Support the Mental Health Bill!

    I'm asking you to back the bill, the Mental Health Bill - whether you're a member of the public or work within Parliament. On the 14th September this Bill will be debated within the House of Commons, and we need all the support we can get. I suppose you are asking: 'What is the Mental Health Bill?'
     This Bill will repeal and amend pieces of outdated legislation that discriminate against those with mental health problems. It will remove barriers that are set in law that contribute to the stigmatization of mental illness. It will also show the public that the discrimination of people with mental health problems will not be accepted or tolerated.
     The Mental Health (Discrimination) (No 2) Bill was introduced the House of Commons on the 20th June by Gavin Barwell MP. The Bill so far has made some progress within the House of Lords with Lord Stevenson of Coddenham, however, before the Bill had a chance to become an Act the parliamentary session ended. It's second reading will occur on the 14th September.     
 
     The law currently stands that:

• An MP automatically loses their seat if they are sectioned under the Mental Health Act for more than 6 months (Mental Health Act 1983, Section 141), 
• A 'mentally disordered person' cannot undertake jury service (Juries Act 1974),
• And that a person can cease to be a director of a public or private company 'by reason of their mental health' (Companies [Model Articles] Regulations 2008).

      
     These pieces of legislation build into the old-fashioned and discriminating idea that people can never recover from a mental health problem, and that they cannot be trusted to be part of social, political or economic life. The messages received from these current pieces of legislation make it seem that because the law can discriminate so can we. No.
     This Bill is a very important stepping stone, or bridge (or whatever metaphor you fancy) to making a society where people with mental health problems can feel that they can participate to their full potential, without the discrimination and stigmatization that currently surrounds mental health.
     The amount of the support the Bill has is fantastic - Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, and the Royal College of Psychiatrists are all supporting the Mental Health Bill, as are large numbers of the public. The Government has also stated that the Bill is in line with the coalition's mental health strategy and will support it to become law. However, more support is still needed. On the 14th September the Bill will be throuroughly analysed, examined and debated; and it is crucial that as many MPs as possible attend this debate and support this Bill to become law. You can help by getting yourself, and others, into contacting to your MP, whether it's face-to-face, on the phone, tweeting, or via e-mail. Making this Bill law will help to improve the lives of many. We hope we can count on your support. Thank you.

  To keep track on how the Bill is going you can look here: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/mentalhealthdiscriminationno2.html 

BMNM.

Mental Health & TV: Should We Rely On The Media To Educate Us?

     This week Channel 4 goes mad. Tonight is the beginning of a series of documentories; composed and compiled together by celebrities (Ruby Wax and Jon Richardson to name a few), volunteers, and mental health organisations (like Mind, Rethink and Time To Change). They will come onto our tellyboxes and explore all things mental health: from issues surrounding them to different mental illnesses. In my opinion I'm excited and I can't wait to watch it all.

     However, there's something that keeps on turning over and over in my mind. I can't help but think why we should rely (if 'rely' is the right word) on television programmes to teach us about mental health. The media plays a large part in the portrayal and education of mental health: from documentories to soap operas running storylines on their characters and their experiences. As much as they strive to raise awareness and reduce stigma sometimes these portrayals aren't always accurate and can present a varying amount of bias, and so can misinform us about things within mental health. These misunderstandings can potentially be harmful to us and others around us. Although, it is not to say that all we learn about mental health comes from the television. There are numerous organisations that provide us with facts, figures and first-hand experiences and these help us to better our understanding on mental health. The only criticism of these I can give is that they're not always accessible or available to everyone. I think education into mental health should be made more accessible, and more so available on the national curriculum.

     Throughout my time at school we have been given lessons called 'Directions', aka Citizenship or PSHE classes, within these lessons we are taught subjects that are outside the standard curriculum, of which include sex education, the environment, diversity, drugs and substance abuse etc. however, not once have I recalled being delivered information/education on mental health, apart from within Psychology lessons (but that's a different kettle of fish).  The point I'm trying to make here is that perhaps not enough is done to teach people about mental health, and that this lack of knowledge or understanding can lead to terrible consequences to those who experience a mental illness (whether it'd be directly or indirectly), e.g. bullying (not just within schools but also in the workplace), self-destruction, and even death. For something that affects all of us it should make sense to provide education on it, preferably from a relatively early age, so that we can develop our understanding and knowledge of mental health and improve the quality of life for us and others.
     It's a goal of mine to see mental health being taught in schools, and as part of the national curriculum. However, I cannot do this alone. I hope this to be the start of this campaign, and I would love to hear of your opinions or experiences - so feel free to comment below.
Thank you.


BMNM.

Play The Amazing Spider-Man VG; And Beat Up Psychiatric Patients

     I came home today and my brother opened the door and was looking very excited. He squeaked 'Guess what game I got! Guess what game I got!' A few ideas came to mind, but before I could answer he had already told me - The Amazing Spider-Man (The ASM).
     Like my brother, I am too a great fan of Spider-Man (and super-heroes in general); so I decided that I would sit in for while and watch him play his new game. Now here this brings me to the point of today's blog post.
     One of the levels within game is set in a psychiatric hospital called the 'Beloit Psychiatric Hospital', and here Spider-Man comes to find a patient, Dr Connors, and release him. The game level starts, and Spider-Man sets out to open Dr Connors ward, however, a security guard accidentally ends up opening all of the wards and releasing all of the patients. The level progresses to where the patients are 'subdued' by Spider-Man; the game-player can beat the living snot out of the patients. I find this absolutely disgusting.
     Here below are some screen-shots taken from a video walk-through of the game.

YouTube Screen-shot from a walk-through of The ASM; game-player/Spider-Man beats up psychiatric patient.

Another YouTube Screen-shot from a walk-through of The ASM.

And another YouTube Screen-shot.

   
     As I watched my brother playing this game I was feeling horrified, disgusted and distressed. I understand the structures and features of games that fall into this genre; you have 'enemies' and the objective is to defeat them, but to make these 'enemies' psychiatric patients (who can be quite vulnerable) is sickening. Also, depending on which format the game is in, you can also earn achievements - so does that mean that you're being rewarded for punching and kicking psychiatric patients?
     The game itself also seems to depict the patients as violent, and makes many other prejudicial and misinformed statements about those that have mental illnesses. Those who suffer with mental illnesses are more likely to be a victim of violence. I have no idea what the game makers/developers were thinking at the time, but they have been unbelievably insensitive and offensive. It's also quite hard to think that the developers at Beenox, or the publishers at Activision have not once appeared to think or consider the ethics within this game.
     Now, I think this game is going to be popular - it's Spider-Man - and so there are going to be a relatively large amount of people that are going to be playing this game. There may be some game-players who know the myths and the facts on mental health - and may see the point I'm making here, but there's also the case of having those that don't and this game adds fuel to the fire of prejudice. In one way or another someone could end getting hurt by this.

BMNM.

This Week Is Carers Week

     This year Carers Week is from 18th - 24th June, and there's no better time now than to raise awareness and show support very much deserved by carers.


     Carers are those that provide unpaid care by looking after family members that are either ill, frail or disabled. There are points in our lives where it is going to be very likely that every one of us will be involved in this too. It is estimated that 10% of population (or nearly 6,000,000 people) are carers [1], myself included.  


     Although caring is a part of life, without the right support the well-being of carers can be heavily at risk. Caring can take effect on your finances, health, career, your family and social life. Carers can fall out of paid work and many rely on low-level benefits, forcing them into poverty [2]. With is in mind, it is important to consider how much carers contribute to their communities; (for one thing) it has been calculated that carers save the economy £119 billion each year, however, in return carers experience isolation, ignorance and little/no support. It has been reported that 625,000 people suffer physical and mental ill health due to the stress and demands of caring [3]. That is not to say that there is not any help available, but it can be difficult to look for if resources are restricted or unavailable.


     If you, or someone you know, is a carer there are many resources available that can advise and assist you; whether it'd be for financial, career, or health advice. Such organisations and charities (to name a few) like Connexions, Carers UK, Mind can offer valuable advice, information and support for when you really need it.


     Now remember, as this week is carers week set aside time to think about carers and what they do, raise awareness, donate, or do all of the above. What will you do?


BMNM.



[1] http://carersweek.org/about-carers/facts-about-caring
[2] http://carersweek.org/about-us/carers-uk
[3] http://www.carersuk.org/newsroom/stats-and-facts

What is 'Be Mindful, Not Mindless'?

     Hello, I thought I'd just let you all know what Be Mindful, Not Mindless (BMNM for short) is all about. The blog itself will concern all things involved with mental health (from filling in the facts, to commenting on related news stories).
     
     Just like physical health we all have mental health; it can be good and it can be bad. Mental health, and it's awareness, has always been something very close and important to me, and it is for many others as well. 1 in 4 will experience mental health problems, whether it'd be themselves or someone they know. For something that affects all of us it still appears to be one of the biggest taboos in our society still. I hope to play some part in ending this. 
     My aim is to help raise awareness and hopefully educate others about mental health. Will you help too?

BMNM.