YOUR COMPLIMENTARY COPY
MAGAZINE
MC
You’ve got to
Summer 2016
MOVE IT!
Help for Heroes
Young People’s Digital Lives
Confessions of a Belly Dancer
MC
MAGAZINE 3 WELCOME 4 IT’S ALL RELATIVE 8 HELP FOR HEROES 13 MOVE IT! 18 DIG IN - IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR MIND
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20 THE DIGITAL GENERATION GAP
DIGITAL LIVES
Young people’s mental health is being affected by what they see online. Is there a need for those caring for them to know what’s good and bad?
23 MOOD FOOD
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HELP FOR HEROES A dedicated service helps ex military men and women through a battle of a different kind.
26 THE BARRISTER
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28 LIFE ROOMS
IT’S ALL RELATIVE
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How stress affects different generations and the help on offer.
MOOD FOOD
34 TRUE LIFE
Can food really affect your mood?
35 A DAY IN THE LIFE...
MC magazine team: Managing Editor: Steve Murphy. Editor: Jackie Rankin.
Contributors: Graham Hignett, Myles Hodgson. Editorial: Julie Crompton, Joanne Cunningham. Photography: Joel Goodman, Steve Murphy. Design: Jo Hadfield.
32 DOIN’ IT FOR THE KIDS
You can contact us at: communications@merseycare.nhs.uk MerseyCareNhsTrust Mersey_Care
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If you have received this magazine as a member of Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, we’d like to be sure that the information we hold for you in current and accurate. If you have moved house, changed your email address, or have a new phone number please email Membership@merseycare.nhs.uk with your name, date of birth and details that need to be amended.
WELCOME
Alison Strachan-Brown leads on the communications development programme at NHS Improvement. She looks at what lifts her mood.
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verywhere I look people are cycling to work or running in their lunch breaks. ‘Healthy body, healthy mind’ is a throwaway term but it’s also a truism. If I feel fit, I feel better about myself and more relaxed. Being physically active is a real stress-buster. Summer makes us want to spend time out in the fresh air, commune with nature, soak up some vitamin D and generally do more. Being physically active not only lifts our mood, it keeps us fitter for longer. Importantly, it can add another social dimension to our lives. The feature on page 13 tells us inspiring stories of people whose physical activities are having a profound impact on their mental wellbeing. Sometimes we don’t appreciate what our bodies and our minds can do until we’re
being physically active not only lifts our mood it does things to our bodies and our minds
...use the summer to kick start a new activity challenged. Several years ago I broke all the bones in my right foot and couldn’t walk. It took months to recover. I remember vividly
my first long walk, unaided, in the local park, it was exhilarating, Since then I’m grateful every day for the ability to get up, get out and move about. I try and run most mornings rain or shine. So use this summer to kick-start a new activity, there’s something out there for everyone. And, by making it part of your every day life, all year round, you’ll soon feel the long-term benefits.
Enjoy the summer!
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IT’S ALL
RELATIVE
Two generations of the same family talk about the ups and downs of their lives - and each other.
“I loved going dancing. When I hear a song I do the steps in my head.”
HANNA I’m at drama school in London so I am happiest when I‘m in a rehearsal room. Assignments and deadlines stress me out. I don’t always organise my time well; that leaves me stressing about things last minute and not sleeping well, which makes the situation even worse. We are told we have to manage our time but it would be good to know more about how to do it. Living with six other people means you’re never lonely. I get worried when people fall out and you can’t sort it out for them.
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Sometimes I just want to go home. I especially miss it on Sundays when I know my nan is at my mum’s house. My brothers and I took her to New Brighton for her birthday - it was February and the place was deserted. But it’s where she took us all to sail our boats when we were little so we were all having the same memory at the same time.
way, the step into ‘the real world’ feels like a high jump. I look at my nan and how she’s always gone dancing, to festivals (often with me in tow) and how she still wants to party! So if I could choose one thing to stop me from getting down, it would still have to be the guarantee of a ticket to Glastonbury Festival so I could follow in her footsteps!
I graduate soon; the fear of the unknown has already started to kick in. How will I earn money? Where will I be a year from now? Having been in education for 17 years, even with all the hurdles along the
the step into ‘the real world’ feels like a high jump.
Photograph: Roy Strutt Photography
CYNTHIA I lived through a war but I felt free. We’d sing songs in the shelters and play in the tank traps set by the Italian soldiers. But it was probably very stressful for the people trying to keep us safe. Now the dangers are different. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t worry about my family, especially my grandchildren and great grandchildren. When Hanna goes back to London after being home I can’t settle till we hear from her. I wish I didn’t but I can’t help it.
Being old isn’t that bad, but being lonely is. “I miss home most when I know my nan is at my mum’s house.”
Celebrating good times together.
I’m 83. I live alone. I lost my husband seven years ago. Being old isn’t that bad, but being lonely is. I still talk to my husband out loud. We’d been married just short of 60 years and I miss him. That having someone to talk to is what I miss most. I loved going dancing. When I hear a song I do the steps in my head – it’s just my feet that won’t move! I go to a little club at May Logan Centre in Bootle, I look forward to going, we have a laugh. I wouldn’t go out at one time, I broke my hip and I’m scared of falling again. But the nurses who come to see I’m OK gave me the number of a charity and now a lady comes to the house and goes
Cynthia and grandaughter Hanna.
shopping with me. Everyone says keep going out so you meet people and it’s true, there’s always someone to talk to and it gives you something to think about when you get back. Some of the help I get is through the NHS. I’m lucky I’ve had fantastic hospital services, it’s second to none. I still do my own housework and I’m lucky to have my family, but I don’t think I make the most of what I could do. I wish I could be more like Hanna and pluck up the courage to just get out there and live a bit more.
I don’t think I make the most of what I could do.
Find more information on courses and support on page 6.
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SETTING
YOU UP
FOR SUMMER Talk Liverpool is a free NHS service providing a range of talking therapies and courses for common mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and stress.
IS LIFE PASSING YOU BY? The Talk Liverpool Living Life to the Full course helps you break out of a vicious cycle of feeling low, worried and hopeless, and stuck in a rut. The course helps you to understand why you feel as you do and what you can do to change this, and to develop the skills to tackle problems, start feeling great and getting the most out of life.
TALK LIVERPOOL
...the course teaches you better ways of handling common problems...
FEELING ANXIOUS, DEPRESSED, STRESSED? SilverCloud is an interactive online programme to help you with anxiety, depression, stress, panic, obsessive compulsive disorders and phobias. You can use methods including mindfulness exercises, interactive journals, mood and lifestyle charting and you can access the programme in your own time, at your own pace. It’s very flexible and easy to use – and we are always there to support and encourage you.
You can also enrol on a Talk Liverpool Stress Control course, taking place at venues across the city over six consecutive weeks. This will teach you better ways of handling common problems such as anxiety, depression, low self-confidence, poor sleep and panic attacks. The course isn’t interactive – you won’t have to speak in front of other people; just go along and listen.
Talk Liverpool is... HAVING DIFFICULTY GETTING TO SLEEP OR STAYING ASLEEP? Sleepio is a six week online sleep improvement programme that uses the latest Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques. You can use your phone or device to access the six weekly sessions. Techniques are personalised to you and in between sessions you track your progress with a simple online sleep diary. There’s plenty of help and encouragement along the way.
For more information on these and other Talk Liverpool courses: Go to the website: talkliverpool.nhs.uk Call: 0151 228 2300 Email: talkliverpool@merseycare.nhs.uk
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MANAGING STRESS
an Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service and our aim is to provide psychological treatments, sometimes called talking treatments, to help people who have common mental health problems such as feeling stressed, feeling low in mood (depressed) or very nervous (anxiety). We aim to see you quickly and offer the kind of help you want in the way you want it. We can work with you on the telephone, face to face, on line and through a range of courses and workshops. We can see you at one of our hubs or at a health centre or community venue near to you. You must be 16+ and registered with a Liverpool city GP.
Need to talk? Talk to us
We offer access to talking therapies, practical support and employment advice quickly and easily and help with a variety of problems. You must be 16+ and registered with a Liverpool city GP.
For more information call: 0151 228 2300 or go online at: talkliverpool.nhs.uk 7
HELP FOR HEROES In the shadow of Anfield football ground sits a graveyard dedicated to military war heroes. Just a few hundred yards away in a double fronted house on a quiet residential street, a group of ex servicemen start their morning group meeting. Each is waging his own battle, but this time it’s against alcohol and drugs.
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om Harrison House provides addiction treatment exclusively to military veterans, reservists and emergency personnel. The Armed Forces Covenant has just given £405,000 to support a detoxification, recovery and reintegration service. Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, The Royal British Legion and Tom Harrison House will jointly provide The National Veterans Community Recovery Project across the UK.
When they come out they struggle, but they are too proud and ashamed to ask for help. There’s a real need for this tailored support. In recent research by The King’s Centre for Military Health that sampled 325 servicemen and women, two thirds were found to be at high risk due to their levels of drinking. The problem is much larger than post
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traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) the condition most commonly associated with ex servicemen and women.
Recovery can only happen if they get help to express their emotions. Veterans already receive detoxification and support services from highly skilled and experienced nurses at Mersey Care’s Windsor Clinic alcohol service in Aintree and Kevin White Unit drugs service, just outside the city centre. Windsor Clinic staff nurse Mark Beddows leads the veteran service there. Mostly men (though women veterans have an equally high risk of addiction), are sometimes brought in straight from the streets by Tom Harrison House outreach workers. Mark: “These guys have lost everything they have ever known. They’ve led regimented lives since they were 16.
“Scared is what you’re feeling.. brave is what you’re doing.”
When they come out they struggle, but they are too proud and ashamed to ask for help. We’re just the start but without that start they can’t go any further. We carry out a detoxification so the physical need for alcohol isn’t there any more. But recovery can only happen if they get help to express their emotions and that’s where the rehabilitation at Tom Harrison House comes in. We are there with them from start to finish; it’s amazing to see the difference when they graduate.
THE GRADUATE
F
ormer Kings Regiment soldier Ted is due to graduate after completing his programme. “It’s like a passing out ceremony, a chance for everyone to say what they think; the person, those around them. I’ve seen seven and every one has been emotional.” It’s more then three months since Ted went into Windsor Clinic for alcohol detoxification and on to Tom Harrison House for rehabilitation. Mark was his nurse; they share a joke and are clearly at ease with each other. The sign on the
wall behind Ted mirrors his experience. It reads: “scared is what you’re feeling… brave is what you’re doing.” He’s nervous about the ceremony but proud that his wife and sons will be there. He admits it will be hard to go back ‘out there’ but the programme has prepared him well. “I’ll still come back to the breakfast club and the group sessions, I’m more ready than I thought I’d be; they give you the tools to cope; now it’s up to me to use them.”
These guys have lost everything they have ever known... nurse Mark Beddows. The success of the service is that it’s driven by what veterans say they need: Mark: “We’ve learnt that the ‘spill your heart out’ approach doesn’t work with veterans. Before we started working with Tom Harrison House two years ago veterans often dropped out of their detox programmes. Now we don’t have a drop out rate – everyone stays.”
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HELP FOR HEROES FEATURE
THE CHAMPION
H
ealthcare assistant Liam Cross is known in addictions services as ‘the veterans guy’. With 10 years experience under his belt and having lost friends who were servicemen, Liam asked to take on a voluntary role as veterans champion for Mersey Care’s Addictions service. Veteran led training from the British Legion has given him the specialist skills needed to work with a group of people
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who are reluctant to share their thoughts or reveal their vulnerabilities. His job includes home assessments where trust is just as crucial. “Some veterans won’t even confide in doctors. They’re proud, they can’t bear the shame, and it becomes overwhelming. Once they know I’m here for them they come to me when they are ready to talk.
“You pick up on the little things. I know what triggers them; loud noises, even a helicopter overhead. We had to change the self closers on our doors because they banged when they closed. “These men don’t want sympathy or small talk, they like you to tell them straight what’s happening. But when a veteran puts his arm on your shoulder you know you’ve earned his trust.”
HELP FOR HEROES FEATURE
RETURN OF THE MUDMAN Paul Connor became a soldier at 18, - it was a family tradition. He had to do it – and it nearly killed him. All Paul wanted was to be a mud man (infantry soldier). He joined the Irish Guards, went to Belize, Canada, then at the height of the IRA bombings, did three tours of Ireland.
H
e refuses to be drawn on what he saw there. But for Paul the real war began when he came out 18 years later. Medically discharged after a car accident in which he sustained multiple breaks, he was de-kitted and sent back to Civvy Street.
Paul spent 12 years on the streets sinking deeper physically and mentally.
“There’s no transition, you hand back your kit and that’s it, you’re on your own. I’d been programmed, like a robot. I didn’t know anything else.”
“I loved my family so much and I didn’t’ want to destroy them, so I put myself on the streets. My mum was worried sick she’d send my brothers to look for me, I’d phone home to let them know I was alive but I couldn’t go back.”
With money in his pocket Paul invested in companies with friends, unaware the organisations were being investigated for fraud. He was implicated and sent to prison for eight years. Although the regimental structure helped him cope better than most, drugs were bandied around like sweets, it was hard to resist. “I’d smoked a bit of cannabis when I was younger, but I certainly never saw myself as a potential drug addict. I thought I could handle it – stop when I wanted to. But I ended up doing heroin and crack cocaine. When I was close to parole I stopped, but after a year at home I started again.
Paul spent 12 years on the streets sinking deeper physically and mentally. “I didn’t claim benefits, my pride wouldn’t let me – yet I’d shoplift. I’d started drinking and it took over. I stopped eating, I couldn’t feel my feet because of nerve damage; I’d wake up shaking. I had thoughts of suicide, it was only thoughts of my kids that stopped me – but I was dying.“ Helped by staff at his homeless shelter Paul underwent three detoxification programmes in hospital, but relapsed each time. “I didn’t get rid of the real issues.
I’d go to group therapy sessions but they couldn’t let me talk openly. They thought it would scare the rest of the group.”
I didn’t get rid of my issues. Operations to save his life didn’t stop him going back on the streets driven by the need for drink. Then someone told him about a service for veterans with addictions. “I didn’t want anything to do with the military, but one day when I was at my lowest they picked me up off the streets and fast tracked me to Windsor Clinic. I did the detox – but this time was different. It was the support afterwards; being with people I trusted and being helped to talk. “I could be open about proper dark issues that I’d kept to myself. Veterans have a massive issue with trust. But I was with people like me. There was a bond, we were friends.”
CONTINUED OVERLEAF
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HELP FOR HEROES FEATURE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
“I was at a group session when I had a moment of salvation. It was like I was looking through a window at myself. It scared me but it changed me and made me feel there was something worth fighting for.” Now a support worker for Tom Harrison House, Paul works closely with the detox staff, taking new service users along and reassuring them that they can trust Mark and the team. He also goes to therapy sessions looking out for anyone who could be a veteran in need of help. He grins, proud of what’s being achieved. “The lads are really nervous when they first come – but then I see them leaving here, glowing. When I go to the group sessions at Windsor Clinic I can usually tell if someone’s a veteran. I say to them ‘I’ve been where you are, come on you’re coming with me.’”
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... I was at a group session when I had a moment of salvation. It was like I was looking through a window at myself.
NEED HELP? If you feel that you or someone you know is misusing alcohol, drugs or legal highs you can discuss your concerns with your GP. He or she will be able to give you information on support services to meet your needs. If you are in urgent need of help we recommend you contact your GP or nearest A&E department. They will be able to help you stay safe and link you into a relevant treatment service so that you can begin your journey to recovery.
WHAT WE OFFER Mersey Care’s addiction services include community and inpatient alcohol and drug detoxification programmes
If you would like to talk to a member of Mersey Care’s specialist drug or alcohol team you can make a self-referral: LCAS (Liverpool Community Alcohol Service) 0151 529 4504 DART (South Liverpool Drug and Alcohol Recovery team) 0151 234 5800 Brook Place (North Liverpool Drug and Alcohol Recovery team) 0151 330 8260 For more information contact Katie Taylor, Clinical Project Lead: Katie. taylor@merseycare.nhs.uk
YOU’VE GOT TO
MOVE IT!
We’ve all done it – the music comes on, you dance around the kitchen or the living room, the feel good feeling is instant. There’s something about moving that energises body and mind. In the next few pages we look at a programme using dance in mental health hospitals and different ways to get you feeling upbeat.
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MOVE IT!
MAD ABOUT
DANCE
In inpatient mental health units they’re dancing to help people recover. It’s helping people with drug addictions to those with acute mental health issues. Older people too are joining in with astonishing results.
M
ad About Dance is a programme of dance based therapy run by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). It involves professional dancers from renowned world dance troupe Movema going into inpatient wards to run sessions from Irish dancing to yoga. Mersey Care Creative Programmes Manager Berenice Gibson explains how special things happen in the sessions. “We knew that dance is such a powerful medium for recovery and we wanted to use dance movement therapy, which uses bodily movements to help people explore and express emotions.
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“Movema are leaders in world dance, but they’re also passionate about mental health. They make the sessions fun but they have the special skills to respond and change their approach and do something other than what they had planned. “I’ve watched the tutors or staff dancing or just doing a simple movement with someone. It’s like one to one therapy. At one very full session on one of our dementia wards the tutor used balloons as props. To watch a large group of older people become engaged and alert, smiling and moving from side to side, waving the balloons was a heart stopping moment. Even the staff were amazed at the reaction.
“It’s so much less clinical than therapeutic exercise, there’s genuine human warmth and interaction. The patients don’t know what’s ahead yet they’re ready to discover something about themselves that makes them feel good. There’s huge empathy among staff and service users – for that hour they’re all dancers. It allows clinicians to do assessments by observing people taking part. “A new community programme means patients can carry on with activities they enjoyed in hospital when they’re back at home. It’s wonderful to think people are dancing in hospitals…even better that they can go back home and carry on dancing.“
YOU SHOULD BE
DANCING
SONGS THAT GET YOU GROOVIN’
Movema director Ithalia Forel agrees. “Dancing makes your heart beat faster, oxygen pumps through your body and brain and your serotonin levels rise. You feel more alive, but people have to feel safe for that to happen. Some feel secluded and find it hard to join in. That’s why we always ask people how they feel, then we tailor the session. Most often it doesn’t end up the way we planned it, but that’s how people get the most from it – because it’s what they need at that time. “We often use feathers. A service user reflected on this sharing how we as people represent the fragility
in feathers themselves, but the spine of the feather is strong. The activity is simple, blowing and catching them by extending our arms or legs to catch them individually or with a partner or group. It’s not choreographed, but it’s still movement, rhythm, self expression.
Dolly Parton
Nine to Five
Bryan Adams
Summer of 69
Robbie Williams
Let Me Entertain You
Ricky Martin
Vida Loca
Wham!
Wake me Up (Before You GoGo)
Amy Winehouse
Valerie
New Order
Blue Monday
Odyssey
Back to My Roots
Bruno Mars
Uptown Funk
The Meters
Cissy Strut
Tell us what’s on your dance play list.
“Sometimes we perform dances we’ve created within the group, perhaps to celebrate different cultures. There’s a sense of real pride, some people may never have felt that before. They can’t wait to share it with their ward. It stays with them long after they’ve been discharged.” Ithalia Forel is one of Movema’s four directors.
From being in the army I’m used to doing loads of physical things and yes the sessions were physical, but it was the mind and emotional connection that kept me coming back. Your brain just slows down. It gets to a stage where you forget you’re in hospital… service user 15
MOVE IT!
CONFESSIONS OF A
BELLY DANCER I’ve been belly dancing for over 10 years, I started when I saw a short course advertised in the ladies only gym I went to. I’d danced until my early 20s, ballet and tap but had stopped when I moved away to university. But I’d always missed dancing so thought this would be an ideal opportunity to find a dance I could do that might be more in tune with my increasing age and waist line! It was and I fell in love with belly dancing and never looked back.
“I fell in love with belly dancing and never looked back.”
You can probably tell I love belly dance and would encourage anyone to give it a go. If anyone wants to know about classes in the Merseyside area, get in touch and if I can I’ll put you in touch with a local teacher. I’m part of a collective of Liverpool and Chester based belly dance teachers and performers called Sirocco Academy of Egyptian Dance who perform and teach all over the North West. As well as keeping fit and making fabulous friendships the dance has given me so many opportunities to spread my wings. I’ve visited Cairo numerous times, studying with dancers there, seeing the dance in context and leading holidays for groups of other dancers.
For more information on local classes email caroline.thorpe@merseycare.nhs.uk
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I’ve been part of several stage shows, performing around the country and written, directed and performed as part of the Liverpool Arabic Arts Festival. I also have a wardrobe full of very glamourous, very sparkly costumes!
Caroline Thorpe, Employment Specialist
MOVE IT!
NHS manager Donna Robinson hasn’t always been physically active so she knows the difference it makes to her life. “I’ve been overweight and eating badly, you have to take that first step and it can be hard going but once you get into it you get a real sense of wellbeing.”
I know where I’ve come from and I’m not going back.
ARE YOU A TOUGH MUDDER?
S
he’s sampled a few different sports for fun, including Australian touch rugby! “My husband played and they were forming a ladies team; it was more about trying to get fit and have a bit of fun, sport is very social. “Touch rugby wasn’t as big then as now; I ended up playing for England! I was working as a mental health nurse in A&E and it was good for stress relief. I also trained as a referee but stopped after one game due to the harsh supporters’ comments! Now I do aerobics on a trampoline each week. Last year I completed Tough Mudder, a 13 mile assault course – it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life!” Donna is taking part in a Fitbit challenge at her offices in Mersey
Care’s local division. “Lots of people in the office had fitbits, so we set up a little challenge – it’s called the Work Week Hustle – to see how many steps people can do in a week. It’s not easy for office workers but they quickly become quite competitive! I do my steps by walking my dog twice a day, then I do circuit training and my trampolining; it all counts.
Tough Mudder is a 10 to 12 mile mud and obstacle course that’s more about teamwork than how fast you cross the finish line. toughmudder.co.uk
OR ABSOLUTE BEGINNER? Start with tiny changes - you’ll soon feel the difference. • Walk round the corner instead of driving • Take the stairs instead of the escalator or lift
MENTAL RESILIANCE
• Go for a walk after a meal
“Being active is what keeps my body functioning well, but it gives me my mental resilience. You can’t separate physical and mental health. You don’t feel the benefits until you’ve done it for a little while but I know where I’ve come from and I’m not going back.”
• Get off the bus a stop early and walk • Join a beginner’s exercise class that fits with your weekly routine (your local authority website will have details of facilities and classes) Age UK has information on keeping fit in later years ageuk.org.uk/healthwellbeing/keeping-fit/
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DIG IN - IT’S
GOOD FOR YOUR MIND!
T
he physical health benefits of gardening are well known. But digging and weeding on an allotment for just half an hour a week has now been scientifically proven to improve your mood and self esteem.
Scientists who studied more than 300 allotment holders in the North West found that they were in better physical shape than their less green-fingered counterparts. But the study* also discovered that pottering on the vegetable patch for just half an hour dissolves tension, depression, anger, and confusion. *Study published in the Journal of Public Health by scientists from Westminster and Essex Universities.
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SEEDS OF HOPE
Group member Anastacia, 33 travels from central Liverpool to the sessions.
There’s a sense of excitement when you plant your seeds – you know then you’ve got your produce for the year.
Former service user Mikey is now a volunteer.
An NHS allotment just across the road from Aintree Racecourse, home of the Grand National, is producing more than beans and peas. At this peaceful plot, people recovering from mental health issues are finding a renewed sense of hope and purpose. Mikey was 19 and in hospital after an episode of psychosis when he first attended the Mersey Care Early Intervention in Psychosis service allotment group.
My care co-ordinator suggested it and brought me along. I was really nervous at first but it gave me the structure I needed at that time.”
Three years on, now a mental health volunteer, Mikey still travels from home in Tuebrook just outside the city centre to join the twice weekly group of men and women who come as part of their recovery programme. He’s hoping to use his experiences and what he’s learnt to become a mental health support worker. “You have to help yourself and being on the allotment helped me do that.”
“There’s something special about being outside together in all weathers, working hard to produce something then sharing what you’ve grown and nurtured. We laugh a lot, we talk a lot, and at the end of the day there’s a massive sense of achievement”
Carol has just started a cookery course and got her first job. Despite being soaked from a sudden downpour she’s still smiling! “She’s unrecognisable from when she first arrived” says support worker Linda Langley. “She hardly spoke, she was timid, but now she has plenty of confidence. Carol’s confidence has grown along with her produce.
Get more information from the National Allotment Society: nsalg.org.uk
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THE DIGITAL GENERATION
GAP
What are those pictures? Don’t make me use caps AGAIN!!!!! LOL...
Can social media help you deal with life? Or is online activity bad for our mental health? How do we help our kids? We get advice from a nurse who is leading training that gives insight into young people’s digital lives.
C
onversations with kids used to involve repeated advice about the green cross code, stranger danger in streets and parks, and later on the ‘where babies come from’ talk. Today ‘the talk’ has to cover sexting, cyber bullying and exposure to who knows what on tablets and smartphones. Times have changed. On average, young people spend 27 hours a week online. Alongside home lives, school or college lives and social lives, they have lives that parents, carers, teachers and other professionals often know little about. Digital lives.
A few years ago my young cousins found they could lie about their ages to get social media accounts. I was friends with them online and their profiles said they were 21 – no-one could prove otherwise…I was worried for them. Kate, 25.
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TALK ABOUT IT Phil Laing is a mental health practitioner for NHS mental health trust Mersey Care’s early intervention service. It supports young people aged between 14 and 35 who are at risk of or suffering from their first episode of psychosis for up to three years. Phil’s message to professionals, parents and carers about digital activity, is it’s simple – talk about it. “We need to accept that digital media is central to most young people’s lives they need to build resilience in the online world.
“You don’t have to be technically savvy, just take an interest and ask about what they do online in the same way you would ask about other activities. Give them guidance in the same way you would with any other problem. “Make it part of your normal conversation. Ask general questions after they’ve been on social media; ‘How is your friend? Who else was talking? What have you got planned?’ Give them gentle advice on keeping their information private. Encourage them to use privacy settings and remind them to be careful of what they share and what they post online. Put it to them that if they kept a diary they probably wouldn’t want people to be able to look back in in and see things from the past. Make them understand that people can see their history at any time. “It’s the same with friends. Would they talk to a stranger in the street who asked to be their friend? But try not to sound like you’re tracking them – the guidance is that a surveillance approach doesn’t work. If you’re concerned and you think they can’t or won’t share it with you ask them to seek support from someone else they can trust, or point them to a reliable helpline or website you trust.”
EVEN PSYCHOLOGISTS ASK QUESTIONS AS PARENTS The government has just made £500,000 available to develop high quality, evidence - based and safe online resources to improve young people’s mental health. Young people say that health professionals need to have a better understanding about online risks, to understand the world that they are growing up in. Phil Laing and his colleagues are working with Merseyside Youth Association to train health and other professionals on how to discuss and engage with young people about their digital and online world. They are hoping to roll out the programme to parents. “Doctors, psychologists and mental health nurses should be asking about a person’s digital life as part of a mental health assessment, to explore why the person is anxious or distressed. But we need to give them the skills.
BULLYING “Although they come as professionals many speak to us as parents. I’ve experienced it myself when a young relative was singled out for bullying because she refused to ‘like’ a photograph of a girl in her class which influenced the girl’s chances of being signed to a modelling contract. She was bullied for standing her ground, but she was able to talk to us about it.” “All the evidence is that young people’s mental health is impacted by what they see and do online. But it appears the bigger dangers are to people who are already vulnerable. “Consider self-harm as an example. There’s evidence that if someone looking for advice and support is exposed, either deliberately or accidentally, to others self harming, or more dangerous methods of self-harm, it can make the problem worse. “Factors like mood play a role in how the online world affects people. What one person might be able to brush off without much worry, others might find deeply disturbing.” “The key it seems is the adults supporting them, talking to each other and giving young people a clear path to plenty of good quality, reliable information and signposting. It will help them become resilient online and in other aspects of their lives when faced with challenges.”
HANDY WEBSITES • Safer Internet: saferinternet.org.uk E-safety tips, advice and resources to help children and young people stay safe on the internet. • Think You Know: thinkuknow.co.uk Find the latest information on the sites you like to visit, mobiles and new technology. Find out what’s good, what’s not and what you can do about it. • Young Minds: youngminds.org.uk
L IA : C SO EDIA M
Facebook - An online profile allows you to keep in touch with people you choose to become ‘friends’ with. Share status updates, photographs, videos, links to blogs/ other online content. Twitter - You have 140 characters to update the world! Posts can be seen by anyone who searches a certain phrase or hash tag (#). Choose a privacy setting whereby you say who views your tweets – beware this isn’t an automatic setting. Instagram - Share photographs and videos using hash tags anyone searches for that specific hash tag will be able to see your photograph. Instagram now also allows people to talk to one another. Snapchat - An app downloaded onto smartphones, tablets and iPods that lets you send pictures and videos to friends you have added. Used by celebrities to let fans see what they are up to. Lets users create a story through a slide show of images often with short messages. YouTube - An extremely popular platform for younger people with a huge range of videos from gaming tutorials and promos, music, beauty tutorials etc. Professional You Tubers make their living from it and singer Justin Beiber famously broke into the music industry via YouTube. Pinterest - Search for topics of interest and pin them to your online notice board. Tumblr - A popular online picture based blog sharing site. Flickr - Online photo sharing site. LinkedIn - Professional networking site.
• Childline: childline.org.uk
SoundCloud - A music site with an element of social networking.
• NHS Choices dedicated web pages for young people: nhs.uk/Livewell/youth-mentalhealth/Pages/Youth-mental-health-help.aspx
Wattpad - For readers and authors to interact and e-book sharing.
21
“One boy recently put a message on Instagram with his own mobile number saying ‘ring me if you’re single. He’s 11 years old – that’s a big worry.”
JAZZ, MUM TO 11 YEAR OLD BAYLEY
B
“
ayley watches YouTube constantly. He doesn’t lock himself in his room in seclusion he tends to sit in the kitchen, so we can at least see and hear what he’s doing. Some of the YouTubers use strong language sometimes which he’s not used to. Sometimes things will be said that are even less savoury, but it’s too late once it’s been said.
RYAN
R
yan is 27 and a computer programmer. Hours spent day and night checking his social media account, worrying that he had posted things he might regret and misinterpreting posts made by friends left him exhausted and distressed, and he was finally referred to Mersey Care Early Intervention service. Phil Laing supported Ryan through his three years with the service. “He was paranoid. Being a computer geek he knew about hacking and had inadvertently got involved with illegal activities when he was younger. He and his friends would also post things teasing each other. He convinced himself that everything would still be in the online system, that his employer would find out and he’d lose his job.
“We’ve had repeated conversations and arguments about us not liking who he’s watching; we get the standard line ’but everyone watches them’. I’m afraid it’s true - when his friends call around they all know and follow the same YouTubers. I worry that he’s obsessed as he watches it constantly – apparently there are over 30 videos uploaded each day by people who he subscribes to. “He was on Instagram last year. He didn’t have a phone at the time so it helped him keep in touch with friends. But there was some trolling which upset him; two boys taunted him about his girlfriend then the girl publically dumped him online. He’s young and naïve – he didn’t appreciate the implications of throwing himself at her mercy in public, which obviously worried me greatly. But at least he told us about most of the stuff that happened and we checked his Instagram account when he wasn’t around!
22
“He’d thought that things he’d said on social media might be hacked. I asked him how many online friends he had, who his real friends were and whether he needed the account. He thought about it and de-activated the social media account after deciding the negatives outweighed the benefits. He came back a few weeks later and said he had worried less and he was not as tired as before.”
SARAH, MUM TO TEN YEAR OLD ELENA
“
T
hey know so much. I’ve heard about children who bully, then quote the online bullying code, threatening to report others for answering back online. There’s also a rise in kids
being horrible to others, then claiming their accounts have been ‘hacked’ – when they definitely haven’t. I’ve seen my kids’ school friends dancing provocatively on Dubsmash, an app where you can mime or lip-sync to songs and copy the original music video then post it. I know some of their parents would be horrified, but do I tell them? “Instagram is worrying: I’ve been told about people with false names or false accounts encouraging kids to follow them, they don’t realise some people aren’t who they say they are. How do you tell kids these dangers without scaring the life out of them?”
PHIL’S ADVICE • See online activity as a diet for the mind – is it a balanced diet or are you consuming too much of one thing? • Don’t believe everything you read. If you’re worried, take a screen grab and tell an adult you trust • Think of an online post as a tattoo. Carefully consider what you write or post as it may be something you later regret and find hard to get rid of • Treat your password like your toothbrush – keep it to yourself and change it regularly. • Be respectful to others. Block and report bullies • Be careful what pictures or videos you upload. Once a picture or video is shared online it can be shared and saved by others. It can be difficult to take back • Only add people you know and trust.
MOOD FOOD
Can what you eat keep your mind healthy? Recent research says diet plays a role in staying mentally well. Dietitians reveal the foods that energise and give us the feel good factor.
Hospital chef Terry Beddoes
There’s a diet for every occasion. Low fat, high protein, sin free, points, you name it it’s on trend. But what’s real healthy eating and does it actually affect your mood? We ask dietitians at the forefront of a healthy eating drive in mental health hospitals on Merseyside to give us tips.
A
report by the Mental Health Foundation says food plays a role in preventing and managing conditions. It reveals that those who report some level of mental health issues eat fewer healthy foods, including fresh fruit and vegetables, organic foods and meals made from scratch, and more unhealthy foods such as chips and crisps, chocolate, ready meals and takeaways. At Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust a dedicated group is ensuring that patients, staff and visitors have the right nutrition in line with Government Hospital Food Standards. Paula Day, who leads the group said: “We are looking at ways that we
can use seasonal, local, fresh food where possible and to the highest nutritional standards - without losing out on flavour! We have involved patient groups and are asking staff and visitors their opinions so that they can help us to improve. “The days when mash was mush and vegetables were boiled to within an inch of their lives have thankfully gone. Now we are striving to make sure patients have meals that are tasty, enjoyable, and support them to recover. We also need to do this for our staff who are working long shifts and need good healthy meals to sustain them and help them stay focused.”
WHAT DOES HEALTHY EATING
REALLY MEAN? The Royal College of Psychiatrists broad definition is: • Your weight remains normal – not too low and not too high • It doesn’t go up and down all the time • All the food groups and vitamins you need are available • Eating becomes and remains an enjoyable experience.
Get Mood Food tips - page 24.
23
OVERNIGHT OATCAKES 35g dried porridge oats 100ml water 150g frozen berries or fruit of your choice 150g natural fat free yoghurt (274 calories).
Put all ingredients into a bowl, mix well then store in the fridge overnight. Stir well and eat in the morning before heading to work or take it with you in an airtight vacuum container. This will keep you energised and full for hours - and it tastes delicious!
MOOD BOOSTERS
Lethargic? Tired all the time? Low energy levels can mean low mood. Dietitians give their energy boosting food tips:
Drink water - at least five standard glasses a day, ice cold if possible to help your body’s balance; water controls calories, energises your muscles and keeps your skin looking good. If you need tea and coffee alternate them with water.
They get a bad press but tennis ball portions of whole grain carbohydrates at every meal are important for energy during a long day. They’re a good source of fibre and will keep you fuller for longer.
Eat breakfast - granary or seeded breads, wholemeal toast, rye bread or bagels with toppings such as peanut or nut butters, banana, avocado, beans, grilled tomatoes, scrambled, poached or boiled eggs. Rushing out? Try a vegetable yoghurt smoothie with oatcakes.
What’s good? Brown pasta or rice, whole grain or seeded bread. Weetabix or porridge, quinoa or cous cous.
Make a plan: Fail to plan and plan to fail! All the evidence shows that planning meals and snacks brings success when managing your weight and staying energetic and positive.
24
KS
Have oily fish - the ultimate fast food! Eat at least one portion a week. Try sardines on whole-wheat toast with a side salad or grilled salmon with vegetable and noodle stir fry.
unsalted d fruit • e ri d r o Fresh ce cakes eeds • ri s d n a wheat nuts or whole s e rn • k a c t • oa e popco w calori lo • gar u rs s e • k crac ngles ia tr e s e che low fat y. ll je free d such as re le sticks r a g u Vegetab s ut, mangeto er, pepper, cucumb t, o rr a c , s d a e li, dippe snap p r brocco o r e w o . caulifl aten raw us and e in humm
AC N S ER SUP
Slip in an extra fruit or vegetable - say a sliced tomato in your sandwich grated raw carrot or courgette to a salad, or cauliflower and peas to a curry. Unsweetened fresh fruit juice (150ml) is also fine.
CARBS ARE COOL!
Snack healthy - Snacking keeps blood sugar levels stable and stops you over eating at meal times. If you’re going longer than five hours between meals have a healthy snack to hand.
WEIGHT OFF HIS MIND
A
F
or many years he was a healthy 13 stone with an active job; then James developed anxiety. His medication increased his appetite. James’ mum Mary – a fantastic cook – was making and buying food she knew wasn’t healthy, but she didn’t want to stop one of the few things James still enjoyed. All the time he was on a spiral of weight gain and ill health. “I didn’t make any allowances for the medication - I was very low but hungry all the time.” James doubled his bodyweight, reaching 26 stones.” I was miserable. I couldn’t find clothes to fit me, but the bigger I got the more I ate and the more anxious I became.”
James Tyson’s weight problem didn’t just affect his body - it made him housebound and miserable.
The staff would keep telling me how much better I looked. It gave me a real buzz. It was as an inpatient at Broadoak Unit that James met with Mersey Care dietitians. They worked with him to develop a weight management care plan and colleagues at Rathbone Hospital have helped him stay motivated. Mary now brings in healthy options and James started eating hospital food at set times.
James before he lost five stone
A month after he started with no idea how much he’d lost James weighed in almost a stone lighter he’s since lost a further four stone. “The staff would keep telling me how much better I looked. It gave me a real buzz. Now I leave my room and go and play pool. I don’t feel self conscious. I used to get out of breath when I moved about but that’s gone. “I’m so grateful to the dieticians; they gave me good advice and motivated me to keep going. I never thought I’d see yoghurt as a treat but I do now!”
I’m so grateful to the dietitians.
A lighter, healthier James strolls in the summer sunshine.
25
THE
BARRISTER Gary Willock is a barrister at Garden Court North, Manchester. He specialises in housing law and almost always represents publicly funded tenants, many of whom have mental health issues.
WHAT DO YOU DO AS A HOUSING BARRISTER? I spend most of my time in the County Court defending claims for possession of people’s homes and defending injunction applications against tenants. I also advise on and bring homelessness appeals. My cases come to me from specialist legal aid solicitors.
HOW MUCH OF AN ISSUE IS MENTAL HEALTH IN YOUR AREA OF WORK? It’s a massive issue. Almost all of my clients are caught up in some sort of personal crisis. Worryingly, a very large amount of my clients have mental health issues which, for one reason or another, have not been managed and which have then seriously affected that person’s ability to maintain their tenancies and their homes. For example, I often deal with cases where tenants have run up significant amounts of rent arrears, having got into difficulties with their finances including housing benefit applications. Many cases involve allegations of anti-social behaviour where mostly neighbours and landlords are saying that they have been caused a nuisance and cannot tolerate the client’s behaviour any longer. I deal with hoarding cases too where there are often real issues about clients being at risk of harm.
26
SOUNDS TRICKY? The main issue for the client is to get support with their case as soon as possible by getting themselves to a specialist solicitor. Often nurses, social workers and support workers can make contact and set up initial meetings with lawyers. However, often clients are isolated and outside the system and only get picked up when the case has been going on for some time and there is an eviction looming or it has already taken place. As part of these cases, psychiatric expert evidence is often commissioned in support of the client’s defence. Some clients lack mental capacity and a litigation friend will need to be appointed on their behalf. In those cases, the Official Solicitor will often act as a litigation friend where the client has nobody else who can assist. Very often something can be done so that clients are supported and remain in their homes.
USEFUL BITS OF LAW THAT YOU USE IN YOUR CASES? Lots really but I am often relying upon Equality Act 2010, Mental Capacity Act 2005 and, of course, Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.
IS IT EASY TO GET A LAWYER TO HELP WITH THESE SORTS OF CASES? Despite the cuts in recent years, cases where a person’s home is at risk are usually covered by legal aid, subject to the client’s means and the merits of the case.
WHERE DO I GO FOR HELP? You should try to locate a specialist legal aid firm of solicitors as soon as possible. You could go to http://find-legal-advice.justice. gov.uk/ or simply do a search for legal aid housing solicitors in Merseyside.
In this series experts talk about topics that effect people’s lives. Is there a topic you would like to see? Contact us at: communications@merseycare.nhs.uk
Positive Achievement Awards 2016
Who do you know who regularly goes the extra mile? Which individuals or teams are dedicated to providing exceptional care? Share your story of good work, commitment to caring and personal and collective achievement. • Innovation • Improving the Service User Experience • Outstanding in Support Services • Recovery Champion or Project • Health and Wellbeing Campaigner • Commitment in Clinical Care • Your Choice • Lifetime Achievement. You have until 5pm on 12 September 2016 to enter online at: www.merseycare.nhs.uk/getting-involved/positive-achievement-awards For more information or a paper nomination form call 0151 471 2336 or positive.achievements@merseycare.nhs.uk
CARE TO CELEBRATE 27
LIFE ROOMS WALTON IS
OPEN! T
A new centre for learning, recovery, health and wellbeing has opened at the much loved former Carnegie library on Evered Avenue Walton, Liverpool.
he historic building has been transformed by Mersey Care after it was closed as part of
Liverpool City Council’s reduction in library services. The exterior, including a stunning glass dome, has been retained, while the interior has been extensively and sympathetically refurbished to provide a therapeutic and relaxed environment. Michael Crilly Director of Social Inclu-
sion and Participation, said: “People were scared they’d lose their library so it’s good to be able to reassure them that some of those services will be retained, including an electronic ordering service for books that are not in stock.”
HOW TIMES HAVE CHANGED! 28
Literacy, numeracy and IT skills.
Advice on employment or help with a CV.
“We want it to be a happy building that people want to visit, where they look forward to coming back.”
Catch up at the cafe.
An employment and enterprise hub to help people get back into work through volunteering opportunities and further education.
“Whether you’re someone facing challenges or simply coming to the café, or to use the computers, or the library, it’s crucial to have somewhere where you feel valued, so when you step through the door, there’s a sense of welcome, a feeling that reminds you that you matter.”
A children’s library area.
29
Welcome to Life Rooms,
WELCOME
heart of the community.
in the
Bringing local folk of every age a range of opportunity. there are ‘life rooms’ recovery,
to explore, Supporting health learning
WAY OUT
to an
help stretch for space,
exhibition to
your mind. If you’re looking
a meeting place, there’s something here to suit all
tastes. A coffee? Tea?
A scone with cream? Or a range of courses
self-esteem? Confidence
or Knit while you Natter. A
to set
young imaginations
quiet and peaceful “where I can simply be me.” Looking
free, to somewhere back to
work but feel lost
LOST
help in our Work Zone. Useful advice on a to complete a job application. Those tricky
and alone? You’ll find lots of CV’s creation,
to help
first steps to a
career Can be taken as a
volunteer. So please pop along and make
yourself at
it’s a building
home,
alone. A place to go if you’ve some
30
through Drama,
Come and see us we believe you matter.
children’s reading space
to get
and wellbeing,
and so much more. From a peaceful
escape from the daily grind,
to build
As the name suggests,
designed to lift spirits
time to spend, a new era for a
loved friend. The Life Rooms.
It’s alive.
Life benefits for the whole community Come and see what’s there for you.
OPEN
much
Liferooms.org
“We can see how much care has been taken to restore it and this will now be used for future generations to access the services and spend time in the lovely rooms.� Jim Bonney Walton History Group.
31
DOIN’ IT FOR
THE
KIDS
Four out of 10 young offenders have mental health issues*. While police, courts and probation services work closely with mental health nurses to support adults, who looks after the young people caught up in the criminal justice system? We talk to the nurse who supports children as young as 10.
A
nnie Cunningham knew she wanted to be a learning disabilities nurse from childhood. “My mum was a social worker; we were integrated in the community and spent a lot of time with people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions, there was never a known stigma and it came naturally to me.”She’s in her ideal role as part of Mersey Care’s Criminal Justice Youth team alongside Children and Adolescent Mental Health specialist Nick Thomas. The service was launched in 2014 on the back of the Bradley Report to improve support for people with mental health problems and those with learning difficulties in the criminal justice system.
Sometimes it’s not obvious but you just know something isn’t quite right.
RIGHT SUPPORT “People think these are just naughty kids. We recently saw a lad who had committed an offence. It was clear
32
he had learning disabilities and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, but he’d had no mental health support. We linked in with his solicitor and the courts, presented a full psychiatric report and he received the appropriate community sentence but with a condition to link into ADHD services. We’re not there to get young people off the hook, but they need our help.” The team works with children and young people on all vulnerabilities, not just specific mental health conditions. “We know that if we look at the whole life of the child or young person we can try to support them with any vulnerability in the hope this would prevent re offending and also prevent development of mental health conditions when they become adults.” The team is asked by partners, schools or families to step in when the child is likely to become an offender, to assess them and find out if there’s an underlying mental health issue. “Sometimes the mental health link isn’t obvious, but you just know something isn’t quite right. There are kids who we can predict will offend. Our screening looks at their home life, school situation, and family history of mental health problems or sexual exploitation. Something that explains their behaviour.
HOW DO YOU GET ON THEIR WAVELENGTH? “Our training helps us with open body language, but you have to be genuine and honest. If you try too hard they can see right through you! I try not to show too much reaction, no matter how shocking the tale. I say ‘we’re not here to judge, just to help you.
People think these are just naughty kids. “They want to make a change, but circumstances get in the way. Kids are peer driven. They may take drugs, they lose their mates. Often the drugs are to self medicate for undiagnosed conditions, but no-one’s picked it up. “We try to explain that mental health isn’t just what’s on TV – feeling angry, punching walls, feeling low happens because you’re in need of support. We tell them we’ll stay with them until they’re getting the support from other services.” Partnerships are a huge part of the success of the service. “We all play our part. Other agencies can do things we can’t; a young person wouldn’t go on a climbing trip organised by a mental health organisation – the stigma is still there - but they’d go with a youth group. We have a brilliant relationship with the police; all the services have the same goals. People talk about partnerships but this is real partnership working, we trust each other to take over where we left off.”
• If you have concerns about a young person’s mental health talk to your GP, or contact your local council offices. Remember what you say will be in total confidence. *CAMHS Review 2008.
33
TRUE LIFE...
REAL STORIES FROM
REAL PEOPLE I saved a life once. Well twice. I was working for a drug charity when a heroin user went into cardiac arrest. I resuscitated him and he lived. Six weeks later exactly the same thing happened and I did it again – you just do when you know how.
I
got a Royal Humane Society Award. My family were proud; everyone said it was an amazing achievement. But the courage it took to do that was nothing compared to the strength to overcome a mental illness.
...I resuscitated him and he lived.
Why me? I don’t know. I had a great wife and a lovely little girl, I joked my way through life. But work pressure got to me. Being honest my goal was making money. As an engineer working away from home you get into a culture of drinking. I had a breakdown. My hospital psychiatrist was brilliant but there was no support - it was a case of ‘here’s your tablets off you go’. I was ok but then last year I started seeing fictional people and hearing voices. It was like being in a scary film but very real. I was admitted to Clock View Hospital in Walton and diagnosed with psychosis and bipolar disorder. I thought ‘this is it; I’m going to be in hospital for the rest of my life’. Each day of the eight weeks I stayed there was a struggle, I but a strange thing happened. As I read and heard about other people’s stories, their unbelievable accomplishments and how they managed to rebuild their
Mike Connolly recovering mental health service user
lives against overwhelming odds, it rekindled a hope inside of me to carry on living.
...the struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. This time I don’t feel I’m on my own. The support they give you is incredible. Not just the doctors and nurses. I’ve got an employment support worker; I’m studying to work within mental health so I can use my experience to help someone else recover. My wife has been amazing; we may not have the money but we’ve got our family back. I always say the struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. No-one chooses to have a mental illness but you’re not alone. Don’t give up.
“THE CONFIDENCE
THE RECOVERY COLLEGE HAS GIVEN
ME HAS HELPED ME BACK INTO
FULL TIME WORK”
THE MERSEY CARE RECOVERY COLLEGE
Hayley, Mersey Care Recovery College student
Your Future, Your Way
“THE RECOVERY COLLEGE
GIVES YOU A
CHANCE TO REDISCOVER YOUR
POTENTIAL”
Morgan, Mersey Care Recovery College student
34
Find out what’s on at Mersey Care Recovery College Call 0151 330 4140 or Email: recovery.college@merseycare.nhs.uk @RC_MerseyCare merseycare.nhs.uk Mersey Care Recovery College
A DAY IN THE LIFE...
UMBERO IBRAHIM MENTAL HEALTH NURSE
I’m a staff nurse at Windsor House, Toxteth. People come to us when they’re in crisis after becoming mentally unwell. It’s a multi cultural area; we get patients from different backgrounds. I grew up here so I feel I’m giving back to the community.
... there is fear and superstition when someone shows signs of being unwell.
M
ental health stigma is still so strong in some of these communities. It’s not talked about and there is fear and superstition when someone shows signs of being unwell. It happened in my own family; it was devastating and it gave me the determination to become a mental health nurse. My background is Somali so when Somalian patients come in I tell them in their language about their illness and treatment. It’s so rewarding to see their response when I tell them they will get better and we can help them.
Our patients are all very different. They may be depressed, suicidal, or they may have self harmed. Some want to be quiet while others are very active, so I try to give everyone their own space and our time. We have a great team and a very supportive manager. We always reflect on each day’s events to see how we can make it even better next time.
I tell them in their language about their illness and treatment.
We always reflect on each day’s events to see how we can make it even better next time.
I volunteer with Mersey Care’s global training programme in which professionals like me share their skills with colleagues in Mogadishu via a live link. It’s opened my eyes to just how much we have but also how much we can learn from them. The drive and passion there has given me the same drive and passion for my patients.
35
Suicide. Why it’s time to start talking about the word that no one wants to talk about Suicide. It’s a hard topic to talk about. Which is why so many people in desperate need of help, don’t seek it. For fear of being shunned, discriminated against, ridiculed or even worse. Worried that there’s no one out there that cares. Friends, family members, neighbours and colleagues may appear to be strong on the outside but they may be crumbling within.
.. .
The Big Brew
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For more information and your FREE BIG BREW pack go to
it’ s
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www.merseycare.nhs.uk
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Support the Big Brew campaign. Help us tackle the stigma that stops so many from asking for help.
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Are you having suicidal thoughts?
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Support the Big Brew campaign. Help us tackle the stigma that stops so many from asking for help.
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Hosting a Big Brew event?
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Talking to someone who might be suicidal
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The aim of our Big Brew campaign is to shatter the stigma of suicide. By arranging your own Big Brew event and talking openly, candidly about mental health and depression, we can help people open up, sharing thoughts and showing support is available.
To
The Big Brew
Support the Big Brew campaign. Help us tackle the stigma that stops so many from asking for help.
The Big w Bre
The Big Brew
Contact Details
MerseyCareNHSFoundationTrust
Got some news you’d like to share?
Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, V7 Building, Kings Business Park, Prescot, Merseyside L34 1PJ
Contact us at the following address.
Telephone: 0151 473 0303
Email: communications@merseycare.nhs.uk
MC MAGAZINE is published by Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust and produced by the communications team, Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust, V7 Building, Kings Business Park, Prescot, Merseyside L34 1PJ T: 0151 473 0303 E: communications@merseycare.nhs.uk W: merseycare.nhs.uk. MC MAGAZINE is available in other formats on request. Please pass on for others to read and recycle.