The aim of pharmacy teams should be to normalise mental health conditions and allow and encourage people to speak freely about their issues as much as they would their physical health conditions, using appropriate language and techniques.

The language used and the approach taken in a consultation plays a big part in reflecting our own views of mental health conditions. Healthcare professionals can be responsible for perpetuating attitudes to mental health which can lead to a patient feeling stigmatised.

It’s important to be open about mental health. If pharmacy staff are confident talking about it then so will the patient. Using open questions such as “Tell me how you are feeling”, rather than “I can see you are feeling very low”, will help to encourage the patient to talk.

When it comes to language, take a neutral and non-judgemental approach and reflect the patient’s own language. Avoid clichés like “chin up” and “I’m sure whatever you’re feeling will pass” and don’t explain away anxiety or distress using phrases such as “it’s normal to feel like that when you’re depressed”. Never say “I understand how you are feeling”, because the likelihood is you don’t. 

It’s particularly important to apply patient-centred consultation skills such as demonstrating active listening, finding out what information would be helpful to the person in terms of their medicine and condition and exploring their ideas, concerns and expectations of both their medicines and their condition as a whole.

Practice points

• Consider specific issues that occur when someone with a mental health condition is transferred between care settings and what specialist services are available in your area
• Give a newspaper to your team and ask them to review it for myths about mental health. Discuss your findings and use this to explore ways to improve your communication skills
• Think about the words and phrases you use when speaking with a person who has a mental health condition. Can you identify which words and phrases might be useful in building a therapeutic relationship? Are there any phrases and clichés you may inadvertently use which may promote stigma? What effect do you think this may have on the patient and/or their carer?

Find out more

For more information and resources on mental health from CPPE, including news articles and learning, visit: cppe.ac.uk/mentalhealth. And get involved in the campaign on social media using #CPPEMH.