On Friday 10 October it is World Mental Health Day. With the tragic passing of Robin Williams, mental health has been in the spotlight this summer but sadly, knowledge and awareness surrounding it is still far behind where it should be. To help change this and further break down the stigma surrounding mental health, I'm taking part in a small awareness and fundraising campaign for the day based on the Shirt of Hurt.

But here is why we chose this form of fundraising. Put simply, it mimics in a small and controlled way the physical and emotional discomfort, unease and acute self-awareness that those with the most common mental health illnesses (depression, anxiety and eating disorders) experience on a larger scale every day.

One in four British adults experience at least one mental health problem in any one year, and one in six experiences this at any given time. The UK has one of the highest self-harm rates in Europe, at around 1 in every 250 adults. But worryingly, when looking at 12-16 year olds, that rate soars dramatically to about 1 in 9. And, sadly, suicide remains the most common cause of death in men under the age of 35.

Changing these figures starts with awareness.