We all know how frustrating it can be when people aren't listening to us. Unfortunately, having a mental health problem can sometimes mean it's even harder to have your opinions and ideas taken seriously by others. This can be very difficult to deal with, especially when you need to communicate often with health and social care professionals. You might find they don't always offer you all the opportunities and choices you would like, or involve you fully in decisions about your care.

Advocacy means getting support from another person to help you express your views and wishes, and help you stand up for your rights. Someone who helps you in this way is called your advocate.

What does an advocate do?

The role of an advocate depends on your situation and the support you want. But they are there to support your choices.

The support of an advocate is often particularly useful in meetings when you might not feel confident in expressing yourself. They can:

• support you to ask all the questions you want to ask
• make sure all the points you want covered are included in the meeting
• explain your options to you without giving their opinion
• help keep you safe during the meeting – for example, if you find the meeting upsetting, your advocate can ask for a break until you feel able to continue.

(For information about the sorts of problems advocates can help with, see our page on working with an advocate.)

I find it helpful and reassuring to have a third person in the room willing to support my stance... [It] makes me feel far less worried about being misunderstood or having my concerns dismissed.

Meet the advocates of Bristol Mind who can tell you more about what they do: