Schizophrenia: not a death sentence

Daniel's story provides a fascinating, first-person account of a young man's psychotic breakdown, & his positive road of recovery. Not everyone has such an encapsulated experience, but this guy presents great insights & advice. I strongly urge you to read this excellent narrative. 

Premier League take a shot at Young Person mental health support

Check out this BBC article on getting to grips with Young People's issues; but also click on the link to If U Care Share Foundation … Daniel O'Hare was 19 when, without warning, he took his own life. No history of mental health problems, no sense of intent. A popular, well known, social young fellow: football, work, friends, socialising, close family relationships… a devastated family, no closer to understanding Daniel's actions.

Brother's Matthew & Ben, cousin Sarah (then, 10, 5, & 13 years), wanting to do something positive to prevent similar events & help bereaved families, started 'If U Care Share' as a lasting memory of Daniel. They designed a wristband to encourage young people to SHARE problems instead of burying them within.

Raising almost £50,000, the kids donated the money to north east Young Person's projects via The Samaritans. Now the If U Care Share Foundation is a registered charity with 3 clear aims… Prevention, Intervention, & Support of those bereaved by suicide.

Suicide is the second most common cause of death of young men, after accident; it claims more young lives than cancer.

Still a national scandal?

The personal tales of 15 Guardian readers give an insight into the sorry state of formal mental health care in modern Britain.

On a more upbeat note, have you heard of the Men's Shed movement? No? Me neither.

Started in Australia 8 years ago, & now over here, it's a communal woodworking project aiming to support older guys who have experienced difficulties with mental health, loss of employment, retirement, & social isolation… There are now over 100 Sheds in the UK, with a project opening each week. So, check out a very interesting article & take a peek at UK Men's Sheds Association website . I'd love to see something like that somewhere like this!

MSM Rural Peer Support Group

We are very pleased to announce MSM is opening a peer support group at Colwich & Little Haywood Village Hall starting Thursday 23rd October. Initially, the group will run from 11am until 2.00pm, offering support, information, & signposting both to those experiencing mental health difficulties & to carers.

Rural living can generate additional challenges to those already having to contend with psychological & emotional distress - social isolation, reduced opportunity, shame & stigma - & we aim to reflect this as the group develops. As a peer support group, development & ownership rests in the hands of those who attend, so who is to know where they will take this project? But, to get going we intend to have a fun, inclusive range of activities underpinning each week's get together; from create & bake, through relaxation & mindfulness training, to BiteSize Wellbeing Workshops. 

For further information or to express interest in attending, the group has an active email address midstaffsmind.ruralgroup@gmail.com or contact MSM on 01543 896876

Colwich & Little Haywood Village Hall
Chilwell Avenue
Little Haywood
Staffs
ST18 0QZ

Bus: Arriva 825 (Stafford - Rugeley - Lichfield & return), every half hour, bus stop opposite Hall at St Michaels & All Angels Church.

Car parking is plentiful.

MSM World Mental Health Day: October Events

In supporting & engaging with World Mental Health Day & it's theme of 'Living with Schizophrenia', MSM are delivering public presentations across our localities...

Wednesday 8th:  Bipolar Disorder: exploring the ins & outs of the ups & downs 
- presented by Rachel Butler: to raise awareness of symptoms, treatments, the science & lived experience of bipolar disorder… to promote MSM's Peer Support in Wombourne
PLEASE NOTE:  this presentation is cancelled but will be rescheduled asap, it will still take place at the Fire Station, Giggety Lane, Wombourne, WV5 0AX.  
PLEASE WATCH THIS SPACE!

Friday 10th:  MSM Sponsored Walks in & around Stafford
- 10am starting from Quest, Tipping St, Stafford, ST16 2LL
- 3 walks (short, for everyone; medium, for some scenery; long, for the serious), all finish at Quest. Each walker is sponsored for the Peer Support Group / Activity of their choice

Saturday 11th:  Stand in Cannock Library
- 10am - 2.00pm information on Schizophrenia & severe mental illness; signposting

Saturday 11th:  Schizophrenia Awareness
- 1.00pm - 2.30pm Quest, Stafford
- presented by Leasa Hatherly; learning through fun & interaction; refreshments 

Volunteer appreciation events will also take place in each locality

for details of presentations, contact:
Gemma Hobday (Operations Co-ordinator)
0787 5402 471

for details of sponsored walks, contact:
Linda Newton (Partnerships Co-ordinator)
0797 1050 881

Living with Schizophrenia

"Imagine suddenly developing an illness in which your are bombarded with voices from forces you cannot see, & stripped of your ability to understand what is real & what is not. You discover that you cannot trust your senses, you mind plays tricks on you, & your family & friends seem part of a conspiracy to harm you. Unless properly treated, these psychotic experiences may destroy your hopes & ambitions, make other people recoil from you, & ultimately cut your life short. Some 220,000 people in England have such psychotic experiences - we probably all know a family who is affected, but the stigma is such that they may be keeping it a secret" 

(Prof Robin Murray, The Abandoned Illness - a Report by the Schizophrenia Commission)

Schizophrenia is the most commonly diagnosed psychotic mental illness. Over 26 million people worldwide… 220,000 people in England… some 30% of our mental health & social care spend, some £2.5 billion yearly… an overall cost to the nation of about £11.8 billion... with poor health indicators & high mortality rates, those with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia die 15 - 20 years younger than the general British population.

World Mental Health Day 2014 aims to open a conversation about, & call attention to this serious, often disabling, condition. Sharing information & guidance; networking care & support; tackling ignorance & mythology; fighting stigma & discrimination… it is amazing what a bit of a chat & a think might achieve! 

WFMH have published a wide-ranging collection of papers, Living with Schizophrenia, which aims to reflect current medico-scientific knowledge about the illness, as well as capturing Schizophrenia's real-life impact on individuals & families… there's a fairly overt medical bias, but it's a good jumping off point for understanding more about this illness. 

I strongly recommend the Schizophrenia Commission's powerful & shaming Report (or Executive Summary) which can be accessed here; a damning indictment of our society, our health & care & political institutions, yet a beacon of hope, shining light on solutions that can yet improve the lot of those who experience this most debilitating illness.   

The National Audit of Schizophrenia (2012) attempts to collate a comprehensive picture of the quality of care received by people diagnosed with Schizophrenia in England & Wales.

Mind's website offers a broad range of information in regard to Schizophrenia, including causality & treatment, self help guidance, & advice as to haw family & friends can help.

Rethink Mental Illness & the Meridan Family Programme offer Caring for Yourself a guide to help those experiencing mental illness, their carers, family & friends. Aimed at helping folk developing new skills & coping strategies, the eight downloadable booklets offer tips & exercises about looking after oneself, as well as 'how to' information in respect of supporting a person suffering severe mental illness.

Sane, the Hearing Voices Network, the Voice Collective, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Time to Change etc. Many & varied is the research, information, advice, & personal experience relating to Schizophrenia; available on the internet & via your library, have a read, have a think, have an opinion… have compassion...  

World Mental Health Day 2014

Friday 10th October is World Mental Health Day 2014; 
this year's theme is Living with Schizophrenia.

Established in 1992 by the World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH), World Mental Health Day provides a global, regional, & local focus on mental health awareness, education, & advocacy. Emotional, psychological, behavioural, & neurological 'disorders' are remarkably common - the 1996 Global Burden of Disease study showed neuro-psychiatric disorders account for over 25% of all health loss due to disability, 8 times greater than coronary heart disease, 20 times greater than cancer, this highlighted the central place of mental distress in population health & the demand for proper health service responses.

Some facts:

*  schizophrenia, depression, dementia, substance abuse & other mental illnesses make up 13% of global disease burden (WHO)

*  more than 450 million people across the world experience mental illness (NIH)

*  US citizens diagnosed with severe mental illness will die 25 years earlier than the general population; even in Denmark, with universal health coverage, it is almost 19 years earlier This differential is even greater in the developing world

*  suicide is one of the three leading causes of death for those between 15 - 44 years of age, & second leading cause of death in the 10 - 24 year age group (WHO

*  suicide rates have increased 60% globally (WHO); more than 90% of those who kill themselves have a diagnosable mental illness (NIH)

*  mental & psychological disabilities are associated with unemployment rates as high as 90% (WHO)

*  people who experience severe mental illness are more likely to have other major heath risk factors as well e.g. in the US 22% of the general population smoke, this rises to more than 75% of those with a severe mental illness; folk with depression are twice as likely to be obese.

*  in the UK 70% of people affected by mental illness experience discrimination

*  by 2030 depression will be the second highest cause of disease burden (WHO) 

… Fundamental Facts, a comprehensive summary of mental health research, is available from the the Mental Health Foundation.

Every year, World Mental Health Day enables tens of thousands of people across the world to raise awareness & tackle stigma, to highlight available help & raise funds for such help, to promote individual self-awareness & encourage those experiencing mental distress to actively seek help… openness, communication, knowledge, & compassion, these are the values that underpin World Mental Health Day.   

Ecotherapy - a personal perspective on the curative value of natural world

check out this article for a broad insight into 'ecotherapy' as a curative...

Nature is the best medicine

I know a lot of us have been banging on about the new allotment project in Cheslyn Hay, but it ain't all about graft & planting. There's an awful lot to be said for allowing nature to simply wash over you… think on this article!

People pay a high price for mental health cuts

Rethink Mental Illness, as part of the first ever National Psychosis Summit, released their report Investing in Recovery: making the business case for for effective interventions for people with Schizophrenia & Psychosis.

The report outlined that mental healthcare cuts cost the NHS £millions in the long-term; with many more folk experiencing severe mental illness ending up in hospital, & for extended periods. Community mental health care is simply not responding to the demand on services - with fewer people having access to early intervention treatments & talking therapies due to reduced capacity & waiting lists. Believe it or not, over a 10 yr period, for every £1 spent on early intervention services, we as a society save £15 - how is it such services are being cut on a national level?

Shifting the focus of care to the community, i.e. actually transferring the savings from bed closures to community services, might have the effect of saving mental health services some £50m each year: to support someone experiencing psychosis within community care costs on average £13 per day; occupying a mental health hospital bed costs some £350 per day on average. Family interventions - information, education, involvement, & therapy for the family unit - results in a saving of some £1,350 per year per psychotic patient. Family work in Schizophrenia is fast disappearing!

Over 50% of the cash spent on psychosis devolves to in-patient care, not prevention or early detection. £14m might be saved if Crisis Resolution & Home Treatment teams could stay in touch with even half of those at risk of admission for psychosis - in some regions they are involved with only 5%, a twentieth, of these folk!

With some 2.3% cut last year this overwhelming emphasis on in-patient care is a serious resource trap! Almost £1,000 is saved each time Cognitive Behavioural Therapy supersedes an admission, & whilst mental illness makes up 23% of the disease burden, it accrues only 13% of the health budget - yet psychiatric services are asked to make 20% deeper cuts than physical in-patient services.

This National Psychosis Summit aimed to identify & address the systemic problems which prevent investment in quality, fair, & widespread services, based on humanity, respect, & best practice, for those in our communities who experience these most frightening & debilitating illnesses.

We wish the Summit well, but ain't gonna hold our breath… plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose!

Sustainability & Resilience

Hi to the guys who are chasing down our eco-therapy ideas... did you know some MSM folk have taken on a few allotment beds at Cheslyn Hay Allotments?  They're gonna be doing our 'Return2Roots' strategy in real-life! You really must check this out this 'idea site' http://www.resilience.org as well as http://challotments.wordpress.com/

Just grow some stuff; a small bed, a tub, a window-box... owt!  This idea, of responding to environment & aspiration & commitment, kind of sums up our position as a client-led charity - whilst commissioners may not pay for it, or even see it as important, we believe it is important to make friends & meet'em, & share activity; on a bad day, it can be the only reason to get up & get out & do stuff!

We must stop apologising for wanting friendship & activity groups. A fair few of us like to drop-in to see our mates; we like some regularity & structure, & social support, which some sneer at as 'tea & buns' therapy, can prove as effective as contact with'professionals'. We do need space, sometimes protected, in which to engage & belong... it's all about relationships & friendships... the rest is just window dressing!
  

Where's my cheesecake?

A great article on stigma by Tania Browne - it's got irritation, ideas, & cake!

Money doesn't always have to be the bottom line

"Our gross national product (GNP ) now is over $800 million dollars a year, but that GNP - if we should judge the USA by that - counts air pollution & cigarette advertising & ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors & the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwoods & the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm, & it counts nuclear warheads, & armoured cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts the television programmes which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children.

Yet the GNP does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile, & it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud we are Americans."

Senator Robert Kennedy, March 1968

The health & wellbeing of our society, our community, our loved ones, & ourselves should not be measured in terms of finance alone.  Whether the government gives money & priority to banks / business or healthcare / education is ultimately a simple choice - or idealogical statement… click here or here & here as well

NICE & new: guidelines for Psychosis & Schizophrenia in Adults

Last month, the National Institute for Health & Care Excellence published it's new recommendations for the care & treatment of psychosis & schizophrenia. Clinical Guideline 178, although not enforceable, updates the guidelines based on consultation, research, & best practice.  Much more emphasis is placed on ready access to services, physical wellbeing, peer support, the role & needs of carers.

Rethink Mental Illness have responded by producing a simple guide to what should ideally be offered to people experiencing severe mental illness.  Well worth a look...

 

World Mental Health Day

Friday 10th October brings us World Mental Health Day 2014.

This years theme is 'Living with Schizophrenia' & provides a great opportunity to take on the misunderstandings, the myths, & the stigma attached to this debilitating illness.

As we move towards the second anniversary of the 'Abandoned Illness' report by the Schizophrenia Commission (November 2012), we will have the chance to see whether their shattering findings & specific recommendations have resulted in any meaningful improvements in the care & treatment offered to those who experience this severe, often isolating, condition.

Through the personal experience of folk who make up our social groups & activities, MSM will be gearing-up to engage with this years theme in a full & heartfelt manner - updates will appear on the MSM website (& here, but, as you can see, sporadically!)  If you have any ideas &/or would like to get actively involved get in touch.

Mental health promises broken again

Cuts in the budget for mental health services fly in the face of government & NHS promises to treat mental & physical health equally.

A Guardian letter (posted below) from the chief officers of leading mental health organisations reflects the widespread anger felt over ministers, health service leaders, & Monitor (NHS finance regulator) agreeing a 1.8% cut in non-acute care, which includes mental health services. Acute hospital services will undergo a 1.5% cut.

The powers-that-be are seeking to raise £150m to pay make up the shortfall in extra acute hospital staff identified by the Francis Report as a factor in the abject care failure at Stafford. NHS leaders state non-acute service providers do not need to tackle any understaffing simply as Francis did not make such a recommendation - i.e. non-acute services are not yet rubbish enough to 'maintain' budgets.

Given various ministers, David Cameron included, have been categoric in stating staffing must be brought up to safe levels across all NHS care services, even minister for Care & Support, Norman Lamb, views this decision as 'flawed & unacceptable'.

At a time when involuntary admissions continue to record highs; up 4% from 48,600 to 50,400 in 2012; up a profit-making 17% in private hospitals (3,600 to 4,300) in the same year;  when at least 1,700 mental health beds have been closed in the last couple of years; with the upward trend in the 21st century suicide rate maintained, is this really the best time to continue hacking & slashing? There's already enough poor management going on: bed shortages mean millions siphoned to the private sector, severely ill patients sent to facilities miles from home & hope, hot-bedding, premature discharge; the Cornish out-of-hours crisis response service consists of 2 nurses & a social worker, providing cover to 500,000 people.

Turning Point chief executive Victor Adebowale, who actually sits on the Board of NHS England, says the decision was not discussed prior to being nodded through. Whilst head of NHS England David Nicholson, who many see as sharing responsibility for the Mid Staffs tragedy, acknowledges (nb: not 'accepts') criticism for the decision-making process but states it will not be reviewed as acute hospitals need more cash to hire nurses to reach minimum safety levels. Peter is most definitely being robbed to pay Paul & unsurprisingly, but worryingly, Lord Adebowale characterises the decision as 'bordering on laughable'.

In the last 2 years overall mental health trust budgets have shrunk in real terms by 2.3%; crisis resolution spend fell 1.7% while referrals rose 16%; community mental health budgets flatlined, but referrals rose 13%. There is no evidence that money saved closing psychiatric beds is being used to boost community mental health services.

Surely government & NHS decision-makers are not depending on us not noticing the glaring disparity between their mis/disinformation & the reality of everyday life. These people are public servants & as such must listen to us, our concerns, our needs, our aspirations. They must be forced to think again...

Mind has launched a petition to ensure mental health services are given their fair share of funding, have a look at what they have to say & sign up HERE

Risks of deep cuts in mental health funds

letter from The Guardian 12.03.14

The recent decision by NHS England and the health regulator Monitor to recommend cutting funding for mental health services by 20% more than that for acute hospitals completely contravenes the government's promise to put mental and physical healthcare on an equal footing and will put lives at risk.

Following Mid Staffs, all NHS services were obliged to comply with the Francis report to improve care and safety for patients. NHS England funded the additional costs of implementing these recommendations, yet it withheld this from mental health services – creating a significant budget shortfall. Not only does this send out a disturbing and deeply disappointing message, it is likely to have far-reaching consequences for people with mental illness.

Mental health is chronically underfunded. It accounts for 28% of the disease burden, but gets just 13% of the NHS budget. Mental health services are straining at the seams and these new cuts will mean support is slashed in response to instructions from NHS England. This decision will cost much more in the long term as it will drive up admissions to A&E and the number of people reaching crisis and needing expensive hospital care.

Mid Staffs was one of the biggest tragedies the NHS has ever faced. People died because those in charge failed to respond to repeated warnings that things were going wrong. Let's not make the same mistake twice. Time is running out; we urge NHS England and Monitor to do the right thing and resolve this issue swiftly.

Sean Duggan Chief executive, Centre for Mental Health, Jenny Edwards CEO, Mental Health Foundation, Stephen Dalton Chief executive, Mental Health Network, Paul Farmer CEO, Mind, Mark Winstanley CEO, Rethink Mental Illness, Professor Sue Bailey President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists