Blogging about mental health issues
Each week we publish blog posts on a whole range of topics, relating in some way to mental health — written by Mind staff, service users and health and policy professionals. Some blog posts may not reflect official Mind policy.
We welcome comments and questions on our posts, but have a few ground rules to keep the site welcoming and interesting to every body. The first rule is the most important: be respectful of other commenters and bloggers.
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3 December 2009
Wellbeing is here to staySitting on the train back up to Leeds from Brighton, I have a moment, or rather five hours, to reflect on a thought-provoking day and a half spent at this year’s Mind Conference.
The conference focused on recognising the importance of wellbeing, and looking not just at how we can treat or prevent mental illness, but how we can actively strive for positive states of being.
By way of (weak) analogy, if a mouse is being chased by a cat, it can keep its attention on the cat and focus solely on staying out of its reach. Or it can also look at where it wants to go, where it may be safest, and perhaps where there’s a nice bit of cheese.
In reality this represented a very significant and courageous cultural shift for Mind. Did it work? Yes.
Guided by Mind's CEO Paul Farmer, an affable young Bill Gates lookalike, the conference went from introducing the science of wellbeing, to how it’s used now, to how it might be linked in with existing mental health services in the future.
Wellbeing is very much a science now, grounded in Positive Psychology. Sandra Carlisle, a professor at Glasgow University, talked of how modern society, and indeed the economy, must learn from it if it is to support the wellbeing of society. This would be hard for anyone to deny.
The more challenging part of the conference was connecting this to the mental health field, and integrating it with existing practices.
A panel of the most diverse personalities imaginable were called upon to debate the issue. Peter Beresford with his deep booming voice and passionate outbursts, and Marion Janner, who evoked in the audience equal parts laughter, appreciation, and nervousness over what she might say or do next.
It was the simple points that carried the most value, such as Professor John Hopton’s reminder that wherever we go with wellbeing in the future, mental health services will always be required due to the inevitability of unfortunate genetic makeup and circumstances.
As a whole, the discussion was overcomplicated and rife with false dichotomies symptomatic of the traditional view of mental health, such as ‘does the responsibility lie with the individual or the organisation?’.
The outdated view of mental health is that we are either mentally ill or healthy. This view is divisive and inaccurate. The modern view recognises scales of wellbeing.
The question therefore becomes not just how do the mentally healthy support the mentally ill, but how do each of us promote the wellbeing of us all. And the first answer to this is that we must lead by example. That no one prompted the panellists or delegates to think about what they do for their own wellbeing was a missed opportunity.
The final speaker of the conference was Anthony Seldon, Headmaster of Wellington College school in Berkshire. He began by asking the audience to consider how school was for them, and how it should be.
Having heard Professor Seldon speak before, I thought that his idealism might receive some scorn from the more pessimistic individuals, but his talk was instead met with shouts of “I wish you’d been my headmaster!”.
Wellington College teaches children ‘the skills of well-being’. This is done through specific classes, and a College culture that supports them (‘ten-point programme’). The classes themselves consist of meditation, a look at the constituents of a good life, and activities similar to the Marshmallow Test, which encourages self-control.
Professor Seldon, who is probably the nearest thing there is to a real life Albus Dumbledore, closed his talk by appealing to Gandhi’s oft-used quote, “be the change you want to see in the world”. He was not present for the rest of the Conference, but had he been, he might have realised how appropriate this quote was. It provided the definitive yet simple answer to the question that the conference posed: “where to with wellbeing?”.
For what the science of wellbeing does, is enable us to all to ‘be the change’. If each of us are not applying it to our own lives though, we cannot expect others to apply it to theirs. Recognising this, Paul Farmer concluded an exciting two days, by directing us to the New Economics Foundation’s ‘five ways to wellbeing’: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning, Give.
Edward Pinkney
Edward has recently launched the Student Mental Wealth Project, which aims to build a network of students championing mental health and wellbeing in every university.
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1 December 2009
Is 'wellbeing' the new 'recovery'?Well, I haven’t been to a Mind conference for some years. This year, it was the topic that decided me; I have had trouble getting my head around the ‘wellbeing' agenda.
Having been involved in the mental health world for over twenty years I hope you can forgive me for a little scepticism. Like one of the conference delegates I spoke to, I too have wondered if it is simply the new buzz word brought in to replace ‘recovery’.
One of the speakers suggested that recovery is only for people in contact with secondary services, whereas wellbeing is for all. Well, I am not sure about that, but they do have something important in common: a thread of optimism or hope that things can and should be better.
So, I started with the impression of wellbeing holding overtones of happiness and rose-tinted spectacles, wondering if it is really the business of mental health policy or services.
The first speakers on Thursday evening, Jonathan Naess, Jeff Walker and Kevin Lewis, did not do a great deal to contradict this, although Jeff’s enthusiasm was catching and probably made many of us feel that there has to be something in it!
A self-confessed academic, who described himself as being half way up an ivory tower, Richard Bentall nonetheless managed to ‘ground’ wellbeing for people with severe mental health problems. Richard identified four succinct threats to wellbeing in the form of mortality, disorder, low self-esteem and identity. All of these, with the possible exception of mortality, are key themes in many discussions about recovery. He talked us through ways of managing these threats.
This was neatly followed up by Dr Jo Nurse, who has been key in developing the New Horizons document. (Perhaps to her surprise, many people in the audience had not heard of New Horizons). Another ivory tower perhaps? Anyway, Jo talked us through much of the thinking behind it, the wellbeing agenda and the ideas behind promoting mental health and wellbeing across the life course, from childhood through to old age and death.
What I found encouraging is the focus on the influence of social factors on mental health and wellbeing, the recognition that our social circumstances, adverse life events, relationships and inequalities are major factors in determining all of our mental health…and wellbeing. Taking Richard and Jo's presentations together, I had a brief moment of hope that we might be seeing the beginnings of the demise of the medical model.
Throughout the conference, the question about an impending change of Government hovered in the air. Will the newly formed National Mental Health Development Unit survive? Will welfare benefits become more restricted? Will New Horizons hit the dust?
We don’t know. But, some of us at least are more informed and perhaps more open-minded about the 'wellbeing agenda', thanks to the Mind conference….
Alison Faulkner
Alison is a freelance researcher, trainer and consultant, working from a service user/survivor perspective. She has over 20 years experience of social research mainly in the mental health field, and has worked for the Mental Health Foundation, the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health and the National Centre for Social Research.
Since becoming freelance in 2002, she has worked for a range of organisations including Mind and Rethink. As a user of mental health services, Alison has experience of a range of services including acute inpatient care, crisis services, psychotherapy and medication.
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29 November 2009
Perspectives on wellbeing: things our grandmothers knewThe debate on wellbeing at the Mind conferences, 25 to 27 November, Brighton
On the face of it, there is a lot to be angry about when you think about wellbeing. The system is wrong – so wrong that it will take more unpicking than could be achieved in a bunch of generations.
Clinicians still firmly hold the power in the mental health system - a system which itself undermines empowerment, hope and recovery. Looking at the wider picture, we find a society, particularly in the UK, that is increasingly unequal (inequality, rather than poverty, being a key cause of poor wellbeing).
We have a world economy built on an unsustainable model of ever increasing consumption – a consumption that literally makes us sick. And all this supported by politicians and economists who measure people’s value purely in what they contribute to GDP - or so we were told by Peter Beresford, Professor of Social Policy at Brunel University, taking the ‘revolution’ line in the morning debate at the Mind conference.
But a much more dominant theme at the conference, at least for me, was hope. It’s true that things are not what they should be, but then things are not what they were either. We have heard from individuals involved in recruitment or peer support at their local health trusts.
We’ve heard from our own local Mind associations about wellbeing projects that are completely turning around services, and the lives of those who participate in them – both users and staff.
We have heard from people working in the Department of Health about their hopes and efforts to both improve mental health services and ensure wellbeing is taken seriously across government.
And we heard from cheery but thoughtful headteacher Anthony Seldon and three of his year 11 pupils about how they are teaching the next generation about gaining and maintaining their own personal wellbeing at Wellington College.
And a lot of wellbeing is really stuff our grandmothers knew – finding people to love, a place to belong, doing good to others, getting fresh air, exercise and enough sleep. Science is now catching up with our grandmothers.
Unravelling our political and economic world structures is a daunting tasks, but while we are tackling that, there’s lots of other things we can be doing that will have a profound effect on lives here and now.
So I guess I’m an old-fashioned believer in hope. Both that there is hope, and in the power of hope – that hope in itself can start to bring about change. Anger has its place, but I do think the more powerful, sustainable and persuasive fuel for changing the world will be hope. To quote Dr Seldon: "And that ladies and gentleman is not an impossible dream."
Sophie Corlett, Head of External Relations
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27 November 2009
Marcus Trescothick: a sackful of sporting trophies won't beat off depression
As a person who has experienced mental health problems, I know how vital it is for people to understand that they are not alone when depression.I hope the interviews with Frank Bruno, New Zealand All Black John Kirwan, snooker star Ronnie O'Sullivan, footballer Neil Lennon and others on the BBC Inside Sport's Mind Games documentary will serve to show that the illness can strike even those at the top of their game.
As I have said before depression is an illness not a weakness and you cannot beat it off with a CV or a bank balance... or a sackful of sporting trophies.
From a personal perspective, my own part in the programme, based on the video diary I kept while touring India with Somerset, made interesting viewing for me. In the end I had to come home early but the fact I made it out there in the first place was a big step forward.
Marcus Trescothick
You can watch Mind Games: Depression in Sport on BBC iPlayer until 11.29pm on Wednesday 2 December.
Katie Prior of Mind's media team writes:
Marcus Trescothick's candour in speaking out about his experiences on the Mind Games documentary deserves praise. He first ‘came out’ in his widely acclaimed autobiography that gave valuable insight into the experience of depression, leading it to be shortlisted for Mind’s Book of the Year Award 2009.
It's this sort of honesty from public figures about their experience of mental health problems that can help lesson the stigma that contributed to German goalkeeper Robert Enke's death.
Former New Zealand All Black John Kirwan mentioned in the BBC programme that somebody came up to him following his involvement in a mental health awareness campaign to tell him that he had saved their life. That was just one person, out of the many who would have been touched by the experiences he shared, leading him to believe that his involvement with the campaign was “probably more rewarding than playing for the All Blacks”.
Away from the sports field, there was an interview with Fern Britten in today's Times. She rightly spoke without an ounce of shame about her depression. As she so matter of factly said, ‘for me, it’s like being a diabetic’.This is exactly what people need to hear, that everyone has mental health as everyone has physical health. Depression and other mental health problems are no different to having influenza, cancer or a sore knee.
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19 November 2009
'Keeping schtum' about mental health problemsFollowing the tragic death of German footballer Robert Enke, the difficulties people feel about being open about their mental health experience has made international headlines.
Enke's death has prompted a wave of public sympathy. Strangely, Monday's Financial Times Deutschland article 'The Perils of Revealing Your Illness at Work' doesn't refer to Enke, but it does remind us of the terrible bind so many people find themselves in: be open and risk your job, or stay quiet and risk your health.
The article's author, Lucy Kellaway, claims that it's best to keep quiet about mental health in the workplace. "The truth is that given our ignorance and squeamishness about mental health, it is probably better to shut up about it," she says.
She seems less concerned that 'keeping schtum' about mental health problems can contribute to perpetuating stigma, and in Robert Enke's case, can lead to people feeling they can't continue.The article also takes a swipe at two well known faces of the Time to Change campaign, Stephen Fry and Alastair Campbell, suggesting that their public positions mean that disclosures about their own mental health 'don't count'.
On the contrary, it is their candour that has already helped bring mental health, and the stigma surrounding it, to the forefront of public attention. Every person who is open about their experiences should be applauded, as greater openness about the issue is what we need to break down the stigma that destroys lives.
However, Kellaway is right that admitting to mental health problems at work can be very frightening, and it's often a difficult choice for people to make. Recent research for the Time to Change campaign revealed that 92 per cent of the British public believes admitting to having a mental illness would damage someone's career.
Thankfully, developments in the law are making it less difficult to fight unfair treatment, and more organisations have positive policies on disability and equality at work.
No one should have to choose between their life and their livelihood.
Julia Lamb, Media Team
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18 November 2009
Social care: saving the state moneyOver the past month I've been interviewing people about their experiences of social care services, to inform Mind's response to the social care Green Paper.
It's really opened my eyes to how vital these services are to supporting people with mental health problems to stay well and live independently in the community, and to preventing crises.
But at the moment far too few people with experience of mental distress are entitled to access social care. Those who do receive services often find they are not flexible enough to fit round their needs, or they are not offered a choice of services, due to pressures on the public purse.
One person I spoke to was refused an art therapy evening class costing just £80 for the whole term, because she was already doing a vocational training course for two days a week, and her social worker said she could only have one thing at once.
To me, this approach is misguided. We all know that because of the recession there are greater pressures on public spending than ever before. But investing in preventive social care services now will save the state money in the long run, helping people with mental health problems towards recovery and reducing the need for expensive crisis care interventions. A smart Government will take this forward in its proposals for a future social care system.
Amy Whitelock, Policy and Campaigns Officer
Read more on Mind's response to the Green Paper
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12 November 2009
Alastair Campbell: May Robert Enke's death increase understanding of depression
I'm in Austria to make a speech and speak to government communications specialists. The news is wall to wall coverage of the dreadful suicide of top footballer Robert Enke, who had fought depression for years. I have no idea what channel I am watching but there is a calm and dignity to the coverage which adds profoundly to the sense of loss clearly felt right across Germany.
Most moving of all a remarkable interview with his widow Teresa, speaking of how she always tried to be there for him, and aways lived in hope that he would one day be free of his illness.
Politicians from Angela Merkel down are expressing their and their nation's grief. Footballers and coaches are doing the same, many saying they had no idea that the Hannover goalkeeper was ill, let alone liable to take his life.
When news coverage gives way to pictures, set to music, of candles being lit and memorabilia being laid outside the Hannover stadium, and slow motion shots of Enke in action, you almost sense the makings of a Diana moment for Germany.
It is certainly incredibly sad and nobody will ever know what was really going on inside his mind as finally he decided to end his life.
But the only hope to be found in this horrible event is the hope of greater understanding of a disease which is still surrounded by too much stigma and taboo.Alastair Campbell is Mind Champion of the Year. This post was originally published on his personal blog.
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12 November 2009
German goalkeeper's suicide highlights mental health stigmaAs a long suffering Reading FC fan, and a keen supporter of England, the ups and downs of football are a big part of my life.
So this week's news of the suicide of Germany's goalkeeper Robert Enke is desperately sad for his family and friends, and for football supporters everywhere. Here was a player at the top of his sport who took his own life. Why?
Perhaps the words of his courageous widow give us a clue - "he was fearful he would lose Leila." Enke was depressed and desperately anxious about the consequences of his depression. He feared for his livelihood but most of all he feared that he would lose his adopted daughter. He said that he had deliberately not talked about his mental state.
Sadly, he's not alone. Time to Change, the national campaign to end the discrimination faced by people with mental health problems, found that many people fear disclosing their mental distress to employers, to authorities, even to friends and family. The fear of stigma can in turn lead to a greater sense of isolation and despair. In some tragic circumstances that in turn can lead to people choosing to take their own lives. Over 5,400 people in the UK take their lives every year.
But maybe from this tragedy of Robert Enke's suicide, some good will come. The media coverage of this has been sensitive and fair. Messageboards like the BBC's 606, where fans are not afraid to say what they think, has been sympathetic and concerned - it feels like the football community has united in its compassion for one of our own.
Perhaps the most important message has come from those who have said that it should be unacceptable that people feel they have to hide their poor mental health from others, that we as a society should be more supportive of people and bury the stigma once and for all.
For anyone out there who may be suffering in silence, Mind can help, so please get in touch with the Mind info line on 0300 123 3393.
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive
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6 November 2009
Mental health services for refugees and asylum seekers - a messy pictureFor many years, Mind has stood up for (and with) people who are marginalised in our society.
We stood up for people in institutional care in the asylums, we stood up for people who faced a loss of liberty because of their mental health, and we continue to tackle the stigma faced by 90 per cent of people who experience a mental health problem.
But it is the plight of people who are seeking refuge in our country which has been highlighted by two new Mind reports (A civilised society: mental health provision for refugees and asylum seekers in England and Wales and Improving mental health support for refugee communities) which were launched yesterday. The product of two years of research seeking to understand the experiences of refugees and asylum seekers who experience mental health problems, the results make for interesting reading.
And it's a pretty messy picture. There's a lack of joined up policy between the Home Office and the Department of Health. Refugees and asylum seekers are entitled to access very limited services, and evidence shows that even these are being provided in a patchy way. There are cultural and linguistic barriers, and in many cases there is a lack of expertise and understanding.
Perhaps this quote from an Afghan refugee best summarises what we found:The relationship with mental health services is one of extremes - from nothing being available on one hand, to overreaction and sectioning on the other. It is often difficult to find the appropriate middle ground.
Many people arrive in this country fleeing war and persecution because of their beliefs - they may well arrive without having had a chance to seek help for their mental health, because at home they feared for their lives. And so they may well arrive with an existing mental health need.
However it is also possible that the asylum process can add to this distress, and exacerbate poor mental health, as this Iraqi mental health advocate explains:
Family and other support systems may have been left behind...people can become very isolated.
Yet, our reports suggest it doesn't have to be like this. A Somali Advocacy Project, run by Mind in Harrow, works with the local community to ensure that people get the help they need, that interpreters (both linguistic and cultural) are on hand. Funded and evaluated by the King's Fund it offers hope of a long-term sustainable model.
Abdi, who runs this project, describes passionately the help he offers:This sort of self sustaining model is what we have been looking for and it's giving people their life back.
So where next? Our own funding for this work, from the Lloyds TSB Foundation and Department of Health has enabled us to map available help, develop a training course for refugee community organisations, and recommend ways forward. It's a great start, and a unique piece of work but there's much more that needs to be done.
The issues around immigration are often politically sensitive, and it's not always a popular cause, but Mind is committed to helping refugees and asylum seekers find the help and support they need. We need to stimulate debate and discussion, through this blog and beyond.
Paul Farmer, Chief Executive, Mind
Mind's reports
A civilised society: mental health provision for refugees and asylum seekers in England and Wales
Improving mental health support for refugee communities
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4 November 2009
Dogs don't discriminateThere's an amusing and touching column in today's Guardian by Clare Allan, who was nominated for Mind Journalist of the Year 2009, about her dog's blindness to mental health stigma.
Though whether pets can improve mental health is still an object of discussion.
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3 November 2009
Challenging the tax manMoney worries can be a major trigger for mental distress. For some people, mental health problems can make it harder to manage money. When Mind undertook to tackle the cycle between financial difficulties and mental health, banks and other creditors were our obvious target. But as our recent research shows, the problem is not just with the financial sector - the tax man needs to take note too.
In January of this year, Mind was commissioned by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to look into how well its service allows for flexibility when supporting people with experience of mental distress to deal with tax issues. We heard from around 125 people about their tax affairs, and contact with HMRC.
The results highlighted that there is much to do to make the tax system accessible to people with mental health problems. Many people said they find calling HMRC difficult during periods of distress, and often there is no alternative to telephone contact. Deadlines are not flexible, so people experiencing distress who are unable to file their tax return can be penalised for their illness. Some correspondence fails the plain English test and can create unnecessary anxiety.Perhaps more worrying was anecdotal evidence from respondents to our survey that when someone reports a mental health problem to HMRC they feel they are not believed.
HMRC staff involved in the research also commented that that staff sometimes think people who are in trouble for not fulfilling their tax obligations are using their mental health problem as a “get out of jail free card”.
One man we spoke to had been accused of lying about his financial circumstances over and over until he doubted himself – creating significant distress and eventually family breakdown as he struggled to make his case heard.
Mind submitted a report of our findings to HMRC in September 2009 and made a number of recommendations. We are now working with the Department to ensure that changes are made.
It is crucial that all government departments meet their requirements under equality law, to provide reasonable adjustments and a service flexible enough to meet the needs of disabled people, including people with mental health problems.
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23 October 2009
Tackling hate crimes is a responsibility for us allThe tragic case of Fiona Pilkington highlights what a mountain we still have to climb to tackle crime, harassment and victimisation against disabled people. Following seven years of abuse at the hands of a local gang, Ms Pilkington set fire to her car while she and her disabled daughter were inside.
At the inquest, the jury found that she killed herself and her daughter due to stress and anxiety about her daughter's future, and the ongoing abuse they were experiencing. The jury foreman said the police's response had an impact on Ms Pilkington's actions, and records show that she had contacted the police on more than 30 occasions, but no one had ever been prosecuted.
In a similar case, one woman recently told Mind of the daily harassment she and her son face, which started when their neighbours found out about her family history of mental distress. Like Fiona Pilkington, she has reported the crimes against her to the police on a number of occasions, but no action has been taken. She and her son continue to live in the shadow of constant abuse, with no expectation of it going away.
To me, the Pilkington case is a clear example of disability hate crime, and many others agree. Courts have a duty to treat these crimes more seriously and increase the sentence for any offence where there is evidence of hostility based on disability.
The Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, is quite right to criticise the "ludicrous" attitude expressed by one police officer at the Pilkington case inquest, that anti-social behaviour is "no longer a police matter". Anti-social behaviour can be a serious threat to all of us and it should not be left to local councils to deal with. The police must take lessons from this about the importance of responding promptly and effectively when people report "low level" incidents.
But in characterising what happened to the Pilkingtons as merely "antisocial behaviour", Alan Johnson implied that these are not serious crimes. And it is not right to place the blame in allowing the harassment to continue solely with the police. Ms Pilkington was known to the police and to social services, but many people also knew of the crimes. In our communities, we all need to take responsibility for the people around us, and be prepared to speak out against crimes and offer support to the victims.
Mind will be sharing good police practice from around the country, to ensure police responses to so-called "low level" incidents improve and everyone is granted their fundamental right to equal access to justice.
But equally, we need to improve community relations, dispel myths about mental health and disability, and challenge the "just ignore the abuse and the perpetrators will get bored" attitudes that still exist, and suggest disabled people should expect to encounter victimisation and deal with it as part of their condition.
Amy Whitelock, Policy and Campaigns Officer
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19 October 2009
Vicious attack on people experiencing mental health problemsLast Thursday's vicious attack on people experiencing mental health problems in the Daily Express has shocked me. In a piece about the new assessment process for benefits claimants, Leo McKinstry disputes whether people receiving welfare benefits for a mental health problem are legitimate.
I don't believe it represents the views of the majority, and regret that any national newspaper should publish inaccuracies of this nature, which are based on prejudice and ignorance.
His figures are incorrect - the Government's statistics relate only to new claimants, rather than all people receiving incapacity benefit.
Even more worrying, is his cynical view of mental health. He says,
"It is telling that more than1.1million incapacity claimants are not suffering from any physical disability at all, but get their handouts by moaning about problems like 'stress' and 'depression'."
Mr McKinstry equates mental distress with malingering and sponging off the state. That's not my experience. My work brings me into frequent contact with people with serious mental health problems who want to work, and who are frustrated by the judgement handed down on them by people like him, that they just need to pull themselves together and stop living the life of Riley.
Of course there are always some people who will play any system for what they can get out of it. But for the vast majority of people with mental health problems, the welfare system is not about free handouts, but about negotiating the support and time they need to get ready for work, and providing a financial safety net where work is not a viable option.
I would be pleased to provide Mr McKinstry with an opportunity to meet people with depression or stress who have lost their jobs and are unable to work, so that he could be better informed about this issue. I only hope he will be willing to take up my offer.
I do agree with him on one thing. Those statistics are telling indeed. What do they tell me? We are not doing enough to prevent mental distress from spiralling out of control, leading to debt, family breakdown, disability and loss of employment. We can do more to inspire hope of recovery.The tried and tested ways of supporting people with mental health problems to return to work are not being used. And we need to challenge the pervasive stigma that denies people with mental health problems the same employment opportunities as anyone else.
Anna Bird, Policy and Campaigns Manager (Social Inclusion and Rights)
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15 October 2009
Get well soon....I've got a cold and am oscillating between coughing loudly in the hope of garnering sympathy, and pretending I'm fine due to the embarrassment at feeling so lousy with something so commonplace.
What then, to make of the recent report from the Royal College of Psychiatrists that half of people in hospital due to mental health problems do not receive any gifts or cards during their time in hospital, compared to a third of people in hospital due to physical health problems? If it is hard to admit to being laid low by the common cold, how much harder to try and explain about a mental health condition?
A British study found that psychiatric patients were significantly less likely than other patients to inform friends and family that they had been admitted to hospital, despite spending a significantly longer period of time in hospital.
The study found that the psychiatric patients received fewer cards and gifts. Further, patients with mental health diagnoses tended to receive toiletries, food and cigarettes as gifts, while other patients receive flowers, balloons, magazines and chocolates.
Another British study confirmed the finding of fewer greeting cards for patients admitted to psychiatric wards. There seems to be a combination of people in hospital due to acute mental distress being unwilling to tell people about their problems, and others not knowing what to say or do when people are admitted to hospital due to a mental health condition, so end up doing nothing. What could people need more during a time when they are on a hospital ward, feeling vulnerable and distressed, but to know that others are thinking of them?
It can be easy and inexpensive to show that you care. Some hospitals, such as the North West Wales Trust allow people to send an email to a patient that will be printed out and handed to the patient. The Royal College of Psychiatry has launched their own get well soon cards that are on sale via their website.
You could also make your own, and getting the family involved in creating or writing in a card could be a good way of having a conversation about why someone is in hospital and what they might be experiencing.
Bridget O'Connell, Head of Information
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9 October 2009
The Conservatives Get MovingAnd so to Manchester for our third week of party conference work, this time with the Conservatives, the current favourites to form the new Government at the next general election.
This week is of course Get Moving week, and up and down the country hundreds of events are taking place to encourage people to improve their physical activity to improve their mental well being.
The Conservative conference was no exception. Mind pedometers were the must have item of Conference, and once we'd explained to some slightly bemused delegates how they worked, many were to be seen frequently checking them to find out how many steps they'd taken.
The theme of work and worklessness was a major one at this conference, and David Cameron set the ball rolling by announcing that all people currently on Incapacity Benefit would be reviewed and many would lose some of their benefits as a result.Mind was quick to respond to this, reflecting the concerns voiced by many of this approach. So we were heartened to hear Theresa May qualifying their position on Channel 4 News and recognising the importance of providing the right level of support for people with mental health problems. This message was also reinforced by Tory Disabilities Minister Mark Harper.
There's no doubt that whichever party wins the election, change is coming, and the main question seems to be around the pace of change. We continue to call for a system which puts people with mental health problems at the heart of its approach and recognises their needs.Paul Farmer, Chief Executive
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