Campaign blog

Debt problems seem to be the forefront of everyones mind, more so at this time of year and It’s important to know one thing. For as long as Martin Lewis (Money Expert) has been the Money Saving Expert, he has never once seen a case of debt that can’t be solved. No matter how bad it seems, while it may not always be easy or quick, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Of course, when mental health is involved, sometimes just having the energy to deal with it is tough. And that’s what the guide below is about: recognising that mental health and debt is a marriage made in hell, so we’ve easy practical steps you can take to get back on track.

If nothing else, the fact there’s so much demand for this info that they’ve created this booklet should tell you you’re not alone. Follow this link to view a Guide to Mental Health and Debt: http://images.moneysavingexpert.com/images/attachment/mentalhealthguide.pdf

On 11 January the ‘Sticks and Stones’ team paid a visit to St Gregory’s Catholic High School, Warrington and ran a series of taster sessions for year 8 and year 9 pupils around mental ill-health and learning disabilities.

St Gregory’s, which was the first school in Warrington to become an official Corporate Partner of the campaign, will be using the ‘Sticks and Stones’ Key Stage 3 & 4 schools pack in their PSHE lessons over the coming months to help educate their pupils about the stigma surrounding mental ill-health and learning disabilities.

The interactive workshops saw pupils taking part in a number of activities, including a quiz, where pupils worked in small teams to answer a number of questions and identify a series of famous faces who all have a connection with mental ill-health or learning disabilities.

At the end of the sessions, the children were asked to each ‘throw away’ one stigmatising word that is used to describe people with mental ill-health or learning disabilities. They were asked to write the word on a piece of paper and then throw it into a waste bin at the front of the classroom, explaining their classmates why they had chosen that word. By throwing the stigmatising words into the bin, the children were making a physical gesture and promising not to use the word again in the future.

These workshops will form a basis for the school’s upcoming PSHE lessons, which will all be based around the ‘Sticks and Stones’ campaign. In March the ‘Sticks and Stones’ team will be taking the purpose-built Diary room into the school, giving the pupils a chance to talk about how the lessons have affected their views of mental ill-health and learning disabilities, and what they are going to do differently as a result.

Head of Key Stage 3 PSHE, Elisabeth Whelan said:

 “The pupils all responded really positively to the workshops and were keen to get involved with the discussions around mental ill-health and learning disabilities. I was amazed by the honesty of the pupils and their eagerness to learn more about the topic.”

 “They were surprised to discover that one in ten children between the ages of 0 and 15 has a diagnosable mental illness, the need to educate others that people with mental ill-health should not be bullied or ridiculed by their peers and the importance that if they or anyone they know ever experiences mental distress, they should not be afraid or ashamed to seek help for it.”

To find out more about how the ‘Sticks and Stones’ campaign can help to Stamp out Stigma in your school, e-mail sophie.ellis@5bp.nhs.uk or click here to download our Key Stage 1 & 2 or Key Stage 3 & 4 schools resources

If so we are the only northern NHS Trust to be taking part in a new, exciting study to determine whether a new drug slows down memory loss or other symptoms associated with prodromal Alzheimer’s disease (prodromal AD).

Prodromal AD is a condition in which a person’s memory loss is worse than can be expected by the normal ageing process alone. Typically, their ability to get on with daily activities is not affected so much that they would be diagnosed with dementia.

In the past, people with prodromal AD would have been considered to be showing symptoms of old age or would have been given a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Today prodromal AD is becoming a recognised condition. We now know that people who have prodromal AD may be more likely to develop dementia than people with other forms of memory loss or MCI, making research studies like this one extremely important.

For that reason, we are delighted to be participating in the SCarlet RoAD study. Across 100 centres in about 15 countries we need 360 people to take part and would really appreciate your help on a local level.

We are looking for people who:

• Are aged between 50 and 85 years
• Have noticed (and someone else has noticed) a gradual decline in memory over the last 12 months
• Are not currently taking medication for dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
• Have a friend or relative who is able to say how participants are managing with daily activities and who agrees to provide information at clinic visits when appropriate
• Are interested in participating in a study that lasts for two years and five months and which will involve visits to a clinic at least once every month throughout this period

If you are interested in finding out if the Scarlet RoAD study is right for you or someone you know then visit http://scarletroadstudy.com/en-GB/index.aspx

Due to the the stigma attached to mental health issues, it can sometimes be very difficult for a sufferer to confide in individuals about their condition. They may feel that their confession will be laughed off as being all in the mind, or that it will change the way people look at them. In many cases the fear will be disproportionate to reality – but then, this is how mental health issues affect people.

There is a traditional opinion that mental health issues are somehow less serious than physical conditions. Because a physical condition is usually something that can be seen, there is a tendency to rate them as being more serious than mental health issues, but depression, OCD, SAD and others can severley affect people   – so it is only right that they are treated seriously too.

In most cases, the anxiety over telling a family member of a mental health condition will be misplaced. They will be concerned for the sufferer and want them to get better. As yet, widespread understanding of mental health issues is not uniformly great, and it may take more explanation than a physical condition. However, in the end the family member will want their brother, son, wife or other family member to feel better, and will learn what they can to help them.

Aside from this, a family has a right to know that their relative is ill,  it may be difficult to face up to, but telling family is important.

Phil Cooper, Nurse Consultant in Dual Diagnosis at 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, has attended the Palace of Westminster along with other representatives of the State of Mind Programme Board to talk about their innovative work dealing with issues surrounding the mental health of sportsmen and women.

The Parliamentary Rugby League Group joined forces with the Parliamentary Mental Health Group in a special joint meeting on 25 October 2011 to welcome the rugby league State of Mind campaign which is supported by the Trust.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Rugby League Group Chair, Greg Mulholland said “I am very pleased that politicians have the opportunity to hear from the State of Mind programme.　Very few are able to experience life as a professional sportsperson and therefore understand the huge pressures they must face.　 This is not only an innovative campaign, it is vital.

‘I believe this is such an important issue for all sports that I invited all my Parliamentary colleagues to this special event and it is testament to the importance of this issue that Health Minister Paul Burstow is able to attend.”

Speaking at the meeting, Burstow added his support saying: “In a challenging game like rugby league, it is really important that the players keep themselves in peak condition – mind as well as body.

‘The State of Mind initiative is a brilliant way of raising the profile of mental health issues among players and supporters.

‘I hope that this campaign will help break down the stigma that is often attached to mental health problems and make it easier for rugby players and fans to get the help they need. One in four of us will have a mental health problem at some point – we all need to know where to go to get the right help, instead of suffering in silence.”

‘It’s inspiring that such a fantastic campaign has come from the tragedy of Terry Newton’s death. I wish it every success.”

Ex-Great Britain rugby league and Ireland rugby union star, and supporter of State of Mind Brian Carney added his thoughts as a professional player: “Athletes in all sports are susceptible to mental health issues and stressors like people in any walk of life.　It is sometimes harder dealing with and talking about these issues when you are in the public eye and perceived to have ‘little to worry about’.　

‘It’s time to talk, time to use the goodwill of teammates, work colleagues, friends and family and let them know if you are struggling.　The State of Mind campaign seeks to raise awareness around mental health, challenge perceptions and tackle problems amongst players, coaches and supporters at the earliest possible stage.”

Charles Walker, Chair of the Mental Health Group, spoke about the impact mental health issues have for sport and the wider economy “I was delighted to hear of the State of Mind programme and the work that it does in supporting clubs, their staff and their players. Mental health issues play a huge part in the wellbeing of the nation, its economy and its sporting excellence. It is very good to see that the sport of rugby league is addressing these issues head on.”

The Right Here project has joined forces with the Sticks and Stones campaign to help stamp out the stigma surrounding mental ill health and learning disabilities.

Project Manager, Susan Blishen, signed the pledge on behalf of the project’s 150 staff and volunteers, officialising the corporate partnership between Right Here and the Sticks and Stones campaign.

Right Here is a joint venture between the Mental Health Foundation and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, which aims to radically change the way we look after the mental health of young people aged 16-25.

Common mental health problems are most likely to surface during the teenage years, due to the stress and pressures of the transition from childhood to adulthood.

The project believes that by intervening early on, it can help to ensure that mental health problems do not cause permanent damage to people’s lives.

The project has given its full support to the Sticks and Stones campaign, which asks people to make a pledge not to use words that are hurtful and offensive to describe people with mental ill health and learning disabilities.

“We are delighted to support the work that the Sticks and Stones campaign is doing to reduce mental health stigma and discrimination, particularly in schools,” says Susan Blishen.

“The earlier we educate people and encourage them to challenge the prejudice associated with mental ill-health, the better – and this is something that both Right Here and the Sticks and Stones campaign endeavour to do.”

Visit the Right Here project’s website for more information.

You can read quotes from staff who work for ‘Right here’ below:

Katie Wilson, Right Here National Youth Panel member says:

“When things really started to go downhill for me in sixth form, I wouldn’t say I received any positive interventions. I wish my teachers had been able to benefit from the kind of resources that the Sticks and Stones campaign are offering. Thinking back on that time, some of the things that would have been useful to me, all of which Sticks and Stones are providing, are: improved mental health awareness amongst teachers; helping de-stigmatise mental health issues through discussion in classes as part of more general emotional wellbeing education; and communicating to pupils that schools are there to provide support with any issue that affects them.

Quite a few of the members of Right Here’s National Youth Panel have had similar experiences to mine. Together, we are trying to make a difference by speaking out about the kind of mental health support young people actually want. Our four projects across the UK are doing much more than this – with young people, they are creating their own anti-stigma campaigns, to try to make sure that the mental health of young people becomes ‘everyone’s business’”.

Susan Blishen, Right Here Project Manager says:

“The last few decades have seen an alarming rise in depression and anxiety rates amongst teenagers. The Right Here project, run by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Mental Health Foundation, aims to address this rise as well as the subsequent strain on mental health services by radically changing how we look after the mental health and wellbeing of young people. Right Here does this by directly involving young people in commissioning, designing and delivering preventative and early intervention services for their peers across the UK.

“We are delighted to support the work that the Sticks and Stones campaign is doing to reduce mental health stigma and discrimination particularly in schools, as we know that half of lifetime mental illness arises by the age of 14. The earlier we educate people and encourage them to challenge the prejudice associated with mental ill-health, the better – and this is something that both Right Here and the Sticks and Stones campaign endeavour to do.”

Last night 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, won a Commendation at the Association for healthcare Communications & Marketing awards (AHCM) in the best Social Marketing Project category. We were commended for our work on the Stamp out stigma campaign.

Thank you everyone for all of your support, together we will help to stamp out stigma against Mental ill Health and Learning Disabilities.

While Christmas times are looked upon as times for family and joy, those with mental illness sometimes struggle to get through this season. In addition to the shorter days, the holidays may not be as festive due to lack of friends, family or a mental illness that isn’t under control. The occasional sadness that we all experience lingers, and the sadness turns into different forms of depression, anxiety or other mental illnesses.

Instead of going to seek treatment like you would for cancer or a heart problem, there’s a silent majority that try to deal with it by themselves because they’re worried what society will think.

It’s a great time of year, yet it’s a scary time of year. Self medication may mean alcohol or other destructive habits. They try to numb the pain.

As you pull your chair close to the dinner table at Christmas, give thanks for your health. Not only your physical health, but mental health as well. If you think a friend is struggling, be kind and supportive. Why does mental illness still carry such a stigma?