March 2010

 I would never defend bullying, but to describe shouting as a fundamental character flaw seems a step too far. I’ve lost my rag only very occasionally, but I do tend to shout rather loudly when I do. And sometimes it has been related to a manic phase perhaps, being particularly excitable. I have never been violent towards anyone, except for school playground fights as a kid.

But, heck, we’re human and we have tempers.  Our centre of equanimity shifts from day to day, sometimes we’re pushed into the red. But of course this should never mean taking advantage of being in authority over others, with abuse, threats or other forms of violence.

Under this government we now have a national strategy for mental health and employment but, although it makes lots of recommendations and promises joined up government, it's weak on allocating resources and when the next  
government takes power its implementation will be ripe for cuts and cost savings. The strategy was launched on the 7th December 2009, with a package of measures as part of the DWP health, work and wellbeing strategy that will influence how we approach mental health and employment in Great Britain.

The package includes:

• Working Our Way to Better Mental Health: A Framework for Action is the first GB-wide National Mental Health and Employment Strategy, addressing well-being at work for all and better employment results for people with mental health conditions in and out of work.
• Realising Ambitions: Better employment support for people with a mental health condition is a DWP-commissioned, independent review led by Rachel Perkins. It examines how we can strengthen employment, health and wider state support to help people with mental conditions on out of work benefits.
• Work, Recovery and Inclusion is a cross-government delivery plan for England to support people in contact with secondary mental health services into work. It forms part of the Government response to the Perkins Review mentioned above.
• New Horizons: A shared vision for mental health is a cross-government report produced by the Department of Health including commitments to action by 11 government departments. For the first time it sets out a new approach with the twin aims of improving people’s quality of life and well-being, and improving the quality and accessibility of services for people with poor mental health.

Falling out of these impressive and influential documents is something I’ve become really fond of - the mental health equivalent to five-a-day: promoting the five steps for mental health and well-being in five steps.

Connect with people: With family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. At home, work, school or in your local community. Think of these as the cornerstones of your life and invest time in developing them. Building these connections will support and enrich you every day.

Be active: Go for a walk or run. Step outside. Cycle. Play a game. Garden. Dance. Exercising makes you feel good. Most importantly, discover a physical activity you enjoy and that suits your level of mobility and fitness.
Be curious: Catch sight of the beautiful. Remark on the unusual. Notice the changing seasons. Savour the moment, whether you are walking to work, eating lunch or talking to friends. Be aware of the world around you and what you are feeling. Reflecting on your experiences will help you appreciate what matters to you.
Learn (& keep learning): Try something new. Rediscover an old interest. Sign up for that course. Take on a different responsibility at work. Fix a bike. Learn to play an instrument or how to cook your favourite food. Set a challenge you enjoy achieving. Learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun.
Give: Do something nice for a friend, or a stranger. Thank someone. Smile. Volunteer your time. Join a community group. Look out, as well as in. Seeing yourself, and your happiness, as linked to the wider community can be incredibly rewarding and creates connections with the people around you.These were first identified as part of the Foresight Mental Capital and Wellbeing Project (2008) Final Project Report, produced by the Government Office for Science.

Research over the past two decades has shown that depression and heart disease are common companions and, what is worse, each can lead to the other. It appears now that depression is an important risk factor for heart disease, along with high blood cholesterol and high blood pressure.

On the subject of fitness, for those of you who remember I was going to cycle to Berlin, well the ride’s been cancelled the Big Issue Foundation unfortunately didn’t have enough people interested in thrashing 367 miles…so instead I’m heading to Paris in July!! All sponsors welcome! May I wish you good spirits, ‘til next time…