Tag: Mental Health First Aid

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Mental Health

Let’s talk about Men’s Mental Health

Three times as many men as women die by suicide and it is the biggest cause of death for men under 50.  Men report lower levels of life satisfaction than women but are less likely to discuss or seek help for their mental health concerns.  Often they don’t even recognise them.  

We live in a society that expects men to be strong and in control, making it difficult for men to reach out for support, instead turning to unhealthy coping mechanisms.  Men are three times more likely than women to become dependent on alcohol or drugs.

It’s important that we have safe spaces where men can share their health concerns.  In my own journey, a weekly men’s group was fundamental in helping me to turn my life around. I was an angry young man with physical and mental health problems.  I was off sick from work and struggling with life.  And like many men, anger was an emotion that was both familiar and something I found easy to access and express.

But what was behind the anger?

In my men’s group one day, the facilitator challenged me on my anger.  He asked me to close my eyes and said that he would say things that would make me angry but that I should not react, just stay with the emotions.  He began to speak and I found the anger building, my knuckles clenched and my jaw tightened.  He continued and I began to shake.  After a few minutes (and it may have been much less than that) I started to cry and it wasn’t just a few tears, it was uncontrollable as the years of sadness that I’d been hiding behind my anger came out.

This couldn’t have happened had there been women present for two good reasons.  Number one, and the main reason, is that I wouldn’t have let my guard down in front of females.  And number two is safety. The facilitator probably wouldn’t have tried this just in case I lashed out. So this is one example but there are many subjects that men need a safe space to talk in.

Reach out if you are worried about your mental health.  Connect with friends and talk about your concerns.  Don’t let it build up until it becomes unmanageable.  There is help out there.

And if you are worried about someone else
  • Let them know you are there for them and keep in touch, listen without judgement.
  • Encourage them to get help from their GP or find a men’s group in your area
  • Learn more about the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and how to support someone in distress by taking a mental health first aid course.
  • Check out Men’s Health Forum for more information on men’s health

Categories
Mental Health

What is Self Harm?

self harm

The image that often comes to mind is of someone cutting themselves. But self harm can be any action that causes injury or pain to yourself. Over-eating, over-exercising, participating in unsafe activities, drinking too much are all just harmful to yourself as causing immediate physical injuries.

Many people think those that self harm are just attention seeking. If they were serious, they would attempt suicide, right? But in reality they will often do their best to keep their behaviour a secret. It is a coping strategy, a way of dealing with extremely difficult emotions and feeling some control over unmanageable emotions.

MHFA plenary speaker and self harm awareness trainer Satveer Nijjar discusses and explains more in this video.

According to a report published in the British Medical Journal, non-suicidal self harm has tripled in the UK in the last 10 years though people aren’t accessing services.

The co-author of the report Louis Appleby, from the University of Manchester, commented: “An increase in the prevalence of using self harm to cope with emotional stress could have serious long term implications. There is a risk that self harm will become normalised for young people, and individuals who start to self harm when young might adopt the behaviour as a long term coping strategy.”

Appleby warned, “Non-suicidal self harm may be associated with later suicide. As young people get older, reaching age groups that already have higher suicide rates, the self harm they have learned may become more serious and more likely to have a fatal outcome.”

Where to go for help

Self harm can be successfully treated when caught early and it’s important to get help as soon as possible.

Self Harm UK have launched a free online support group for 14-19 year olds called Alumina.

Young Minds are always an excellent resource for all mental health matters for younger people and they have some great pages around self harm. They also support parents of young people too.

The mental health charity Mind have useful contacts if self harm affects you or someone you know.If you’re in crisis contact The Samaritans on 116 123. In 2019, people discussed self-harm in calls with Samaritans once every two minutes.

In the Adult MHFA courses we learn about crisis first aid for self harm and positive coping strategies to help reduce stress.

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2020: What a Year!

rollercoaster

A tremendously difficult year

What a rollercoaster the year has been. The number of people reporting poor mental health increased massively due to the coronavirus pandemic. The murder of George Floyd sparked protests around the world, causing many people to question their own biases. And Brexit is finally upon us!

the world is closed

Coronavirus and mental health

There have been so many extra reasons to stress this year. Concerns about health. Uncertainty about money, jobs and housing. Families juggling working from home with home schooling and entertaining children. The loneliness of people living on their own or shielding. The enormous strain on NHS staff and other key workers. Constantly changing lockdown rules and tier systems causing confusion about what you’re allowed to do or not. Gyms, leisure facilities and hospitality (and sadly some mental health support services) closing and being unable to meet with friends and family. A loss of freedom and, for many, a loss of loved ones. It’s no wonder that almost half of the UK population have felt anxious or worried.

Public Health England (PHE) have developed a new Covid-19 mental health and wellbeing surveillance report (HMW) which gathers data from academia and public and voluntary sector reports. Their aim is to have ‘near to real time’ data on the mental health and wellbeing of people and communities across the country.

It’s emerging findings are that some groups have been disproportionally including adults those with pre-existing mental health conditions and those out of work.

food bank

We need more help

At a time when people need more mental health support, it’s sad to see services cut. This is the activity room at The Bridge in Harrow, a purpose built centre for mental health run by Rethink. Up until the beginning of lockdown it was used for yoga and other activities to support the mental health of some of the most vulnerable in the community. As the pandemic took it’s toll on people’s jobs and finances, it is now used a food bank. There are regularly queues of over 100 people there.

For almost 8 years, I taught a restorative yoga for mental health class for CNWL NHS trust and Harrow council. For a long time the class was packed and I had a waiting list but over the years due to central government cuts and changes in the way those with mental health access services, I saw the numbers dwindle. The NHS didn’t have the staff to process the funding applications for service users. It’s a truly shocking state of affairs.

black lives matter

Black Lives Matter

The Black Lives Matter movement has highlighted how very far we still are from being an equal society. This is particularly true in regards to mental health. Black people are twice as likely to be admitted to mental health inpatient wards than White. And they are more likely to be referred by the criminal justice system than by a GP.

I am very proud to have been asked by Mental Health First Aid England to become a plenary speaker on racism and it’s effect on mental health. I have much personal experience on this subject.

I have joined the faculty at Yogacampus to lecture on Race, Ethnicity & Yoga on their Yoga Therapy diploma. I have taught this module for YogaHub Dublin and London’s MoreYoga and will be teaching on several other yoga teacher trainings next year.

If you would like help in becoming an anti-racist organisation, please contact me.

goodbye 2020

Supporting your mental health in 2021

If you’re experiencing poor mental health, take a moment from your day to look at the NHS every mind matters campaign for some simple but useful tips and tools to help you manage your mental health.

Look for your local Mind or Rethink for services in your area. And Samaritans are always there if you’re in crisis.

A Mental Health First Aid course can teach you how to spot the signs of mental ill health and provide support, as well as looking after your own wellbeing. We offer both online and in person courses (covid19 restrictions permitting). Find out more and view our upcoming courses.

We wish you a happy, healthy and safe new year!

James & Sital.