Mental ill Health - is it on your agenda?
At
epoché I am passionate about well-being beyond just what I do."Consideration of an era’s treatment of those with mental ill-health (MiH) tells us much about the society as it does about mental illness. What do you imagine people 50 years from now will say about our contemporary care?"
"Consideration of an era’s treatment of those with mental ill-health (MiH) tells us much about the society as it does about mental illness. What do you imagine people 50 years from now will say about our contemporary care?"
So this was answered just before the global pandemic but it's just as relevant in 2023 as we continue to navigate the trajectory of COVID 19.
Here's my answer:
2020 should not be viewed as a step change in our contemporary care of those with mental ill-health (MiH) but it should be recognised that it placed us at the cusp of a period of significant advancements.
It was clear that the lexicon of MiH and its impact on socio, economic and political factors was current in 2020. The global interconnectivity, expansive media platforms allowed for greater openness, sharing and debate, and whilst this came with a caveat of content accuracy, bias and management, technological innovation and advances were rapidly enabling transformations across the whole health sector. Acceptance of and stigma associated with MiH were still challenges given that the experiences of the host and migrant demographic (baby-boomers, generations X, Y, Z ) differed and could be argued to come from different start points. The asylums and institutions of the past segregated their service users and it is suggested that their closures from the 1950’s onwards was done so without an effective or considered transition plan. This along with other factors created a legacy that ultimately began to be addressed in 2020 against a terrain of ‘crisis in the NHS’: cuts in social care funding, huge skills gap in mental health professionals and an offer that let down service users and providers alike.
2020 began building a foundation for the future but had not fully shifted its white coat of the past. The concept of community care as a sustainable offer had made progress but it was yet to be delivered and replicated to a consistent standard. Whereas professionals and stakeholders could articulate the need for a framework to deliver inclusive, diverse and accessible contemporary care, the tools and resources required were more elusive. Politicians, celebrities and people with connected influence may have been keen to highlight MiH as a critical priority; the reality was grounded in available budget. Resource constraint was a huge issue as in a climate of austerity choices had to be made. 2020 at the least embraced MiH as key to the health and well-being of a nation however its application is a ‘work in progress’. To draw upon a parallel from the education sector for the same time it would have been assessed as ‘Requires Improvement’.
Yes, my answer was detailed, it had to be for my degree, but my final paragraph sums it up for me and it got me thinking … As family, friends, parents/carers and equally as employers and educators what would you say about our contemporary mental health care?
MiH affects us as individuals and as a populace; nationally and globally. The simple fact is it will affect 1 in 4 of us (World Health Organisation, MIND). The global pandemic has raised awareness of the prevalence
, diversity and psychological impact of MiH. As a society it is our collective responsibility to ensure 2023 delivers significant advancement in the MiH agenda across all spheres of life.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Get it on your agenda for discussion, it’s on mine!
Neena Speding
MSc Psychology & Neuroscience of Mental Health
MSc Psychological Sciences
MBPsS
Chartered MCIPD
First class BSc (Hons) HRM, PGCE
So Friday 4th Feb 2023 is World Cancer Day but for many Cancer day is every day
With a pinch of your passion and an inch of your inspiration ...
could you help young people get an insight to your career pathway?
Among the hustle and bustle of trying to get a socially distanced seat at a recent neuroscience seminar, I overheard a remark:
“We should consider designing learning interventions for the brain and not the learning style”
With two millennials, one teenager and an even bigger kid with a passion for all things hi-fi in the house you can probably imagine the cacophony of sounds that sometimes greets me.
I recently received a communication that was signed ‘Mx’ from a colleague who had previously signed communications as ‘Mr’. This prompted me to ask some questions and do some research; for me it is not about labelling and compartmentalising, it is about being informed, inclusive and respectful.
I constantly seek research and findings that effectively and meaningfully link academia and the real world. A recent example that sparked my imagination was discovering the works of Elizabeth Blackburn a Nobel prize winning, molecular biologist.
World Mental Health Day.
A collaboration between Neena Speding (epoché.com) &
Dominic Ciambrone (theshoesurgeon.com)
So, here’s two questions:
Would you frequent a commercial cannabis establishment if you were in a place where it was legalised?
Would you partake in any Cannabis consumption with a client/colleague of that region?
The relationship between mindfulness and stress is well documented. Our awareness of stress and the negative impact it has on ours and other lives is becoming more perceptible. Mindfulness, as a stress reducing therapy, is becoming increasingly used in clinical practice and its impetus in and outside the workplace is gaining steady traction.
I recently watched this insightful workplace perspective from CNN on mental ill-health and wanted to share. The perspective is sadly an increasing reality.