I spent the sunniest Saturday in Manchester for a long time sat inside for a day's training on physical health It was run by Rethink's campaigns team to get local activists like us here at RMCIA thinking about how we can get involved in Rethink's Fair Treatment Now campaign. The 'shocking statistic' is that people with severe mental health problems like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, personality disorder and severe depression die up to 20 years younger compared with the rest of the population - not just from suicide but from preventable physical illnesses.
There were about 20 people in the room including service users, carers, activists and professionals - or combinations of two or more of those fairly unloved labels. I was particularly struck to hear the personal stories of people who had battled through really difficult times and had their physical health problems overlooked, or at worst ignored.
It's popular knowledge that regular exercise makes us all feel a bit better, but it's hardly going to be top priority for someone experiencing an acute psychotic episode, or bout of severe depression. We had some interesting conversations about peer support or hand holding to help make the first steps to physical activity: sometimes just walking to the end of the road can be a huge challenge. This support can make a big difference and importantly, fosters some kind of a routine.
I sat with another RMCIA group member to talk through a possible campaign in Manchester. With GP commissioning consortia on the horizon, we discussed how we could target GP surgeries to get them thinking about mental health early on. There could be a long way to go - someone in the group reported that she had just recently visited two local GP surgeries and amongst all the literature on display there wasn't a single leaflet about mental health.
So, thanks to Rethink's campaigns team for a great day - it was worth sacrificing a rare sunny Manchester day to be there!
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