primhe is dedicated to changing this perception, and helping those 1-in-4 of us who will fall ill during our lives.
"About 3 months ago, I stopped shaving. Usually I'm crisp, clean shaven, short haired, and look the very model of a modern British citizen. But after 3 months of ignoring my razor, I now look like a freakish beardy - which is what I suppose I now am. The reason I've not been shaving, is because I intend to dye all this mass of hair magenta. Yup. The whole beard, all the hair. Magenta. I think my hair-mass weighs about four kilos now, so I will look quite a shocking sight. But this act of shameless dyeing is for a purpose, not just a change of looks. I'm dyeing it for charity - for Primhe, a charity which deals in primary healthcare for people with mental disabilities & Depression. Depression affects so many people (you probably don't need to look further than a family member, the man who you see at the train station each morning, your best friend, the lady at Tesco, the man next to you at the bar...), all trying to deal with things in their own way. Whilst depression is ultimately something that individuals have to sort out themselves, Primhe is there for people at every stage along the way. I've been wanting to help Prime for quite a while - initially it was to provide some of my cartoons for Primhe leaflets & publications, but I feel that by dyeing all my hair so that I look like Animal from the Muppets, is a much more public way of helping out.
I really hope to advertise what I'm doing, to highlight that Primhe is there. So many people don't think that there are people out there to help them.Even if I can't raise much money, if I can raise awareness, that would be great. After Stephen Fry's recent TV programme, and the amount of feedback from the press in its wake, Depression is really in people's minds at the moment (if you excuse the pun), and I really think (and hope) that people are starting to think of Depression as a real and tangible thing - a problem that many many people have to live with, and not an some affliction to excuse people's tantrums.Obviously, there are some people who don't understand, but as long as there are TV programmes, and charities out there, being loud & open about things, then that is a good thing. If anyone wants to find out more, please visit the Primhe website at http://www.primhe.org/ (which is just about to be updated), or send me an email - also if you'd like to sponsor me, then do get in touch. You can also leave a comment with your email address, and I'll get back to you."In this country, there is no word to describe illnesses of the brain other than "mental". And when describing someone as 'mentally ill', most people see the stigmatic word "mental" than "ill". Primhe is dedicated to changing this perception, and helping those 1-in-4 of us who will fall ill during our lives.
posted by Chris Thomas @ 8:32 AM
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