Recent events in our local community have caused shock and distress for many people across Northern Ireland.

For some it could have triggered past traumatic events and resurfaced old feelings and Post-Traumatic Stress symptoms. These are real, and should not be ignored, the more awareness you have around coping strategies to manage your feelings the better. 

Being aware of your emotions at this time and your reactions means you can start to understand them and knowing this feel more in control. People who are experiencing heightened stress, anxiety, agitation, tearfulness  and fear should try and step back from social media and the bombardment of news TV or print media.

Try to get exercise; go for a walk, contact friends, family or good neighbours, listen to music, do something creative like paint, write your feelings and try to be aware of your breathing, especially when you are starting to feel overwhelmed. Try to remain in the present and focus on what you are doing right now, not yesterday or tomorrow but in the here and now.

Remember it is a normal response to think of your own trauma or experience flashbacks, when hearing about the current traumatic events, it’s just managing these with healthy coping strategies.

If you feel as though you’re not coping, please seek appropriate professional help via your GP or by referral to AMH New Life Counselling – by clicking here.

Action Mental Health is delighted to welcome Roisin Kelly to her new role on the organisation’s Board of Directors. Roisin had previously taken part in the Boardroom Apprentice scheme with New Life Counselling, prior to the two organisations merging.

“I am delighted to join the Board of Action Mental Health. I am excited to be part of this amazing organisation that delivers services which have such a positive impact on people’s lives. Now, more than ever, mental health awareness and service provision is so important and I hope to contribute to this through my new role.  A huge thank you to the Boardroom Apprentice programme for equipping me with the skills and confidence to #getonboard and to my host board New Life Counselling for the experience over the past year. “

Roisin studied Finance at Queens University and went on to work with KPMG, where she trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant.  She moved to the public sector and has worked for the Department of Finance for over 10 years.  She is currently Head of Government Accounts Branch, where she is responsible for the Northern Ireland Consolidated Fund, Treasury Management, VAT, Fraud, Debt and Risk Management.  In her spare time Roisin loves to run and in 2019 she ran her first marathon in Belfast in aid of AMH.

A Banbridge man has raised more than £3000 for Action Mental Health through a superhuman feat of endurance.

Jay Pinion ran 100 miles in 24 hours after plans for the Mourne Way Ultra Marathon in mid-June had to be shelved due to the lockdown.

The 23-year–old had been busy preparing for the ultimate test of his mettle but when the pandemic ruined his plans he decided to adapt them to suit the current times.

Jay, a former Banbridge Academy pupil, ran 100 miles in 23 hours 33 minutes around the country roads of his hometown on Saturday, June 20, running 18 loops of 5.5-miles, following a starting mile and a half, to complete his target total of 100.

Jay had hoped to raise £1900 but well-wishers were so impressed by his ambitious target they donated very generously to his cause, the recipients of that generosity being Action Mental Health.

Commenting on his thwarted original plans, Jay said it would have been a shame not to capitalise on all his preparation, taking to running during studying for his degree in Mechanical Engineering at Bath university.

“I’ve been training hard for it over many months and I think it would be a waste not to complete some kind of challenge in its place. 

“I don’t want this experience to just be about me. I also wanted this to be something meaningful for others as well, therefore I wanted to raise money for Action Mental. In my short life, so far, especially in the last few years, running has been like a guiding compass, always allowing me to navigate through the tough times. It keeps you focused, keeps you fit and strong and on long, solitary runs, has a profound meditative effect on your mind and body. Time becomes fluid when it’s just you and the road,” he said.

“Running, or any form of exercise really, will always make you feel better. Ask any runner ever. The endorphin high is real, I can tell you that, for sure. I hope this challenge can inspire at least one other person to get on their feet and get moving, whether that’s walking, running, cycling, hiking, or whatever you enjoy; you can be sure you’ll feel better after doing it. Guaranteed,” Jay added.

Action Mental Health’s Fundraising & Communications Manager, Jonathan Smyth commented:

“We are all absolutely amazed at Jay’s challenge and delighted that he has chosen to do it in aid of Action Mental Health. The amount he has raised is simply phenomenal and will make such a tremendous difference. It has been a very challenging period for many people, however the generosity and kindness of people like Jay, has helped us to be able to adapt and carry on delivering vital services for people right across Northern Ireland. We want to say a massive thank you to Jay and everyone who has supported his fundraising.’

Queen’s University Belfast is encouraging its staff to keep active during lockdown by hosting its first ever Queen’s University Activity Challenge.

The event, which will span four weeks from 15 June to 10 July 2020, replaces the University’s Annual Pedometer Challenge and will raise funds for local charity Action Mental Health.

Queen’s staff are being encouraged to keep active to help support and promote good mental health and well-being. The benefits of exercise are well documented, with physical activity playing a huge role in keeping people’s minds healthy. On top of the advantages it brings to our bodies, exercise also helps reduce stress and clear the mind.

Joyce Johnson, Head of Reward and Performance at Queen’s, said: “Through this Challenge, we are encouraging our staff to commit to doing some form of physical activity each day  – for example, a run, walk, cycle, or home workout of their choice – within government guidelines.

“While exercise has significant health benefits, we also recognise the benefits to wellbeing of supporting others and giving back to our community. Staff participating in the Challenge will therefore have the option to make a donation in support of the excellent work of Action Mental Health, an organisation which actively promotes the mental health and well-being of people here in Northern Ireland.”

Action Mental Health’s Fundraising and Communications Manager Jonathan Smyth said: “We are delighted to be the selected charity for this year’s Queen’s University Activity Challenge.  Physical activity plays a huge role in keeping our minds healthy as well as our bodies and it is fantastic that Queen’s staff are boosting their health and wellbeing through physical activity and supporting a local charity at the same time.

“With one in five people in Northern Ireland experiencing mental ill-health at some stage of their life, it’s important to remember that simple things such as cycling to work or walking the dog can really help to reduce stress and clear the mind. Looking after your mental health is especially important right now, as we deal with the impacts of lockdown on our daily lives.”

Staff of Action Mental Health in Foyle are preparing to commence a phased return to face-to-face support with clients, marking their eventual return with an inspection by the city’s mayor.

Following the long weeks of the lockdown, staff have been busy establishing a new programme which combines onsite instruction and virtual classes.

AMH Chief Executive David Babington this week helped Service Manager Pauline Flanagan unveil the new programme, with a seal of approval from Mayor of Derry and Strabane, Councillor Brian Tierney.

During a tour of AMH Foyle, at Springtown Industrial Estate, staff showcased the measures the charity have taken to ensure staff and clients are safe from the continuing risks of the coronavirus.

The Foyle Service has been deep cleaned, while department and training areas have been redesigned to provide training in a safe socially distant environment. Individual learning packs will also be provided, with personal protection equipment and safety notices in place. A new outside classroom has even been erected to take advantage of good weather during the summer months.  

The date of the Service’s re-opening has yet to be confirmed but once it does, all social distancing regulations will be observed.

Service Manager Pauline Flanagan explained how clients have been supported during the lockdown.

“Staff have been providing virtual support and training since the lockdown at end of March which has been very well received by clients, who have said the continued contact with staff had helped to reduce their anxiety and distract them from the flow of pandemic news feeds.” 

Some clients however, suffer from ‘digital poverty’, living without internet services, making their desire to return to face-to-face contact ever greater.

Pauline continued: “Clients we support tend to be the most isolated and marginalised in our society with no or limited access to public transport, human contact, access to services, living on a basic subsistence, and in financial constraints, dealing with addictions and mental ill health.

“Staff have been creative, thinking outside the box and are delighted to embrace the opportunities and challenges working in a pandemic brings about.”

The Service Manager added that with AMH’s person-centred approach, many clients have expressed their desire to return to the service. Some have indicated that they would be happy to enjoy the best of both worlds by continuing to avail of the blended learning opportunities provided. 

Chief Executive David Babington added: “We are experts in our field, in providing mental health support to promote recovery for over 50 years. The team rise to every challenge and this is exceptional. We have an expert team who are innovative and dedicated and this has enabled all our nine New Horizons services across Northern Ireland to plan now to provide blended learning.”

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Brian Tierney, praised the Action Mental Health staff for their dedication in a difficult period.

“I would like to thank the staff of Action Mental Health for the vital work that they are doing, which is currently as important as ever as so many people within our district are looking for support in managing mental health problems.

“Having to adapt how they work in recent months has no doubt been challenging for the whole team, but they deserve great praise for how they have overcome those challenges and have found new ways to keep delivering such an important service.

“I’m glad that they are now able to take steps to resuming face-to-face support in a safe manner, and I wish everyone at AMH the very best as they continue their valued work in the weeks and months ahead.”

AMH New Horizons Foyle is continuing to accept referrals at this difficult time, supporting the Western Trust community mental health teams. Intake procedures have been amended to ensure service is accessible. Should you wish to be referred and are registered within the Western Trust Derry~Londonderry area, contact your community mental health team, the Jobs and Benefits office or your local GP or click https://www.amh.org.uk/contact, leave your details and request information on Foyle virtual learning.

AMH New Horizons activities are operated through the “Working it Out” project, which is part-funded through the Northern Ireland European Social Fund Programme 2014-2020, the Department for the Economy and the five NI Health & Social Care Trusts.

During what is Loneliness Awareness Week and Men’s Health Week we are focusing on the effect of loneliness on men’s mental health. Across Northern Ireland, a sizeable number of older people are impacted by loneliness and this can lead to serious health issues, if not addressed.

Loneliness can have a significant impact on people’s mental health and can in fact hasten death by up to 30% among some risk groups. The study, ‘Social Isolation, Loneliness and Health Among Older Adults’ by Caitlin Coyle and Elizabeth Dugan found that loneliness was associated with higher odds of having a mental health problem, while isolation was associated with higher odds of reporting one’s health as being fair or poor.

With the risk groups including older men, Action Mental Health’s three Men’s Sheds play a pivotal role in lessening the effects of loneliness. The Men’s Sheds bring men aged 50+ together to share skills, socialise and connect with their wider community, while working on practical activities of their choice.

The Men’s Sheds, in AMH New Horizons in Antrim, Fermanagh and Downpatrick, are places to have a laugh, make new friends with other men over 50.

You can find out more about our Men’s Sheds by clicking here:

AMH Men’s Sheds

The effects of loneliness

Raymond Kerr was so lonely after his wife died he was ‘climbing the walls’.

The 74-year-old could barely face getting out of bed in the morning as everything he did at home only served to magnify the fact that he was alone.

Even going to get the groceries and buying food-for-one reinforced his feelings of utter isolation and desolation, and soon, depression.

Raymond lost his wife Lola three years ago, but unlike many in his situation, he didn’t have hordes of visiting mourners to keep him afloat before the loneliness set in – he was alone from day one.

The pensioner did find solace in his only child with whom he has forged a better relationship since his wife’s death. However, the demands of his son’s work and own family life meant their regular visits could take place just once a week.

Raymond was also loathe to burden his son with his growing feelings of depression when the younger man was grieving for a mother he had shared a very close bond with all his life.

Aside from that, and the occasional visit by social workers, Raymond lived a solitary life, day in, day out. He admits that this isolation was partly a symptom of his somewhat reserved nature, but also because he lives many miles from his surviving family connections and friends in his native Castlecaulfield, Co Tyrone.

“I was very lonely from day one after my wife died,” he explains. “My wife knew a lot of people but I was more of a loner so when she died I didn’t see many people.

“When I woke up in the morning I felt really bad. I felt very down and I didn’t want to trouble anyone with how I was feeling.

“It put me off my food and I was living on one meal a day. I didn’t feel like cooking just for myself and you can never really buy something in the grocery shop that’s just for one person. So I went with the bare minimum – just potatoes and butter and egg.

“I was feeling depressed, and even when you’re separated or divorced you can always still call the person and have a voice on the other end of the phone but when your wife has died there’s no one there.”

He did eventually begin to talk however, and told his doctor how he was feeling.

“The doctor was great actually because she knew me. She was very easy to talk to and I could tell her anything, so she really helped in that way.”

Raymond was ultimately saved from his depressing world of loneliness by the intervention of social services.

“My doctor sent social workers out to me and one of them told me about the Men’s Sheds,” he says.

The Men’s Sheds, his local one located at Action Mental Health’s New Horizons Antrim, has opened up a new life and one that is filled with company – the company of men who know exactly what life is like for an older widower.

Nowadays, he spends his time participating in arts and crafts, particularly enjoying fine art and painting. Cutting his teeth in the art of leather work he counts himself among ‘the three stooges’, along with two new friends who are in much the same domestic boat as Raymond.

“I’d never heard of the Men’s Shed before and though I was a bit apprehensive about going and wanted to leave a few times, I really enjoyed it and they made me feel very welcome.

 “I’d felt unwanted before but the men joked that if I didn’t show up they’d come to my house and get me,” he says. “So I’ve no option and I’ve never stopped going.”

“It’s very interesting and the girl in charge asks what you’d like to do and she’ll even bring in an expert to teach us all how to do new things so I’ve actually made a few belts now,” he adds.

“I’ve made new friendships and the banter and craic is great and makes the day go quickly.”

If you’re feeling low, contact your GP, as Raymond did, or if you’re in crisis contact Lifeline on 0808 808 8000. Please always remember that help and support is available.

This week (15 – 21) is Men’s Health Week. While there are many challenges experienced by both men and women in society, mental health is especially relevant for the men in our lives.

By Connor Grogan, AMH Works Trainer

Let’s start with some stats

It’s well known that Northern Ireland has the highest rates of mental-ill health in the UK, with a 25% higher prevalence of mental health issues, compared to England. This means that at any one time here, 1 in 5 people will be experiencing a mental health issue.

What’s that got to do with men? Unfortunately, a lot of the support available is not being accessed by men. On average, women are more likely than men to report signs of a mental health issue; recently, the prescription rate for mood and anxiety disorders was 66% higher among women than men. This means men run the risk of being left behind when it comes to tackling mental health issues in both our communities and work. The support that most women are receiving in Northern Ireland is the same support that there is for men, and with our suicide rates three times the rate of road deaths, increasing trends show men are more at risk of this too.

What does this all mean? Well, men’s mental health is suffering and the lack of engagement with support is clear. If we can reduce stigma and improve our own capacities, personally and professionally, we can work together to break the mould.

‘That’s not how a man should handle things…’

Society places many traditional roles on people. Women have spent hundreds of years combating the many challenges and stereotypes they face, and still do. For men, traditional expectations have been handed down, generation after generation, detailing how a man ‘should’ behave and what masculinity means – this may play a role in the mental health inequalities faced today. In a patriarchal society, there is the expectation that men should be the breadwinners of the family and demonstrate exclusively ‘masculine traits’. These traits include strength, dominance, power and control, with these stereotypes demanding that they get on with things because they’re ‘grand’. This denies a huge spectrum of emotion and feeling, which is the very nature of being human – and when you deny experience, you deny peace of mind.

Many scientists and researchers have shown that men who feel they are unable to speak openly about feelings and rely on traditional ‘manly’ ideals instead, experience increased distress, poorer mental health and actually struggle to recognise when they need help themselves, and are therefore unlikely to reach out for support. So what can I do? Talking about mental health awareness in a variety of personal and professional settings, helps reduce stigma, shatters societal expectations and increases the likelihood of support uptake, especially amongst men.

Suicide and men

Between 2000 and 2018, 4,783 deaths were registered as suicide in NI. In 2018, there was 307 registered deaths by suicide, a familiar figure over the last decade and the third highest since records began in 1970. It’s become common knowledge that men are more likely to die by suicide, but how much more likely? During Men’s Health Week, we acknowledge all lives lost by suicide, and especially the men in our society – with an increasing trend in suicide activity – it must be reduced. In the last 5 years alone, 360 women completed suicide, compared to 1,136 men – nearly four times as many men took their own lives.

Who are these men? They’re husbands, brothers, sons, fathers, colleagues and friends – people. In men under 50, suicide is the leading cause of death in the UK. In 2018, the highest number of male deaths by suicide in NI was in the 25 – 29 age group and 30 – 34 age group. Suicide is also touching young people, suicide figures in under 18s in NI are disproportionately higher when compared to the rest of the UK. It’s clear to see nobody is immune to mental ill-health, however it’s difficult to interpret the trend amongst male suicide in NI as unavoidable – the smallest steps in reducing suicide often make the biggest difference.

If you are seeking help and you, or someone you know is in distress, please contact Lifeline on 0808 808 8000 anytime, where you can speak to a trained counsellor.

Mental health at work

Fulfilling employment can provide a person with a sense of achievement, purpose and an opportunity to connect with others on a daily basis – it can be great for our physical wellbeing and mental health. However, mental health issues are common and for many people the places they work can have a big impact on their ability to identify and receive help. Companies, no matter how big or small that show they take mental health seriously, and focus on engendering a palpable and proactive wellbeing ethos, experience happier, healthier and more productive employees. It’s been reported that stress, depression and anxiety accounted for 54% of all working days lost due to ill-health. There has also been an increase in ‘presenteeism’ (working whilst unwell) and ‘leaveism’ (using holidays excessively in difficult times). These new and subtle patterns can exacerbate mental health issues and further reduce the likelihood of male support seeking, not to mention economically affecting the business too.

What can an organisation do? People spend 33% of their time at work. Proactive mental health and suicide prevention training as part of this time at work, sends a clear message – that you want to and are able to help within your duty of care, especially to the male workers that may be more traditionally reluctant to come forward. It’s clear that men’s mental health is suffering now, more than ever, but with education and upskilling in our professional and personal lives, it is possible to reduce and recover – together.

AMH Works provide a range of programmes which support employers to improve mental and emotional well-being in the workplace and create Healthy, Resilient Workplaces.

To find out more contact AMH Works Manager, Shelly Wilson on 07540124083 or [email protected].

There may be times when you need extra support. If you’re finding things really difficult you might want to speak to your line manager, a GP, Lifeline or Samaritans. Further information on sources of support is available on www.amh.org.uk.

References

CIPD (2020) Health and well-being at work. Available here.

Mental Health Foundation (2016) Mental health in Northern Ireland: Fundamental Facts 2016. Available here.

Mental Health Foundation (2020) Men and mental health. Available here.

NISRA (2019) Suicide statistics and strategy in Northern Ireland: Update, available here.

The Chartered Institute of Building (2020) Understanding mental health in the built environment, available here.