ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

John Rawlings Rees

Okay kiddo, have you ever heard of somebody named John Rawlings Rees? He was a man who lived a long time ago and did some important things related to how we take care of people who have mental health problems.

You see, sometimes people have problems with their brains that can make them feel really sad or scared or confused all the time. And it can be hard for them to do things like go to school, make friends, or even just feel good. That's where mental health comes in - it's all about helping people feel better when they're having these kinds of problems.

John Rawlings Rees was one of the people who helped figure out how to do this better. Back when he was alive, people didn't really understand mental health very well. They thought that if somebody was acting strange or feeling bad, it was because they were weak or bad themselves.

But John Rawlings Rees knew that wasn't true. He believed that mental health problems were just like physical health problems - they were things that a person can't help and that need to be treated with care and respect. So he worked hard to create better ways to help people who were struggling with mental health issues.

One of the things he did was to start a program called the Tavistock Clinic. This was a special place where people could go to get help with their mental health problems. It was different from other hospitals or clinics because the focus was on treating the person as a whole, not just their symptoms.

For example, instead of just giving somebody medicine to help them feel less anxious or depressed, the doctors and nurses at the Tavistock Clinic would also talk to them about their feelings, their relationships, and their life experiences. They wanted to understand the person as a whole, so they could help them feel better in the long term.

John Rawlings Rees also helped train lots of other doctors and nurses to be better at treating mental health problems. He wrote books and gave speeches to help spread the word that mental health was just as important as physical health, and that people who were struggling with mental health problems deserved to be treated with kindness and respect.

Thanks to John Rawlings Rees and other people like him, mental health care has come a long way since his time. We now know that mental health problems are just like physical health problems - they're things that people need help with, and that can be treated with care and support. So whenever you're feeling sad or scared or confused, remember that it's okay to ask for help. And maybe take a moment to thank people like John Rawlings Rees who helped pave the way for better mental health care today.