Hello everyone, welcome to another audio blog by Matthew McKenzie a carer from Lewisham working with the South

London and Maudsley along with Slamtwigops to promote services and keep carers, service users and health professionals informed. ou can check out our !acebook page which usually has daily news updates on mental health news in and around South London, we sometimes upload photos to !acebook and love likes and discussions. !eel free to follow Slamtwigops twitter page on updates and perhaps retweet anything you feel interested in. "r for more in#depth details you can follow Slamtwigops blog which sometimes has similar updates to !acebook, but more in#depth topics on many updates concerning mental health and health communities in South London. "n the $%th of Saturday "ctober $&'(, ) took a trip to Southwark on a rainy day. ) went over to cover a black history month event, but this one was looking into how mental health was affecting the *frican and +aribbean communities. ,he event was presented by +ambridge House, but before ) go on, who or what is +ambridge House+ambridge House tackles the in.ustice of poverty by promoting social .ustice and driving community empowerment. ,hey have done this for '$/ years. 01uipping communities with the tools they need to break free from poverty by providing access to education, .ustice, empowerment and opportunities for self#e2pression. +ambridge House also supports the development of the sector, sharing their knowledge and practices with charities, corporations and government to build bridges throughout society and increase the reach of their work. Last year alone, they helped /3,&&& children and adults. +ambridge House provide both social .ustice and community empowerment services. Social Justice Since '445, +ambridge House has stood up for those who lack the ability and capacity to protect their own rights. 0veryone should have access to .ustice and liberty and that no voice should ever go unheard. )t is easy to take .ustice and liberty for granted. 6ut, too often, we are deprived of these basic rights. 7overty strips away the knowledge, resources and capabilities we need to get our voices heard. 6y offering free e2pert legal advice and professional advocacy services we 8give voice9 to the most vulnerable people in our society, increase access to .ustice for those without the means to pay, promote social inclusion, tackle ine1uality and address gaps in statutory provision. Law Centre # offering the most vulnerable people in our community free access to high 1uality, independent and e2pert legal services Advocacy services # :orking in partnership with vulnerable individuals, taking their side, and helping their voices to be heard. ,his service area focuses on our communities with mental illnesses.

+ambridge House e1uips communities with the tools they need to break free from poverty. 6y creating pathways to education and employment, supporting the vulnerable to live their lives to the full, enabling families and communities to tackle deprivation and nurturing the successor generations, they empower individuals and organisations to strive for a better future. Youth Empowerment # 0mpowering young people to tackle the in.ustice of poverty and fight for a better future. Education Projects # :e provide creative programmes and activities for children, young people and adults with disabilities and Special 0ducational ;eeds. !amily Support and <espite # deliver activity schemes for children, young people and adults with moderate and severe learning disabilities and=or multiple disabilities that re1uire '#' or $# ' support.

0mployability # provide holistic support that acknowledges individual needs, encouraging and facilitating long#term change that will enable people to escape the cycles of unemployment and poverty for good 0nterprise # )n addition +ambridge House works as a social enterprise. Making the most of our recently redeveloped building, we offer building facilities and services including office and meeting space to like#minded community organisations. :e currently have '> resident organisations which operate permanently from our building and a large database of organisations and community groups which rent our meeting rooms and halls on a regular basis. )n $&''='$ over ',&&& people came through our building every week.

Where They Work +ambridge House have a local to national ethos which means that to affect long#term social change and impact, we? @evelop and pilot services in our local area Ase this e2perience to offer best practice initiatives across London Share their work and e2periences with government, businesses and the voluntary and community sectors across the country "ur frontline services are delivered in Southwark, the /'st most deprived borough in 0ngland. ,hey are increasingly delivering across London, including the boroughs of )slington, :altham !orest, Lewisham, Lambeth and the +ity of London. ####### So ok, what was in store for me or those visiting the event called B02ploring Mental :ellbeing in our *frican and +aribbean communitiesC :ell there were three main activities at the event. "ne was the screening of the hard hitting film called C,he revolving @oorC Second was the CLets discuss mental wellbeing in our *frican and +aribbean +ommunitiesC # with guest panellists? SLaMDs own @r "la.ide, Eary 0llison and Fac1ueline 6est#Gassell. ,he panel was facilitated by 0arl 7ennycooke ,hird was the C6eat itHC activity, which was *frican drumming workshop from the )<"K" theatre company. So the event was packed with information, discussion and fun, all centred on black history, culture and tackling mental wellbeing. *s ) arrived early, ) was greeted by the preparation staff 0ve, Madeline and Gicky, all working so hard to get the event set up correctly. *s soon as people began to trickle in to the event, ) noticed a very good turnout. :e then had a welcome from Karin :oodley, +hief 02ecutive of +ambridge House. Let9s get a bit of bio about Karin Karin :oodley .oined +ambridge House as +hief 02ecutive in *pril $&'(. :ith over $3 years of third# sector e2perience in community empowerment, arts and culture, education, diversity and e1uality, and criminal .usticeI Karin is passionately committed to addressing the comple2 needs faced by some of the most vulnerable people in our society So ok, Karin spoke about the harsh statistics she had researched on when it comes to black mental health in the community. ) must warn you, they are 1uite depressing.

# )t is noted that 3&J or more black people suffering mental health problems are likely to enter the mental health system via police # //J likely to be sectioned # $5J restrained # 7lus other devastating findings, but ) guess you get the picture by now. # Karin noticed that there is usually an increased level of enforced treatment, which in turn produces a fear of services, which is actually meant to help them to recover. # Karin spoke of how she met with $ women, and they told Karen of their e2periences as they felt they were being institutionalised. # Karin also talked about those who were restrained and in.ectedI most were not refusing treatment and wanted tablets. # Karin then mentioned of how health professionals notice that those who use psychotherapy and not drugs can sometimes lead people back into hospital. # She felt that severe side effects of the medications seem to not be discussed, can lead to diabetes, Karin spoke of how someone lost their kidneys due to the medication. # Most disturbing was that everyone was given the same treatment even if different diagnoses. # Karin then talked about how the mental health service seems to push back the physical problems Karin then thanked 0arl 7ennycooke on assistance and structure and she also thanked 0ve Eyimah. ############################################# ;e2t 0ve Eyimah introduced the activities of the event being the film, discussion and drums. but first, we were shown a film called C,he <evolving @oorC ,he story e2plores a young black man9s e2perience of mental health problems. ,he aim of this work is to discuss the issue of stigma associated with mental health, the role that a community can play in a person9s recovery and how organisations can work together for the benefit of the people who use services, their carers and the public. ,he film was produced with the support of 6irmingham and Solihull Mental Health ;HS !oundation ,rust ;ow ) do not want to spoil the film, but ) will point out some interesting sections of the film. # ,he young black man named Marcus felt pushed and discriminated against due to his mental health symptom, e2pressing confusion, neglect and angry, these all come together to negatively e2press his race, class and gender. # :e get a word from psychiatrist e2pression worry about his patient, but also describing his symptoms. # ,he young black man is fed up with his routine. He struggles with work. ,he sameness increases his anger, feels his work colleagues are against him. ,he same sound makes him feel either=or # feels good to shut the world out, or they world .ust cannot get in. # He 1uestions us on what happens when the world around the mind begins to break down- :here does this leave the mind# His boss begins to worry and now feels she will have to let him go, this leads to mental health discrimination at work, mainly because she feels he is not strong enough to solve his personal problems, basically because she does not understand mental health issues. # Marcus tries to cope through smoking and drink, the vicious cycle begins. "ther people see him, and notices something is wrong, but not sure what the problem is. ,hey feel the problem is personal.

# only those very close asks about his medication, being his mother...this shows the emphasis on carers, but even then they struggle to cope with caring. # eventually the sufferer does reaches out to his mother, she then liaises with the psychiatrist, because of her worry, he is now readmitted due to negative social engagement K thus the revolving door turns again. # stigma becomes now .uicy gossip for the community and his work contract is terminated, words are now used to describe his health. Marcus feels that sometimes he thinks too much, he is looking for answers, but not sure what they could be. He then asks us.....:hat could we do-H-H################################### ,he film was a great lead up to the panel discussion with the audience participating. ;ow ) must warn you, the 1uestion and answer session was fast and sometimes heated, but ) tried to get as much information as ) could in a fair meaningful way, although please note these are my interpretation of what was said. 6efore ) continue, let9s have a brief bio of each of the panellists. !irst we have the !acilitator 0arl 7ennycooke is the manager of the Southwark user council, Southwark and Lambeth mind. 0arl 7ennycooke is the manager of Southwark user council. )t is a uni1ue service that delivers feedback to commissioners from Southwark ++E and works closely with SLaM managers to give stakeholder feedback on services. 0arl has both personal and professional e2perience of the mental health services for over (& years. 7rior to his role with Lambeth and Southwark mind he managed a similar pro.ect for a Mental Health and substance misuse charity work. :here he was the user involvement manager working across London and the south east to ensure service users voices were heard in local and national forums. LL ;e2t on the panel Earry 0llison # Mental Health Service user consultant !or the last % years Earry has been working with a wide variety of mental health sector organisations, services and charities. His passion is 7eer support and other initiatives that facilitate holistic approaches to care planning. He is currently doing work with the following organisations Mand this is 1uite a lotN, Southwark Mind Aser +ouncil, ,he 7eer $ 7eer initiative, Social *ction for Health, ,he <afiki and Masada 6M0 pro.ectMsN, South London and Maudsley ;HS MSLaMN, ,he Metropolitan Missing Link 7ro.ect, ,he ,hames <each Homeless +harity and the *frican *dvocacy !oundation. LL *lso on the panel we have @r @ele "la.ide # +onsultant 7sychiatrist and +aldicott Euardian @r "la.ide is a consultant psychiatrist in the 7sychosis +linical *cademic group and ,rust +aldicott Euardian for South London and Maudsley ;HS foundation trust. @uring his career he has worked on secondment in the @epartment of Health as a Senior Medical "fficer where he was responsible for 0thnic Minority Mental Health 7olicies and has also worked as an honorary Medical "fficer to the Secretary of State for ,ransport

"ver the past (& years, @r "la.ide has contributed to and developed many services for ethnic minority mental health. He has given many public lectures, made media appearances and published two books and numerous articles. LL Last but not least on the panellist Fac1ueline 6est#Gassell # from South London and Maudsley She has been through a $% year personal .ourney into the mental health services, suffering from 7ost# ;atal @epression, she has had a difficult .ourney with the mental health services. She got on the involvement register and managed to access a wide range of professional courses from SLaM, one of these lead her to undertaking a 6,0+ @iploma in ;ursing and going on to work in the field. She also has worked as an educational psychologist in schools and colleges for over '4 years and feels had it not been for her personal e2perience in mental health services, she would not believe that this route into adult mental health would have been one she would have looked into. LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL So then what was discussed at the panel- 7lease remember a lot discussed was at speed and ) may have misinterpreted what was said, but )9ll try to do the best ) can. 0arl # Started off by wanting to draw out some themes on what is mental illness. Earry # felt that if you are mentally unwell it seems that you do not fit into society, but felt even though Marcus was unwell, he :*S productive in society. 0arl # then wondered what the audience thought about the illness. MSomeone asksN # was these based on real eventsMSomeone else repliedN # it9s hard to define mental illness, the connection is what we can see and what we are going through does not seem to be there. )t cannot be easily measured. @r "la.ide # ,hen posed 1uestion. :hat is mental illness- Mental illness is a variation of normality. :e are able to make sense of our e2perience, but then when it becomes difficult to make sense, then it turns into a gradual withdrawal, where you lose capacity to do things. ou lose your ability to function. @r "la.ide then gave an e2ample of those who are e2posed to stressful situations, some recover, but unluckily for those who have difficult mental health symptoms suffer from these all the time. 0arl # !elt there are so many definitions MN # someone from the audience then asked can you show us e2amples of these0arl # then spoke about the terms in the @SM M@iagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental @isordersN Mpsychiatrists9 bibleN, he spoke about the first manual to work out mental illness and points out the first world war symptoms, and mentioned how *merican psychiatrists have managed to form a structure of so many definitions of the illness. ,he book was Michel !oucaultDs ,he birth of the +linic. @r "la.ide # felt these are different definitions, 7,S@. :ent into the term of schizophrenia. He spoke about the history of the terms and definitions of schizophrenia. @r "la.ide spoke about @r Kraepelin, M1uite interesting to hear, as we learn more of the history of this type of illnessN, he also described catatonia, hypephrenia, simple schizophrenia, paranoid schizophrenia. @r "la.ide moved on to state the tragedy of the label of Marcus Mthat is the young black man suffering from mental health problems in the film shown earlier, for those who have forgottenN, @r "la.ide asked how many people did Marcus interact with- He felt the social stigma is prevalent. Had his care

co#ordinator came to see him, and then he would be fine. @r "la.ide also criticised Marcus9 manager MMarcus boss in the filmN who has no time to him. 0arl # wondered how people could challenge these stigmasMKarin :oodley +0" of +ambridge HouseN # spoke to the audienceI she spoke about how do we as a community understand and support and remove stigmaShe mentioned there were two levels to this "ne being the micro level, she felt Marcus problems could not be normalised, the other level being the macro level, she wondered how many black men are being diagnosed because they were in an oppressive cultureKarin asked how do we address the over diagnosis- ,he over#reaction- How can we combat theseHow can we combat institutions that can be oppressive and lead others, especially black people to illness0arl # then placed this 1uestion back to the panel. Fac1ueline # felt that primary health is the beginning, these things .ust do not occur, they build up over time, sometimes you do not even know yourself what9s going on. :e need to look within. How do you individualise mental health, perhaps you don9tHH :hat is normalityMN # Some from the audience asked who9s to say what you do- )t9s *uthority, they put ideas on the person. ,he person might be thinking of something, so why do they want to do this to people7eople do not 1uestion people all the way to the hilt- )t is fear perpetuating fear. MN # Someone else spoke of someone who has gone through such difficult mental health problems, he feels it seems that they were over thinking. Leaflets of the mental health definitions were given out to his friendI they read this information and began to panic. ,he simplest way to recover from mental to health is .ust talking. LL * lot of the audience agreed, but someone countered this argument MLN # She felt smart people did overthink, for e2ample 0instein, no one 1uestioned their thoughts. MLLN # Someone in the audience spoke about the reaction to the leaflets and named this as transferal. Earry # felt talking is a big part of healing. 0arl 7ennycooke # mentioned a book, about '%th century mental health services, he felt that they have to talk the language the health professionals understand. ,he problem of language and communicating with mental health professionals is a difficult issue. MN # Someone from the audience felt it9s .ust one rule over another, she blamed Margaret ,hatcher. 0arl # disagreed and felt a lot of social pressure ends up on immigrants who in turn end up using the mental health service. Fac1uie # asked another important 1uestion. :hat can we do as a group of people....black people to combat thisMN # someone from audience felt that the best form of defence is attack. Fac1uie # felt talking therapies is usually best. MN # however some felt that black people are the ones mostly doing the talking

Fac1uie # Fac1uie replied ok are we able to do this now0arl # !elt the black population needs to access )*7,s. @r "la.ide # felt Migrant populations always have over representation of mental illness. @r "la.ide also felt that as people become more integrated into society they become more powerful in class, the risk of illness becomes less. )t seems the social class are more at risk of the mental illness. MN # ,he audience agreed that money and class do have an effect. @r "la.ide consultant psychiatrist # !elt we seem to blame our community, he has seen many black people who *<0 more caring. :e need to stop blaming ourselves. Most people who suffer from such diagnosis do not receive psychological treatment, now these days people can have talking therapy e.g. )*7,s. @r "la.ide mentioned how he has seen many changes as a governor at SLaM and things have changed. MN # it9s your opinionH ou and the doctors and +7; .ust blame us.

MN # Someone from the audience then talked about their personal e2perience with the doctors, she felt it was a negative e2perience because of the shock therapy, no one checked her health, no one believes her. She asked why no one believes me0arl # !elt that it seems the stigma is a black problem, especially within religions. MN # Someone poised another 1uestion to the panellist and felt concerned about the medication, the weight gain is terrible. ,he effects of medication, shuffling is terrible and distressing. :hy is no one checkingEarry MMental Health Service user consultantN # agreed MN # However someone from the audience felt it9s because it9s organised torture. 0arl # pointed out that we need to be thinking about the community, rather than the individual because the problem of representation. MLN # However someone from the audience felt we .ust cannot be lumped like this. ,his is an individual problem as well. MN # an audience member felt people .ust do not seem to be held accountable. ,he community affects everybody, regardless of race or creed. 0arl # So 0arl asked the audience, so how do we deal with thisMN # However some from the audience replied you tell us0arl # pointed out that information is around. "n the stalls, internet and it must be shared and e2plored. MN # Someone felt that there seems to be a better system in Famaica, it9s a reaction to how people behave. MN # an audience member felt not one person on the panel has answered the 1uestions. :hat can be dealt with the problem of medicationMN # another audience member disagreed and mentioned that 0arl could be approached if his not on his panel-

0arl # felt that this needs to be a community discussion that comes together, and not .ust the individual. MKarin :oodleyN # 7oised another important 1uestion.....*s a collection of people, what are the common e2periences that we need to deal with this- How do :0 ask those 1uestions of those hospitals on how we should be treated- ,hose practices are damaging our families and our communities. MN # Someone from the audience felt we should start at the hospitals MLN # *nother person felt that how can you make changes against those who are pre.udice MN # another audience member made what ) felt was an important statement. )t went like this #O )f you have relations, the treatments are different compared to those who are isolated. :e as people do not work as a family unit, this needs to change. !or our younger generations we need to go into schools and make sure those of a young age understand mental health, it9s a best way forward. @r "la.ide # felt the last statement is a very good point, He mentioned we as black community need to work as a family unit which is more cohesive. @r "la.ide also spoke about that the way people behave sometimes affects their treatment, sometimes medication that is given can often be too much, but the reason whyHe stated that it9s because they are too ill, but this treatment )S reduced if they recover. ,his is the way medication is designed, the dosage levels will usually be at ma2imum will be more helpful in order to aide to recover. 0arl # then apologised for the discussions being short, but stated that a lot of answers will not be solved in such a time limit, he still wants us to think about the issues at least. !rom there, the panel discussion ended. ##################### *fter a short break and networking, the event moved to the last *ctivity. 6eat itH *frican @rumming with the )roko ,heatre +ompany # M)ntro fades in drumsN ;ow *frican @rumming workshop goes to the roots of Dd.embeD meaning Deveryone gather together in peaceD and it encourages a reflection of *frican heritage to support current challenges. )<"K" has developed workshops aimed at helping those who might feel a degree of social isolation. ,hey work with a range of people including the elderly, people suffering from mental health problems and those wishing to reintegrate into mainstream society. M)ntro drum fade outN So first )<"K" gave drumming dance session where some got involved in *frican dance.....and boy were they good. Here is some dancing Mdance drum fade inN M@ance drum fade outN # ,he )<"K" theatre company spoke about the types of drums

@.embe drum 6atP drum 6ougarabou drum :e then got involved in a practice session. Here is what we practiced M!ade in practice drumsN M!ade out practice drumsN ) admit after the heated panel session earlier, ) noticed something, that listening to the drums seemed therapeutic, ) felt this was interesting. ;e2t the )<"K" +ompany moved on to teaching us cross rhythm, different rhythms played at the same time. # ,he role of the drum is so big, it call and response, the drum is used for communication and storytelling. :ell what ) thought of the event. ) know, ) know....) keep doing long audio blogs, what is the matter with me doing such long blogsHH *nyway, ) was glad to be asked to help cover and blog for the event. ) know ) am out of my borough, but to go to another black mental health event was an honour ) .ust could not refuse. ,he way the event was set up and advertised was very professional and ) admit, ) learnt so much from being there. ) hope all who has listened to the blog felt they have learnt a lot about mental health in the black communities. ) en.oyed watching the hard hitting film C,he revolving doorC, very educational and ) hope it can change stigma on mental health. ,he panel discussion even though it left some 1uestions unanswered, is needed for these events, because one of the best ways to tackle mental health stigma is to move forward as one, but there needs to be leadership and structure. Let9s hope +ambridge House can provide this, let9s hope Southwark can provide this for their communities, better yet...let us people...not only black people, but those who want to help, take us forward. So we can work as one. ) could not take part in the *frican drums since ) was taking down notes, pictures and some recordings. ) understand the meaning of art therapy, music therapy and dance. )t heals, it really works, ) am not a service user, but ) could feel it, after the tough panel session, ) actually began to release the tension and be e2posed to more black culture. Here is the last part of the music session and ) must say thank you for +ambridge House and Southwark for hosting a magnificent black and mental health history event. <emember to visit Slamtwigops sites to hear about mental health news and updates and thank for listening to our blog. M!ade comple2 music inN 7hotos of entire drumming M!ade out comple2N