We’re Mind,
yourlocal mental health services
Across the country we provide free services to help people get back on their feet, develop
ways of coping, buildskillsand confidence, and get the advice and support they need. We
have pledged to change forever the way Mental Health is viewed and treated.
Our vital work is supported by organisations and individuals across the city
Mind in Greater Manchester is a partnership
of five local Minds ensuring that people
across Greater Manchester experience better
mental health and have the support to live
well in their communities and at work
Why are we here?
To challengewhat youbelieveabout Mental Health
To make you think differentlyabout your ownrelationship
with your own mental health
So we all look after our physical health
• Join an exercise class
• Eating fruit and vegetables
• Drinking water
• Taking vitamins
• Going to the gym
• Cutting down on alcohol or cigarettes
So what do we mean by “mental health?”
• MentalHealthincludes both good mentalhealthand mentalhealthproblems
• World HealthOrganisation describes it as ‘a statewhere every person realises
their own potential,can cope with thenormal stresses of lifeand is able to make
a contribution’
• MentalWellbeing describes how you are feelingand how wellyou cope day to
day withlife.Changesday to day. Contributes to mentalhealth
1 in 4 people will
experience a mental
health problem this
year, 65% of them
wontexperience it
nextyear.
NORMAL!!!!
A person with a Mental Health Condition is still a three
dimensional person.
How they are feeling is just one part of them.
Me - Stewart Lucas
Employee of Mind/ Father of three / Man City Supporter / Cross Country Skier /
Whovian / High-Functioning Asperge / Metal-Head / Half-Norwegian /Real Ale
Fanatic / Guardian subscriber /Socialist / Dyslexic / ComicBook Collector /National
Trust member /Ultra-Liberal Christian / Festival Goer / Dyspraxic …..
So whatis mental illness?
• The term ‘mental illness’covers a widerange of conditions
• Thiscan includelong term conditionslike schizophrenia,bi-
polardisorderand psychosis
• But by far the most common types of mentalhealth issuesare
depressionand anxiety
Anxiety
• Overwhelming fear or unease
• Sweating
• Panicky– racing heart
• Tearful
• Wantingto escape
• Not wantingto socialise
• Isolatingyourself
13
The World Health Organisation says
thatby 2020 depression will be the
secondmost common cause of ill-
health after heart disease
Depression
• Low mood
• Loss of interest and pleasure inthings
• Tearfulness
• Sleepproblems
• Irritability and/or mood swings
• Feelingsof helplessness
• Life notworth living
• Feelingsuicidal
Treatments
• Talking therapies (Counselling, Psychotherapy, CBT
(cognitive behaviour therapy))
• Medication
• Self-help books
• Support groups
• Online courses (e-Therapy)
• Time
• Rest
• Change in Diet
• Exercise
This weekin the UK…
250,000 peoplewill visit their doctor
about a mental health problem
750,000 prescriptions for
antidepressants willbe issued
104 peoplewilltake
their ownlife
The Truth
Vast majority of people with a mental
health condition don’t need ongoing
acute service.
They need appropriate, short term
support.
They need an understanding
environment and they need friends
“I had always wondered why
I felt so different. Asking
myself “why?” for the past 4
years had I often had
feelings of sadness,
loneliness and despair”
But there are signs…..
• Isolation
• Cancelling
arrangements
• Withdrawn
• Less chatty
• Fluctuations in
weight or appetite
• Mood swings
• Irritability
• Distracted
What can youdo if youthinksomeone is
struggling?
• Ask them how they are – give themspace and time to talkhonestly
• Make a cuppa – small acts of kindness can meana lot
• Look out for changes in behaviour
• Acknowledge feelingsand ask if you can help
• Active listening
• Trust them
• Allow themto trustyou
What can you do foryour ownmental health?
• Lookingafter our mentalwellbeing keeps us resilientand less
vulnerable to mentalhealthproblems
• Allows us to improve our own wellbeing
• Allows us to adapt the way we view situations
• Perspective taking–realistic but optimistic
• Allows us to be active ratherthanpassive
• Build on existingstrengthsand assets
Lifegives you lemons
Resilience is our mental wellbeing immune system.
40% of everything that happens to us we control
60% of things we don’t, resilience is what helps deal with the 60%
• Adaptability
• Not dwelling on the past
• Mental endurance - perseverance
• Ability to look to the long-term
• Risk-taking – will step out of comfort zone
• Good coping skills
• Sense of humour
• Deriving positive lessons from adversity
Key Resilience Characteristics
How do we build resilience?
• Preventative strategies help us to adapt to adversity
and avoid stressful responding
• Resilient people with positive mental well-being
engage in a spread of activities and strategies which
help them to be successful and reduce their
susceptibility to ill health
Connect…
• Social relationships promote wellbeing and act as a buffer
against mental ill health
• Talk to someone instead of sending an email
• Speak to someone new
• Ask how someone’s weekend
was and listen to the answer!
Take notice…
•Notice the changing seasons
•Get a plant for your workspace
•Visit a new place for lunch
•Take notice of how your colleagues are feeling or acting
•Take a different route on your journey to or from work
•Enjoy sights and sounds
•Catch sight of the beautiful
•Be curious and mindful
Be active…
• Do some ‘easy exercise’, like stretching, before you leave for work in themorning
• Take thestairs not thelift
• Go for a walkat lunchtime
• Get off thebus one stop earlier thanusual
• Exercising makes you feelgood
Give…
• Volunteer
• Do something nice for a colleague, friend, or a stranger
• Thank someone
• Smile
• Seeing yourself, and your happiness, linked to the wider
community can be rewarding and creates connections with
people around you
32
Keep learning…
• Find out somethingabout your colleagues
• Sign up for a class
• Read thenews or a book
• Set up a book club
• Do a crossword or Sudoku
• Research somethingyou’ve always wondered about
• Learn a newword
33
Gettinghelp…
At first contact:
• Your GP
• Someone you trust
• Mind Infoline 0300 123 3393 or use online resources at
www.mind.org.uk
In an emergency or crisis:
• Your GP
• Accident & Emergency
• Samaritans - http://www.samaritans.org
Mind in Greater Manchester
stewartlucas@manchestermind.org
www.gmmind.org.uk
I’d like to tell you a little bit about Manchester Mind and how people can get involved. We’re a self funding organisation, independent from National Mind – we do our own fundraising locally and have our own board of trustees.
As well as providing free services to those who need them, we provide training in the community and in workplaces, run a catering social business called Good Mood Food and offer charity partnership opportunities to local businesses.
What is the session about?
Lets start by thinking about what you do to take care of your bodies – your physical health. It’s quite easy to think of plenty of ideas here…
ASK: What do you do to look after your mental health? TODAY we are going to consider how to do this…
We all have mental health, like we all have physical health. Both change throughout our lives. And, like our bodies, our minds can become unwell.
Before we look at what we can do to look after our mental health let’s look at what it means…
When I say mental health – what do you think of? Definitions Poor mental well being doesn’t always lead to poor mental health but it CAN contribute
MH problems are very common. 1:4 That’s around 16 M people every year in this country alone. 65 % people with a mental health cpndition wont have it next year In this room 15/60 or 10/40 or 5/20
Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007
If 1:4 people will experience mental health problems in one year, chances we all work and know someone currently experiencing a mental health problem. It IS possible to still work with mental health problems – though there will be some people who find it is too difficult and stressful for a period, they may still return to work before they are 100% better. Being at work can be helpful for mental health problems giving purpose and meaning and helping people get back on their feet.
You can use Mind colours and bold to highlight salient points in text
You can use Mind colours and bold to highlight salient points in text
To know if we are well we should also be aware of what ill health can look like.
our bodies can get ill – flu, colds, and LTCs like arthritis and diabetes, our minds can get ill too. And that’s what mental illness means – it’s a term that covers all sorts of different mental illness.
Some reports say as high as 1:6 people* Run through common symptoms of anxiety and link to what they suggested.
Different types of anxiety disorders. Anxiety itself is NOT a mental illness. We all probably feel a sense of anxiety before situations that we find challenging or difficult. Anxiety is a normal reaction that keeps us safe and ensures we are ready to fight or flee.
*NOTE IS OLD STUDY Office for National Statistics. ‘Surveys of Psychiatric Morbidity in Great Britain. Report 1 – THe prevalence of psychiatric morbidity among adults living in private households.’ The Stationery Office. 1995
This is really something we need to take more seriously
1:10 workers has taken time off for depression* -common symptoms of depression. Distinguish the difference between feeling blue/sadness – which is a natural reaction to some life events, and usually pass, and depression, when feelings interfere with ability to function and don’t go away after a couple of weeks or keep coming back over and over again for a few days at a time. Elaborate on the individual items on the list
*One in 10 workers has taken time off because of depression, a poll of 7,000 people in seven European countries has found. (BBC New, 1st October 2012)
The Mori survey was carried out for the European Depression Association (EDA) in Britain, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Turkey, Spain and France.
Those in Britain, Denmark and Germany were most likely to be off work because of depression.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19759964
Talk a little bit about treatments for both depression and anxiety – counselling, psychotherapy, (different types), self-help (some people get what they need from books), peer support groups (getting together with others to help each other). Medication – different types. Self-help: things you can do for yourself from the ‘50 ways to take a break’ handout… Mindfulness, meditation. Exercise very important too.
Mental Ill health is a big issue – and an important issue:
250,000 people will visit their doctor about a mental health problem
750,000 prescriptions for antidepressants will be issued
104 people will take their own life
You can use Mind colours and bold to highlight salient points in text
You can use Mind colours and bold to highlight salient points in text
Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. Stephen Fry – bipolar. Frank Bruno – bipolar. Frankie Bridge, ‘The Saturdays’ and star of Strictly Come Dancing – depression and panic attacks
Put on a ‘brave face’ -stigmatizing beliefs. They may NOT want to share.
What might you notice in others…how would we know they had a problem? What would we see?
CONTACT HANDOUT - national, local, emergency. Mental illness doesn’t have to be a scary thing to talk about. Know your colleagues. Mention active listening – and be cautious if you’re tempted to try to solve the other person’s problems or telling them that other people have it a lot worse.
Important to look after our mental wellbeing. Lots of positive effects. Manging our MH before we become ill makes us more resilient. What does that look like?
You can use Mind colours and bold to highlight salient points in text
What does resilience look like? Resilience is learned not something you are born with or without. WHY ME? WHY NOT? WHAT CAN I DO?
Resilience is NOT fixed. Its not something we are born with and if you don’t have it ‘tough luck’. It can be learned and increased. Lets see how…
One of the most popular ways of looking at Wellbeing and building resilience is the Model for ‘The Five ways to wellbeing’ – New Economics Foundation. Balance and spread. Lets look at the model and consider which areas you are strong in and which you need to improve on. Boost All areas and achieve a balance.
Relationships are crucial for wellbeing. Maintaining them and developing new ones. Work at them. Value them. What can you do at home or at work to improve relationships?
Take notice of yourself, relax, meditate. We rush about and are often not in the moment. We should take time to notice our surroundings and how impressive they are. ENJOY
Don’t have to head for the gym unless that’s you thing. Happy hormones – endorphins.
5 Ways to wellbeing are interlinked. Random acts of kindness examples.
Learn a new skill – even the smallest steps count
If you need help or someone you know does…Remind them of the contact sheet .
Get in touch and look at out materials and website. Please take a moment to fill in the evaluation and leave them so we can act on them.
Thankyou
Any questions please ask or let people know if you have a few minutes after the talk to answer questions individuals
PLEASE ASK TO COMPLETE ANONYMOUS FEEDBACK FORMS