What is recovery? What does it mean to recover? It depends what we are recovering from of course. And what we are trying to recover. People who are seeking to break free from addiction often talk about being “in recovery”. It’s not a destination, it’s a journey. Is it possible to say one is noContinue reading “Recovery – Uncovering – Discovery”
Tag Archives: Mental Illness
Children’s Mental Health Week. A rant.
I hear a lot of comments as I do the rounds of my training, a lot of thoughts and opinions, pre-judgements about mental health. Some thoughtful, insightful, some stigmatised/stigmatising, offensive and downright wrong. That’s ok. People come to learn about mental health, I want them to air their thoughts and preconceptions so we can discussContinue reading “Children’s Mental Health Week. A rant.”
Cause of Death – not just suicide we need to worry about.
I was just checking to see if there were any updated statistics yet on the number of suicides in the UK – not yet. I wanted to see if last year’s slight reduction was the beginning of a trend or just a blip. Anyway – I found myself perusing the figures, and also those forContinue reading “Cause of Death – not just suicide we need to worry about.”
Why is challenging stigma the most important part of what I do?
Stigma stops people thinking about Mental Health Stigma stops people learning about Mental Health Stigma stops people recognising when their mental health is deteriorating Stigma stops people recognising when their friends / family are suffering Stigma stops people accepting they have a Mental Health issue Stigma stops people telling their friends they are struggling StigmaContinue reading “Why is challenging stigma the most important part of what I do?”
Lets talk about resilience
To some people resilience seems to be a dirty word. I get it, and I don’t get it. What is resilience? To me – it’s like an immune system for the mind. We all have an immune system that helps us fight off illness, disease, infection. When we get ill it is our immune systemContinue reading “Lets talk about resilience”
Mental Health in the LGBTQ+ Community
This last week has been Happy Valley Pride in Hebden Bridge – a celebration of our LGBTQ+ community and families. Yesterday was the “Big Day Out” – a day of music and cabaret, and a disco in St George’s Square. It was a lovely uplifting day. (Spoiled a little for me by overindulgence but moreContinue reading “Mental Health in the LGBTQ+ Community”
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) – which course(s) are right for you?
I’ve just started scheduling courses, so thought I would write something to help people decide which course would be most suitable for their needs. MHFA England have a range of options, which is constantly being developed – other countries have other options, which hopefully we may catch up with at some point. In order toContinue reading “Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) – which course(s) are right for you?”
A rose by any other name – Diagnoses and Labels
During the last couple of Mental Health First Aid Courses I have done, the subject of diagnoses and labels has come up several times in one way or another. Different angles on the same topic perhaps: – Do we clinicise what used to be normal human emotions? – Do people cling to / identify withContinue reading “A rose by any other name – Diagnoses and Labels”
Death and Statistics
They’re quite effective, I think – those “kill your speed, not a child”, or “don’t drink and drive” adverts we see on our televisions each year. Especially around Christmas, when there is a little too much festive spirit in our veins, and a stark reminder of how suddenly our loved ones can be snatched fromContinue reading “Death and Statistics”
Help for Line Managers
MHFA England have released an updated version of the Line Manager’s resource, originally developed by Shift – the Department of Health‘s campaign against stigma and discrimination relating to mental ill health. This is a great resource and one I would recommend for everyone to have a read of – especially if you manage staff, orContinue reading “Help for Line Managers”