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This will be my last blog post as arts coordinator for the Institute. It is a time for reflection and anticipation as I prepare to leave the IMH, say my farewells, and prepare for my new position at University of the Arts-London College of Fashion. I thought I'd take the opportunity to share a few highlights. 1- 'My big baby'[caption id="attachment

17 year-old Benjamin Braud has Tourette Syndrome (known as ‘tics’ or ‘TS’). He chose to spend a week long work experience placement at the University of Nottingham, specifically with researchers from the division of Psychology, based at the Institute of Mental Health. After he’d finished his experience we asked him how he got on… How did you come t

A friend of mine recently made me smile, as we were discussing recent pieces of work I have done for the Care Quality Commission (CQC).  Her comment was ‘Blimey you’ve gone over to the dark side’.  This is the reputation the CQC has; however, although I have only been on three inspections I have learnt so much. My role has been to chat to service u

Peter walks into the staffroom carrying a signed sports tabard and a box of matches. He sits down heavily on the chair beside the fridge, closes his eyes briefly and sighs.‘What’s the matter?’ asks the person sitting next to him.‘Well… you know Billy Jones, big boy, cross-eyed, year Eight, Dad’s in prison for arson…’ but the bell goes before Peter

In March 2014 the national media ran stories on the subject of ADHD based on interviews with a US academic. This article outlines the response from the Institute of Mental Health's CANDAL centre of excellence. The Observer (30.03.14) headlined an article: Children's hyperactivity 'is not a real disease', says US expert. It reported an interview wit

This is a guest blog from Nell Munro, originally posted on the Mental Health and Capacity Law blog here. Dr Munro has also written an excellent (and extremely popular) EasyRead version of this blog, found here.Connor Sparrowhawk died in an assessment and treatment centre in Oxford in July 2013 after suffering an epileptic seizure whilst he took a b

This is a reblog from the blog of the Menninger Clinic, and the complete post can be found here - the below is just a taster! "I deliberately chose a tendentious title for this essay – misleadingly metaphorical rather than literal – to highlight, as one of my recent posts outlines, my alarm stemming from reading research on stigma. With many others

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides a framework for making a decision for an individual who is found to lack capacity to make it him or herself.  Where an individual lacks capacity to make a decision, a decision must then be made in their best interests under s.4 of the Act.  Section 4(6) provides that, when making a decision in someone else's be

“History admits no rules, only outcomes. What precipitates outcomes? Vicious acts and virtuous acts. What precipitates acts? Belief’.David Mitchell. Cloud Atlas [2004]. Chapter: ‘The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing’The book ‘Cloud Atlas’ consists of six‘ interrelated’ stories that take the reader from the remote South Pacific in the nineteenth centur

Please welcome the inaugural post from our second new editor, Dr Nic HendeyAre our mental, physical, and social care services really operating in tandem, integrated, and equal?  My experience is not.Having just been discharged from a stay on a psychiatric ward I thought that a blog about some of my experiences would be of interest. I am both an aca

In addition to the post by Dr Hendey, we wanted to draw your attention to this post by Dr Tom Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health.  Dr Insel's post follows his attendance at the Word Economic Forum in Davos, where global mental health was a hot topic.   As a taster, here is the first paragraph - for the full post, please visi

We are pleased to welcome a post by our newest editor, Robert Nisbet.The Beryl Institute defines the patient experience 'as the sum of all interactions, shaped by an organisations culture, that influence patient perceptions across the continuum of care'. Through a number of benchmarking reports and research projects the Institute demonstrates that

In addition to Robert's post above, we also have a re-blog from the Centre for Mental Health's Policy Officer, Helena Brice.  The original post, and the rest of the Centre's blog, can be found here.Recently government published an action plan: ‘Closing the gap: Priorities for essential change in mental health’, building on the 2011 strategy paper ‘

David Smith's blog = "My take on the world, life, mental health and charity in the UK". David is Director of Development at The Retreat in York (http://www.theretreatyork.ork.uk @theretreatyork). On January the 21st David posted a reflection re. "Closing the Gap". Please find below the link to this blog. David has given us his permission to use thi

On Monday, 20th January 2014 our deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg addressed a conference where he advocated that change is necessary to improve mental health care. Initially, I was delighted to finally witness a vital area of health being brought to public attention. It has been well documented that at least one in four people will experience a men

Re-post: Prof. Paul Crawford ~ "Mental Health and informal care: Maybe now, finally, we can start polishing our hidden gems" The appointment of Lord Victor Adebowale as chair of the Parity of Esteem Board should bring some urgent focus to mental health; but it's only a start, as Prof. Crawford explains in this exclusive editorial (for www.nhsManage

This week's IMH blog update is a re-post from: "Changing Minds, Changing Lives: Mental Health and Learning Disabilities in the UK" - this is the blog of the Mental Health Foundation and the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities. The post's author Toby is Head of Development and Later Life at the Mental Health Foundation. He leads on work

Over the past decade, the employment of peer support workers (PSWs) within mental health services has taken off. The distinctive element of peer support is that it draws on personal lived experience of emotional distress to support others going through similar experience.  However, peer support is not just about sharing lived experience of mental h

Tread softly because you tread on my dreams W.B. Yeats Schizophrenia is never being able to trust your senses: we see things which ‘are not there’; we hear what no one else does. We therefore live precariously, with a terrific amount of uncertainty and confusion for long periods of time. This is also an experience particular to individuals. The Ope

This post, 'Are our mental health services in crisis?', originally appeared on The Fabian Society on 5 November 2013 and is re-posted with permission from the author.There is an increased demand for mental health services in Britain, but we are failing some of our most unwell and vulnerable people. Last week, the Health and Social Care Information