WAHEY, it’s National Doughnut Week – all testing samples gratefully received in this office.

But, the resulting sugar rush sadly subsided all too quickly and I noted it is also Mental Health Awareness Week. The latter is undoubtedly more worthy of mention.

Medical professionals aside, I’m not sure anyone really understand mental health issues until they either suffer themselves, or someone very close to them falls victim. I’m the last person to underestimate the quite appalling consequences that can be suffered when someone struggles with mental illness. But, I’m also well aware there are many cases where people develop techniques to deal with the issue and successfully defeat the illness on a daily, weekly and longer term basis.

While the subject clearly isn’t as taboo as it once was, and that in itself is a big part of the battle, we still have a long way to go. I’ve always believed anything is better if it’s brought into the open and understanding why too few of us are thriving with good mental health will only be achieved with open discussion.

It’s also really important to understand the concept of a strong body, strong mind. There can be absolutely no doubt physical wellbeing greatly aids mental wellbeing and vice versa. I have two close friends, both with mental health problems, who are now entirely able to manage their lives through specific exercise programmes.

The obvious challenge with mental health issues is the fact they’re not as easy to spot as many physical health issues. I would argue that because of this lack of visibility it is even more important to confront the issue head on, discuss it openly and refuse not to get too politically correct. It’s much better to talk to people and risk saying the odd wrong thing than it is to avoid the subject.

The other important thing to remember is that we could all suffer at any given moment.

Last week I invited people to submit their own 400-word column.

Here is the first submission by reader Keith Jago.

Britain’s history as nation state, parliamentary democracy, industrial leader, colonial power and evolution to advanced, developed and wealthy economy of 2017, brings UK citizens rights and benefits, embodied by our UK passports, into focus. Citizenship rights we accept unquestioningly. Article 15 on human rights says: “Everyone has the right to a nationality.” The UK and other nation states provide these protections, rights and benefits to citizens. Yet in our globalised world, millions of stateless people are denied nationality.

International law defines a stateless person as being “not considered as a national by any state under the operation of its law”. Statelessness is a massive hidden, unrecognised status depriving people of their fundamental human rights, with dire consequences. Refugees International says: “Statelessness has serious humanitarian implications for those it affects.... no legal protection or participation in political processes, poor employment prospects, poverty, little opportunity to own property, travel restrictions, social exclusion, sexual and physical violence and inadequate access to healthcare and education.”

The real extent of statelessness is unknown. Stateless people fall under the radar, thus, like the iceberg, the tip masks truth.

Britain is not immune. Stateless people finding their way to “humanitarian and caring” Britain experience no welcome here. Instead they face entrapment, misery and hopelessness. Asylum and protection claims are met with the opposite – detention, destitution, poverty and homelessness, swelling existing numbers already living on UK streets.

In 2002, SC arrived in London from Paris after a harrowing two-year, penniless trek from Ivory Coast living. In Ivory Coast SC was stateless. The UK’s reputation for humanitarian care persuaded him to finally journey from France.

Fifteen years later, with all asylum options exhausted, the Home Office requires SC to leave Britain despite his statelessness. Impossible – he can’t leave.

SC cannot leave or remain. His life is pain, poverty and destitution – too awful for words; depression inevitably produced mental health issues.

Who cares? Ukip promises tougher treatment for stateless people.

SC’s life ebbs away insidiously.

Would you like to write 380 words to appear in this column? Email me your submission: aparkes@london.newsquest.co.uk.