'In supporting people, it's always worth a try… and carry on trying'

Claudia Hammond, author and presenter of the BBC Radio 4 series All in the Mind spoke to Ella Rhodes ahead of the programme's fifth All in the Mind Awards. The awards recognise individuals, professionals and projects which have made a difference to people's mental health. 

Can you tell me how long the All in the Mind awards have been running, and what inspired them in the first place? 

All in the Mind is the longest running programme on mental health in the world – it started in 1988. For our 25th birthday in 2013 we wanted to do something new to celebrate, and the producer had the brilliant idea of doing some awards. 

At that time it was often the case that when you heard from people about their own experiences of mental health difficulties you'd often get a short clip or a very short interview with somebody before turning to the 'real experts', as they were seen then – the professionals – to comment. We wanted to do something where people had the chance to talk about their own mental health story at length and to showcase stories of recovery to give some hope, and to recognise the support people had got. 

Listening to the stories people have shared you do pick up tips… I've picked up so many that I've put into practise in helping support people I know. One is persistence – what comes through every time is the importance of persistence in offering support to people. 

I remember one entry, possibly during the first awards, from a student who lived in a shared house with other students. She had depression and was very unwell, she was unable to leave her room most of the time. But every morning one of the other students would make her a cup of tea and leave it outside her door. She said about four times a week she wouldn't drink the tea because she got up too late and it would be cold, but they didn't give up putting the tea outside her door. She said even when she didn't drink the tea, she'd open her door and realise her housemates hadn't forgotten her – they remembered and they cared. That un-drunk cup of tea became such a symbol of people caring about her and she said what a massive difference that made. 

What would you like listeners to take away from hearing the stories of those nominated for awards? 

Some hope in people who may be feeling very hopeless. Through the awards, people hear stories that they can relate to. One thing that comes up a lot is loss and bereavement. Sometimes I'll get messages and emails from people who say 'this was just so similar to my situation, and it's so good to have heard somebody who's come out the other side'. 

I hope the stories also help people feel they can reach out for support. That's difficult when mental health services are so stretched – people are having to rely more on other people they know, or on groups or projects. I hope people listening become aware of the groups and projects that are out there and they can join in. Another thing I'd really want audiences to take away is the ways of supporting people, and that it's always worth a try, and to carry on trying. 

I really hope that it does inspire people to realise there is help there, rather than making anyone feel more hopeless… we really don't want that. We don't want to make people feel more lonely that they didn't have an amazing sister or mother or somebody to help. We have the group category as well, so we hope if people haven't got individuals helping them, they can then find support elsewhere… not everyone has got a wonderful friend or boss or family member who will help.

Are there any memorable stories from past winners that have really stuck with you? 

There are so many! Some of the groups really stick out – I remember one person in Glasgow who went to a bicycle maintenance group where you refurbish an old bike over several weeks. I was really struck by the power of people working on something in parallel – they didn't have to sit around in a group talking about their issues, which some people find really hard, but they're side-by-side doing something different with an end in sight. 

I think with the individual category, which is for friends or bosses or families, I've been struck by the bosses. We've had stories where bosses carried on paying people full pay for much longer than they needed to when they were on sick leave, or those who were determined to keep people's jobs open for a really long time, and went to such trouble to make sure that someone could come back to work again. 

I remember one boss in a shoe shop who was so kind to a woman who had worked there before she went to university. She went away to university, had very serious mental health problems, had to come back home again, and she went to work back in the shoe shop. Because the manager knew her from before, he was absolutely determined that this would work out. She told us that some days she would spend most of the day in their basement staff room crying and her boss would listen to her and tell her to come out when she was ready. He was absolutely determined not to give up on her. 

I've also been struck by the impact that the awards can have on people afterwards. The winner of the individual category in the last series was the mother of a young man called Hamish who has schizophrenia and is very seriously unwell and dependent on his her. His sister helped him to nominate his mother, and she's been back on All in the Mind since. She said afterwards that it made such a difference because we told her story from the beginning. Her friends and relatives listened to it and told her they could all understand her situation so much better. She'd been through the most awful, difficult time but she said it was the most enormous boost for the family which is a beautiful side effect of these awards. 

Your enthusiasm for the awards is very obvious – but what's the experience like for you as a presenter?

Oh, it's lovely. It's so nice getting to interview the nine finalists. Getting to see everyone all together at the awards ceremony is one of my favourite nights of the year. Sometimes finalists from earlier years come to the ceremony and it's so nice to find out what's happened for them since and what's changed – that gives me such hope. 

The deadline for All in the Mind Awards nominations is Wednesday 8 January. Find more information and nominate an individual, professional or group.

Photo: Ian Brodie @ibrodiefoto