Mental Health and the Right to Life and Exercise

Mental Health problems and drugs to treat these seriously worsen physical health, and motivation. Failing to refer people to exercise within a comfortable environment for them and so leaving them to fester at home can kill. For those people who want to exercise to be able to do so in an environment and with people that they can cope with is a fundamental human right - relating also to the right to life.

So anything that causes the lifetime of those with mental health issues to be shortened is lethal discrimination. This point is highlighted in this Rethink report – Lethal Discrimination – PDF - “people with severe mental illness are at risk of dying up to 20 years before the general population,”
http://www.rethink.org/media/810988/Rethink%20Mental%20Illness%20-%20Lethal%20Discrimination.pdf – September 2013. - “Many health professionals are failing to take people with mental illness seriously when they raise concerns about their physical health.”
“Commissioners and service providers need to be clear about the respective responsibilities of primary and secondary care services for monitoring and managing the physical health of people with mental health problems.”

My article for Rethink Bristol Newsletter and Bristol Active Life Project

Testimonial

How BALP (Bristol Active Life Project) and Rethink helped me put my life back together – From Talk March 30^th – BALP - Bristol

Background

I was critically injured, made redundant and evicted my accommodation. I have anxiety and depression and mild asperger syndrome. I was discriminated against by many authorities who showed little understanding or care for mental health.  This led to a perfect storm of conflict; I sued every agency that harmed me. I had great support from Rethink to cope through all this. Rethinks’ help created space and time in my life to get involved in more constructive activities.

BALP (Bristol Active Life Project)

These constructive activities involved a mixture of completing my PhD (Computing), volunteering, mental health campaigning, temporary work and research, and BALP activities. I’ve also completed many vocational and academic web, programming, computing, business and admin courses. This has greatly helped my mental and physical health. I have asthma and diabetes, but this doesn’t stop me exercising, this makes exercise more important (with the appropriate medical treatment and advice).

I first took up walking with BALP. We got together at MIND in Old Market, to meet before and have tea and coffee after. Whilst there, I saw a poster for BALP football training at St Pauls. So I took part in BALP football training and playing on Tuesdays at St Pauls. There was professional coaching, other training and football days, and a football team. As I got fitter I began training on Fridays at South Bristol, where there is a weather proof Astroturf pitch. Before long I was also ready to play for the team, and now I’m a regular. Our BALP team won a tournament last year and were second this year.

I’ve only missed 1 BALP football games day and this was for the Bristol Half Marathon. BALP had supported me by paying the fees and giving advice. I was able to run this because I had been training at a gym and outdoors with the help of an exercise on prescription scheme. I’ve also played in a BALP badminton tournament and still go on the walks also. These walks are now with Rethink.

The main organisations that have supported me are BALP, Rethink, and NHS. There are still setbacks to my physical and mental health due to the negative attitudes in society. But Rethink and BALP help me cope with this, and involve me in changing that. BALP provides a supportive environment, and prevent me becoming stressed as I would by playing in regular league team.

I’m a campaigner with Rethink, BALP, Time to Change, Healthwatch, and NHS. So I’m part of a highly effective campaign against mental health discrimination that combines activities of many charities and groups. Also I’ve passed my PhD, published in Journal/Conferences and on the Web, and I’m involved in further research on computing, and on mental health and activities.

The reason BALP and Rethink have been so effective is because they worked out WITH me what I can and can’t do and what I want, not decided this FOR me.

BALP Bristol Active Life Project (BALP) - http://www.bristol.gov.uk/page/leisure-and-culture/bristol-active-life-project-balp - 0117 352 1173 or email balp@bristol.gov.uk

Rethink-health walk every Thursday from the Settlement, City Road St Pauls, Bristol - http://www.rethink.org/services-groups/services/bristol-community-support-services - contact details - for referral

Dr Stephen Duckworth - Please no more self appointed representatives of 'the disabled'

Who is he to set himself up as spokesperson for what is good for people with disabilities. Being in a job with authority and being disabled are not sufficient. Service user involvement is the key to being a spokesperson!


Why Britain should expect more from the disabled for their own good, by the paralysed doctor in charge of assessing benefits claims - Dr Stephen Duckworth


"Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2415778/Paralysed-Dr-Stephen-Duckworth-Why-Britain-expect-disabled-good.html "

But I'd advise not to - triggering to mental health problems.


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But I'd advise not to!

Panorama-Locked Up For Being Ill?

Warning - disturbing scenes - can be a mental health trigger - 

Panorama-Locked Up For Being Ill? http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03b59yw - Paul Kenyon reports on police's dealings with mental health patients. IPlayer 12 Months left -

"There is a crisis in police cells across the country, and it is not to do with crime, according to senior officers. The police say they regularly have to detain mental health patients who should be dealt with by psychiatric professionals"

BBC News - Police: A&E 'better' than cells for mentally unwell - http://bbc.in/15KMVRs - One of Britain's most senior police officers warns.

Welfare and Mental Health - The need for meeting basic needs

Why benefit cuts/assessments damage mental health - 'Step1 - Physiological needs' - Mental welfare is impossible if these basic needs are not met -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23902918

Abraham Maslow and the pyramid that beguiled business

Step 1 - Physiological needs, Salary, decent working environment

Equivalent if unemployed and/or disabled is enough money for basic needs, food, clothes, home, heating.

Poverty or worries about poverty consume a person's mental attention leaving other issues to be unresolved and not focused on.

Poverty 'consumes' your mental capacity- NHS Choices -

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/08August/Pages/Poverty-consumes-your-mental-capacity.aspx - “Poverty saps mental capacity to deal with complex tasks”.

Academic paper - Anti-stigma campaigns: time to change

Academic paper - http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/202/s55/s49.full - Anti-stigma campaigns: time to change Michael Smith - Feb 26, 2013. Royal College of Psychiatrists -

Abstract

"This evaluation of the Time to Change anti-stigma campaign in England represents a milestone in international stigma research. While showing some positive outcomes, the overall picture is mixed and falls short of the wholesale shift in attitudes that is needed. A new approach is proposed for the coming decades."

Full paper - http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/202/s55/s49.full

Mind and its Potential - Video

Half hour video - This advises on how to improve mental welfare. Buddhist nun talks. You don't have to be Buddhist or even religious to benefit.

Mind and its Potential: Working with disturbing emotions in everyday life - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2Df4YLSMuM - Video- Mind & Its Potential-16 Apr 2012.

Published on 16 Apr 2012
"Mind & Its Potential is a vibrant and stimulating conference experience which will attract 1,000+ delegates! We are committed to bringing together the world's preeminent scientists, researchers, philosophers and creative thinkers in order to offer you an experience second to none.


Mind and its Potential Conference, 2011 at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre."

Volunteering at Bristol Village this summer | Time To Change

I volunteered at this event, but this is a link to an excellent write up by another volunteer -

Volunteering at Bristol Village this summer | Time To Change - http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/blog/volunteering-at-bristol-village - "All in all it was a fantastic weekend. Attending both days was both wonderful 

and exhausting! There were such a wide range of people visiting the Village, more varied than any Village I have done before