Meanwhile, on Planet Internet...
- The government published a progress report on its suicide prevention strategy, but the Health Committee suggests that more practical steps are needed in order to make prevention a reality.
- Local communities have been coming up with their own pragmatic approaches, from coastal quad patrols to rural support networks, as documented in this article - 'Could Your Barber Save Your Life?'
- A nurse's anonymous piece in the Guardian's Blood, Sweat and Tears series raised a lot of controversy as they wrote, "I Hate Restraining Mental Health Patients but Often It's the Only Option."
- The British and Irish Group for the Study of Personality Disorders (BIGSPD) held their annual conference in Inverness this week. There are plenty of interesting thoughts to be read over on Twitter, via the hashtag #BIGSPD17.
- I stumbled across an old but interesting Recovery Warriors' article the other day on 'The Anxiety Reducing Effects of Hunger',
- While this piece by Corey Buhay - 'How Climbing Helped Me Battle An Eating Disorder' - made me a little emotional.. "I folded inward and closed up. I grew smaller in ways that dress sizes don’t measure."
- Ruby Wax and Marks and Spencer announced their Frazzled Cafe initiative. Set to launch in stores throughout England, the fortnightly meetings will open up a safe, non-judgemental space where people can gather to talk, share their stories and admit their struggles. (I like the concept, but the cynic in me is a little put out by the caveat that "If you are currently suffering from serious mental illness it may not be appropriate to attend," because, I mean, "It's ok, to not be be ok," ..but only within reason!)
- Elsewhere in celebrity land, Kate Middleton - representing Heads Together - helped to launch Best Beginnings' 'Out of the Blue' film series promoting mental health for parents, parents-to-be and their children.
- There's been some solid discussion taking place around perinatal mental health in fathers, including this article in which Mr Mental Elf documents a piece of research and shares his own experience of postnatal mental health.
- The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) published their report - 'Mental Health in General Hospitals: Treat As One' - looking at the quality of care provided for those with a "significant mental disorder" admitted for treatment in a general hospital setting, pointing to a number of challenges and areas for improvement in "bridging the gap" between physical and mental health.
- And last but not least, I really enjoyed this powerful set of images created by psychologist Douglas Amorim, entitled 'Depressive Intimacy'. Pay a visit to Buzzfeed to check them out.
xo
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