The NI Assembly and their charity of the year – Action Mental Health (AMH), will be helping to “Shine a light on mental illness” in the run-up to Christmas.

“Many of you will already be looking forward to celebrating the festivities with your friends and family.

However, for some people experiencing mental health problems, Christmas is often a time when they feel more isolated and stigmatised than ever,”

explained AMH’s Chief Executive, David Babington.

“During the Assembly’s Christmas recess, AMH and the Assembly will be attempting to light up the tree-lined Prince of Wales Avenue, the mile between Parliament Buildings and the front gates of Stormont Estate.  We are asking everyone to send out a message of support to those living with mental illness by sponsoring a light.   It’s quite likely that one day you, one of your friends, colleagues or family members will experience a mental health problem and it is often the simple things that you do which can make a real difference.  This campaign is urging all of just to take a moment to think about those who are ill and offer our support. By seeing the lights over the Christmas period, perhaps we can encourage some to seek help and others to offer help”. 

Lights are now on sale, from the Assembly shop in Parliament Buildings or from AMH or via our Just Giving Page. On the 13th December you are invited to the Carol Concert in the Great Hall in Parliament Buildings 12.30pm.  Afterwards you can join the MLAs, Assembly staff, and AMH, in the grounds of Stormont when we will light up the mile.

For more details contact Callum Clark [email protected] 02891828494 or Gavin McConvey [email protected] 02844613791 or you can donate online at http://www.justgiving.com/Action-Mental-Health

Since 1963, Action Mental Health has provided life-changing services, helping people to recover from the effects of mental ill-health and in many cases, return to work.

Today, they launched research findings demonstrating social and economic savings made through client engagement with their New Horizons programme:

Investment in such programmes could help address as much as £50 million of the cost of mental health problems in Northern Ireland annually:

 

• Engagement in the programme contributed over £450,000 to the economy through employment and tax revenue
• If not engaged in the programme, it is likely clients would be attending statutory day care centres, an estimated annual saving of over £9 million.
• The annual return on investment is £27.19 for every £1 invested by Health & Social Care Trusts.

 

The magnitude of savings to the Health Service and the Exchequer, presents a very strong case for changing the way services are funded; requiring recurrent, mainstream Government investment in these cost-saving programmes which both improve mental health while reducing costs.  This is particularly relevant in light of the Review of Health & Social Care in NI report Transforming Your Care, with the move towards providing services in the community and a greater level of involvement of the third sector.

Action Mental Health believes that, in these times of economic downturn, it is even more important to focus what resources are available on quality programmes that can produce benefits in the long-term to health, well-being and the economy as a whole.

Ahead of the event, CEO David Babington said,

“Prevalence of mental illness in Northern Ireland is higher than in the rest of the UK and in light of the current economic environment, it is predicted that demand in services will only continue to increase. Our New Horizons programme ticks many of the boxes “Transforming Your Care” has set out for the future shape of services, for example; reducing the need for health and social services,  reducing hospital re-admissions, improving mental health, increasing employment rates and reducing welfare benefits. Our programme also provides a hidden but valuable gain in the form of respite for carers.  We now have hard evidence that investment in AMH is a better use of the limited public funds we have to help people recover from mental ill health”.

The launch took place in the Stormont Hotel.  The Key Note speaker was Professor Hugh McKenna from the University of Ulster and authors of the research report, Dr Karen Casson and Dr Derek McLaughlin, also from the University of Ulster, presented their findings.  The event was opened by Health Minister Edwin Poots.  Welcoming the research, the Minister said,

“It is hugely important that we do everything we can to create a culture in which it is right to talk about our mental health problems and seek help. We need to look at ways to support those suffering from an episode of mental ill health. That is why initiatives like Action Mental Health’s ‘New Horizons’ are so important. By providing training and recognised qualifications, New Horizons gives people who suffer from mental ill health a sense of purpose and greater self esteem – they are valued members of workforce, and indeed society, and should feel as such.”

 

You can download the full research report here or view the executive summary here.

 

Stress affects us all and no more so than in the workplace. According nidirect, one in five people suffers from workplace stress, with half a million people reporting that they have become ill as a result.  With the economic downturn, stress management has never been more relevant than it is today.

Stress Awareness Day aims to promote awareness of these challenges, and to help individuals and organisations in changing behaviours and lifestyles which may lead to excessive stress.  Unmanaged stress can develop into mental illnesses, which affect nearly 12 percent of the world’s population – about 450 million people – with one out of every four people around the world experiencing a mental illness.

This year Action Mental Health hosted a lunch time workshop to mark Stress Awareness Day on 7^th November.  Held at the Newtownards Town Hall in conjunction with Ards Borough Council, Action Mental Health provided an informal event delivered by Mandy Hanna highlighting stretching and breathing exercises you can do during your lunch hour at work.  Michelle Major then introduced “Laughter Yoga”, combing the concept of “laughing for no reason” with Yogic breathing (Pranayama) with exercises designed to help us manage the stress in our lives in a positive way.

Ahead of the event, CEO David Babington said,

“The economic costs of unmanaged stress are huge and increasing – 11 million lost working days a year at the last count – while the personal costs for those who experience it, and their families and friends, is of equal concern. Unmanaged stress can develop into mental health problems, such as depression, as well as increasing the risk of physical problems such as heart disease.  Despite the uncertain times ahead for our local workforce, if more people can learn to manage their stress through healthy approaches such as eating well, taking regular exercise, and practicing mindfulness, there is no reason why we can’t work our way to well-being.”

 

 “Challenging Stigma, Raising Awareness and Promoting Discussion”

To celebrate World Mental Health Day, on 10^th October, four mental health charities; Action Mental Health, Aware Defeat Depression, Cause and Mindwise joined forces with the Royal College of Psychiatrists in N.Ireland to host an event in Queen’s Riddel Hall.

Attending the event, David Babington, Chief Executive of Action Mental Health said,

 “It is great to see our five organisations working together and taking action on mental health, we have benefited greatly already from this collaboration which has seen us come together as a stronger, more influential advocate for those living with mental ill health.  We hope this is only the start of a very successful and long-lasting partnership”.

Bill Halliday, Chief Executive of Mindwise continued,

“The issue of challenging the stigma surrounding mental health is one of many which unite all five organisations and is high on each of our agendas”.

Maire Grattan CEO of CAUSE highlights how this stigma affects the wider community,

“One of the key issues for families, friends and partners of loved ones experiencing mental illness is the stigmatisation.  This can leave carers feeling inhibited in talking about their situation and at times feeling very isolated.  Linking with our four partners and looking at the public portrayal of mental illness is a very positive step and an important one from a carer’s perspective”.

The packed programme provided an opportunity for each organisation to contribute an item and the issues were explored through a range of different media, including drama, film and mime. The event ended with a discussion about the essential role journalists play in the public perception of mental illness.  Taking part were psychiatrists and representatives from the local media with questions from the audience.   The event was opened by the Minister for Health, Edwin Poots MLA.

Siobhan Doherty, Chief Executive with Aware Defeat Depression said before the event;

“We are hopeful that the event will be both interesting and diverse – but most of all we hope that it will begin a challenge to the stigma our users face daily – and in doing so create a strong foundation for future joint working.”  

Dr Philip McGarry , Chair of  The Royal College of Psychiatrists in N.Ireland concluded,

“This is one of a series of initiatives in which the professional and voluntary organisations are working together to promote greater awareness of mental illness and the need for better services. There has been real progress over the last few years in destigmatising mental ill- health, but more needs to be done to change perceptions and attitudes. I believe that the wide range of events taking place on World Mental Health Day will help bring us closer to this goal”.