Editorial

Citation

Pozner, A. (2012), "Editorial", Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. 16 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/mhsi.2012.55716caa.001

Editorial

Article Type: Editorial From: Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Volume 16, Issue 3

Welcome to the summer issue of Mental Health and Social Inclusion.

First, a warm welcome to Sophie Corlett from national Mind who will be penning our regular Policy Watch briefing from this issue onwards. Sophie examines recent trends in the stigmatisation of and discrimination against people with mental illness in Great Britain.

In our other regular feature Research Watch, Sue Holttum reviews two recent research papers relating to the use of biological explanations: the first highlights how unhelpful it can be to over-use genetic explanations for various human experiences, the second discusses the unhelpfulness of exclusively biological explanations for mental health conditions.

A new series called Remarkable Lives starts with a profile of Peter Bullimore, one of the most dynamic, lived experience speakers in the mental health world. A portrait of Peter is built up through a wide-ranging interview by psychologist Jerome Carson. Peter talks about his experience of hearing voices, his personal illness and recovery; his work in Australia and New Zealand; and many others areas. A truly inspiring man.

Greencare is a mode of clinical practice which uses contact with the natural world as a component of treatment. An emerging area of thought and practice in the care sector, it has a conceptual framework that brings together several disparate elements into an agenda for developing radically innovative approaches to mental health. In a stimulating essay, Rex Haigh explores the linkage between these elements and greencare, illustrating them with vignettes from contemporary British mental health practice.

Drama can be an effective way of demystifying and destigmatising mental illness. Latoya Wilson describes a highly innovative drama project in Bedfordshire. Key to the success of this was input from a wide range of health, social care and community agencies, as well as local service users. A key message of the play was even those who lack mental well-being have dreams which they can achieve with the right kind of support.

There is growing evidence that self-help groups can be effective ways to promote social inclusion and mental well-being. Nazira Visram, Adrian Roberts and colleagues describe how self-help groups for people with cancer help members regain a sense of control over their lives, develop supportive relationships and participate in collective activities. They argue that the member-led nature of self-help groups is safe and effective in promoting well-being, and that top-down monitoring and evaluation requirements can sometimes be unhelpful.

Joanne Rixom describes a highly imaginative project offering weekly trapeze lessons to individuals with a range of mental health conditions. Participants reported a range of psychological benefits including improved self-esteem, motivation, and ability to overcome mental barriers such as fear. Many made real progress towards employment, with some individuals finding jobs. These outcomes support the adoption of a holistic approach to employment support. IPS employment programmes could benefit from offering a portfolio of interventions which could include physical exercise.

And finally, Sally Denham-Vaughan and Michael Clark discuss the process of assessment within the developing model of care clusters being implemented in England as a potential basis for a payment by results system. The authors describe the innovative approach of recovery focused conversations, a way of undertaking assessment and cluster allocation through mutually respectful dialogue between professionals and service users, and that promotes a recovery oriented approach throughout the subsequent care pathway.

Enjoy

Adam PoznerSenior Researcher at TriNova Research.