Born with a very prominent naevus (birthmark) on one side of his face, Steve had to learn to cope with the many challenges of being ‘different’, and the risks of isolation and depression that can result. Steve qualified as an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer and followed that career successfully until the onset of a mental breakdown suddenly ended it. He is now a writer and speaker on mental health and is planning to set up a support organisation in Australia for people with naevi. Steve told us about some of the ways our mental health can be damaged and what steps we can take to repair it. Some of his key points were:

• Small, isolated stressful incidents can compound, leading to mental illness
• Trying to deal with constant unknowns and the speed of change in our world can affect mental health
• If we don’t take time to process our mental burdens, they will compound
• We need to open up and share our burdens with others, and share theirs
• Ask ourselves are our fears and burdens real or just perceived?
• We need to accept and understand differences between people