End Stigma In Croydon

1 Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health

Hear Us, Croydon’s Mental Health Service User Group. Registered in England No. 6891337 Charity No.1135535

Registered Office, Orchard House 15a Purley Road, South Croydon, CR2 6EZ

ENDING STIGMA IN CROYDONOne Conversation at a Time


What is the Reachout Challenge?

Hear Us is a mental health charity and service user group which provides a voice for people with mental health issues in the Borough of Croydon and aims to reduce the stigma attached to mental ill health.

From 2012 - 2014 we ran a project called the Reach Out Challenge in which staff from organisations across the borough had the opportunity to speak with Hear Us volunteers, all of whom have their own lived experience of mental illness. You can get to know a bit more about some of our volunteers in this booklet.

OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE AMAZING!

The Aims of the Reachout Challenge were 2-fold:

1.The project allowed people with and without mental health problems to come together and have frank and open discussions about mental illness (over obligatory tea and cake!), dispelling some of the myths and highlighting the fact that we are all essentially the same, with similar hopes, dreams and aspirations.

2. Organisations had the opportunity to address the important issue of Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing.

Working Together for Change and Better Understanding in Mental Health 3

Why this project? I have always struggled with my mental health and have had numerous hospital admissions. I have also always been someone who finds strengh and a sense of wellbeing through my work. However, sadly, due to a lack of understanding and education in society around mental illness, work has not always been what it could have been for me, or for many of the 6 out of 10 employees in our borough who are personally affected by mental illness. It doesn't need to be this way. With the right understanding, empathy and where necessary a few reasonable adjustments, there is no reason why people with mental illness can't be as happy and successful in the work place as anyone else, (ps.I am not actually a Fireman, i just like the uniform!) Jane White (Project Lead)

Our FundingThe project is funded by a grant from Time to Change (TTC), the biggest campaign against mental health discrimination. Their research has shown that simple, short, one on one conversations are the most effective way of combating stigma and changing attitudes.

Time to Change Director Sue Baker with Alastair Campbell at the Reachout Launch back in

October 2012

www.time-to-change.org.uk


OUR BEST BITS

In the NEWS!


MEET a few of OUR VOLUNTEERS.......

Richards story

Hello my name is Richard; I suffer from a personality disorder, anxiety, depression and emotional displacement. I have been a member of Hear Us for about two years.

I was asked if I was interested in going to a Reachout event, I said yes but didn’t really understand what it was all about. I thought it was the ORGANISATIONS talking to us about the services they provide. At the event, I realised that it was us “THE MENTALS” giving them training. A spike of adrenaline coursed through my veins and when I had my first conversation, with two young 999 caller takers for the London Ambulance Service, I completely and emotionally over-exposed myself. I came away thinking “it’s too much for me, too dangerous, too raw of an emotion to deal with”. But after a few days of processing it, I felt fundamentally that the project was a good idea. So, with some encouragement from the other members of Hear

Us, I went again.

I made the decision to be as open and as honest as possible, knowing and trusting I was in a safe environment.

If I have through my conversations, or should I say our conversations, encouraged one person to treat us “THE MENTALS” with dignity, compassion and understanding - then job done.


Lets talk about M ental Hea

lth

Hear U

s “Reach Out Challenge”

Scott's story Hello my name is Scott Hillier I’m age 39 and was diagnosed with bipolar type one in the year 2000. I have been

hospitalised and sectioned 11 times under the mental health act as a result of my condition. If the bethlem royal hospital was a hotel then I would definitely have shares in it by now!

One night I remember sitting in my bedroom in deep thought when my mind completely opened up and something snapped. I woke up the next day and felt different, I had loads of energy and was full of ideas and would speak a hundred miles an hour. I felt like I had inside of me every single answer to every single question in the universe, I felt invincible like I was God! I felt like I was part of some

government conspiracy and was working under cover for the MI5. Everything on this planet was designed for me. The sun would come out just for me, the traffic would stop just for me and a message on a billboard would be just for me. This first feeling of mania I had was the most beautiful feeling I ever had, a trillion time better than any drug I took. But then by all accounts I started behaving oddly My dad took me to the bethlem royal hospital where i was sectioned. That was the most terrifying moment of my life and that’s when my beautiful feeling of mania turned darkThis was the first of many episodes.

I was sectioned 10 times after this but mainly because I refused to take my medication because I wanted to experience that beautiful euphoric feeling of mania again. But I’ve since realised that what goes up has to come down and the higher you go the lower you fall. Nowadays I try and do as I’m told and take my meds although I will never be an angel!


Lets talk about M ental Hea

lth

Hear U

s “Reach Out Challenge”David's Story

Never would I have imagined how much joining the Reachout Challenge would change my life. I wouldn’t have believed it if you had tried to tell me how far I would come, that I would start working in the office, that I would become a link worker, and a trustee, I would have told you, you were mad. Around the time of the project launch in 2012 it was about a year on from one of the darkest periods of my life, a period where I had to drop out of university due to mental illness, was very unsuccessful in trying to get a job and where many relationships with friends, family and others broke down.

I was looking for something to give my life purpose, a sense of meaning, a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and as it turned out Reachout was just the thing I was looking for. I found the first few months very challenging, I was terrible in terms of punctuality and I would often arrive just as an event was ending. I struggled heavily in the conversations,

anxiety is hard. But these were all challenges I could overcome and as time went on I came on in leaps and bounds, my timekeeping improved, I performed better in conversation and probably the biggest turning point in my life, I was asked to come into the office to assist on a regular basis. After that there was no getting rid of me!

I took on new challenges such as becoming a Trustee for Hear Us, And now looking back at the time I have spent with Hear Us (which I would say has been the best time of my life) and thinking of all the amazing things I have done I know I certainly wouldn’t be where I am today and I certainly wouldn’t be looking optimistically towards the future, without the Reachout challenge.


John's story

I have suffered with recurrent depression and anxiety for some ten years now that has in the past led to my being a patient in Bethlem hospital. There is a vast public misunderstanding of what mental illness is, due largely to sensationalised stories in the tabloid press about dangerous psychopaths on the rampage. Stories of people who manage their mental illness, whilst at the same time holding down responsible jobs and successful relationships do not sell copies. It is a fact that one in four people will at some point in their lives suffer some form of mental illness and those fortunate enough not to themselves will have somebody close to them that does

I was first asked at the outset of the project to become involved, but I refused. I felt that my anxiety and social phobia would prevent my being able to engage with the project. “I couldn’t do it “, but I was wrong. Since I became involved I have learned so much, not just about mental

health, but about myself. I believed that having studied psychology with the open university that I had a good understanding of what mental ill health was, but it has been the wonderful, inspirational volunteers that I had the good fortune to work alongside, that has led to my real social understanding of the issue and makes me feel humble.

For me personally the highest point was when we were chosen by our patrons to present our project to a group of people from Holland, who were setting up a similar project. This for me only emphasised the common humanity we all share wherever we live.


REACHOUT CHALLENGE 'smashes' it's TARGET

At the start of the Project we set ourselves a Challenge to have 500 conversations with staff from different organisations across the Borough over the 18 months of the Project. We held over 1000 in total!

Conversations in Action


18.00 Warm Welcome Jane White

18.10 Introduction to Stigma Ray Johannsen-Chapman

18.20 Time to Change Sue Baker

18.30 Reachout Challenge Jane White

18.40 Muscial Interlude Key Changes

18.50 Poetry Sarah Milne

18.55 Meet the Volunteers David, Scott, Barbra, Carmen, Tony

19.15 Time to Eat All

19.45 Musical Interlude 2 Key Changes

19.55 Croydon's FinestVicki Hirst, Rob Wilkes, Brett Loft, Johnny Wells, Theresa Dent Gater

20.15 Our Volunteers are Amazing Jane White

20.25 Lights, Camera, Action Hear Us Media Team

20.30 Time to End Jane White

Reachout Challenge Presents "An Evening of Celebration"

Please note: Programme may be subject to changes


Favourite Comments from our Organisations

The relaxed atmosphere made it easy to talk. I learnt more in two and half hours than five years

in service

Meeting people with mental health issues face to face gave me

understanding of their perspective and

challenges

Great to talk to people

with personal experience rather than learning from

a book


Challenging Stigma towards Mental HealthSo How Did We Do? At the end

of each organisational visit, we asked Staff to Rate the Effectiveness of the Project in Challenging Stigma and Discimination by posing 5 questions:

Results from Croydon University Hospital A&E

Results from London Ambulance Service at BOW

Q2. How effective was Reachout Challenge at demonstrating that people can recover from mental health problems?

Q1. How effective was Reachout Challenge at demonstrating that stigma and discrimination might effect people with mental health problems?


Q3. How effective was Reachout Challenge at demonstrating that Mental Health Problems are NOT a sign of weakness?Results from

Croydon Council

Q4. As a result of Reachout Challenge would you be willing to challenge unfair treatment of people with Mental Health Problems? Results from British

Transport Police

Study Centre at Crystal Palace Football Club

Q5. As a result of Reachout Challenge would you be willing to speak openly about your Mental Health?


The project provides a unique opportunity for our staff to ask frank questions about people’s mental health experiences within an open and honest setting. The learning and knowledge they take from the session can then be applied when supporting customers within their daily work” Amber Shotton – Regional Manager, A4e

It was great to have conversations with people living with mental illnesses, listen to their experiences and ask questions which we ordinarily wouldn’t have the opportunity toBritish Transport Police


They have enjoyed the ability to talk to people with no time constraints as experienced when attending people in their day to day jobs. It has enabled them to ask the questions they have wanted to ask but have been unable too. These have been along the lines of “how best do I approach you” “what can I do to assist you during our time together” and of course the classic “what do you NOT want me to ask or say?”

The feedback from these sessions has been in short phenomenal. Staff often complain that they have very little assistance and training with regard to mental health issues and they have found the sessions have helped them with their understanding of the issues often faced by people who are in crisis.

Volunteers have been open about the issues they face daily.

Improvement will be in the continual engagement with employers to further break down these barriers (CDG)


PIECING IT

ALL

TOGETHER!

REACHOUT CHALLENGE


Hear Us would like to achknowledge all the Volunteers and Organisations who took part in this Project. Your honesty, openess and willingness to talk about Mental Health has been courageous and inspirational - together you have helped change our Borough

for the better - THANK YOU!

With special thanks to our volunteers: Julia, Ian, Chris, John M, Carmen, Peter, Christine, John R, Elliot, David, Tom, Sue, Jolene, Pradip, Em, Adam, Kelie, John, Nicole, Veronica, Sarah, Martine,

Tony, Beverley, James, Tim, John H, Michele, Adrian, Barbra, David, Sharon, Claire, Dan, Lisa, Emma, Tara, Letitia, Gem, Richard, Marie,

Anne-Marie, Cheryalin, Enzo, Mathews, Kevin, Scott, MarkSarah W and Paul

And with huge Thanks to our organisations: Croydon Metropolitan Police, The London Ambulance Service, The London Fire Brigade,

Purley Job Centre Plus, Croydon Council, Arriva Bus Company, Croydon University Hospital

British Transport Police, CDG, A4E, Croydon Libraries, Home Office, Croydon A&E Department, Crystal Palace

Lewisham Jobcentre, Croydon Jobcentre Plus Jane White (Reachout Challenge Project Lead)


She had blue skin.

And so did he.

He kept it hid

And so did she.

They searched for

blue

Their whole life

through,

Then passed right by

And never knew.

“Masks” by Shel Silverstein


REACHOUT CHALLENGE TAKES

CROYDON BY STORM!

End Stigma In Croydon

Documents

Transcript of End Stigma In Croydon