Time to Talk is an important day in our nationalcalendar – a day when we put the issue of mentalhealth at the forefront of our minds.

　　These problems affect millions of people – anestimated 1 in 4 of us has a common mentaldisorder at any one time.

　　Last month, I set out the first steps in our plan totransform the way we deal with mental healthproblems at every stage of a person's life.

　　I said that the inadequate treatment of these problems was a burning injustice – and that weneeded to deal with them not just in our hospitals, but in our classrooms, at work and in ourcommunities.

　　From crisis cafés to online therapy, there is much we can do to remove the stigma that stopsso many people seeking help.

　　Getting people talking to one another is central to that. Because, as the theme of this year'sTime to Talk Day puts it, ‘conversations change lives'.

　　It is this personal contact – a chat over a cup of tea; a heart-to-heart over the phone; a textmessage to check someone's OK – that can help free people from the prison of their ownthoughts and help them to see a brighter future.

　　So many people – especially charities and campaigns, like Time to Change and Heads Together –are helping to get people talking and get these issues out in the open. But we can all do more.

　　Together, by giving our time and reaching out, we can end the suffering that blights so manylives.