In the British Isles, one in four people every year are expected to experience some kind of mental health problem.

Statistically, if that isn’t you, you are likely to know someone who needs support.

A new online community called Mind and The Gap has been set up by Onchan resident Charlotte Darbyshire, 21, to support positive mental wellbeing.

Charlotte said: ’In January this year I lost my partner to suicide. No-one could have ever predicted it, as so often is the case.

’The last nine months have been both heart-breaking and eye-opening, and it is really has shown the lack of awareness and support available. ’

Her blog posts cover a wide range of topics, with the aim to break the stigma around mental health one conversation at a time.

The articles provide both support for those suffering a mental health problem and advice for those who want to understand how to help more.

She said: ’Knowing what to do when you have never experienced something before can be daunting, so by drawing on my own knowledge from being on both ends of the scale of mental health, I hope to make the conversation easier and more comfortable for both sides.

’The language I use is friendly; I don’t use medical jargon because I want everybody to feel confident enough to talk about it freely.

’Society still has preconceptions about mental health so by making it part of everyday conversation, we are moving closer to breaking down the stigma. It’s a huge goal but we will get there.’

In one blog post Charlotte highlights the fact that, according to the World Health Organisation, 800,000 people a year die by suicide.

’That’s 10 times the population of the Isle of Man every year,’ she said. ’Such a disturbing fact really hits home. I decided that it was time for me to take action. I find writing extremely therapeutic and so logically the blog was born.’

She added: ’We’ve only been up and running for a couple of weeks but we’ve had excellent feedback so far. I’ve had views from across the world including USA, Canada and Singapore.

’I have already received a message thanking me for one of the blog posts as it had really helped them.

’That’s exactly what I set out to do, so it was thrilling to read that response so early on.’

Charlotte said she is really keen to get people to share their stories with her and the rest of the community.

’I want to encourage conversation.

’The more we normalise it, the less we will hide away from the issue. The less we hide away, the fewer tragedies there will be,’ she said.

’Everybody is different and has experienced different things, and my hope is this variety will show people that whatever their position, they are never alone.’

Anyone interested in contributing, whether it be an article or an interview, can contact her via the Facebook page, Mind and The Gap.

The website can found at www.mindandthegap.com where new blogs are uploaded weekly, and the community is active throughout the week on both Facebook and Instagram.