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• Mental Health Awareness Rasing for Librarians - SINTO course on 20th November 2007

New Stuff

• CILIP's Health Libraries Group (HLG) conference on 21st-22nd July included a keynote on the future of the National Library for Health, and a session on the patient information service, NHS Choices. See the conference presentations at: http://www.cilip.org.uk/specialinterestgroups/bysubject/health/events/conference/HLG%20Conference%202008%20Presentations.htm (UM 7 [7-8] July/ August 2008 p5)
• Bernice Braal lists 'Health Websites: this year's best' in Update Magazine to celebrate CILIP's Health Libraries Group 2008 Conference: SEARCH ENGINES & KNOWLEDGE GATEWAYS: www.searchmedica.co.uk (Search Medica)/ www.library.nhs.uk/ (National Library for Health [NLH])/ http://cks.library.nhs.uk/home (Clilnical Knowledge Summaries [CKS])/ http://shelcat.org/F?RN=714591281 (Scottish Health Libraries Catalogue [Shelcat]). PATIENT POWER: www.nhs.uk (NHS Choices)/ www.patientopinion.co.uk (Patient Opinion)/ www.nhsdirect.wales.nhs.uk (NHS Direct Wales). FAMILY HEALTH: www.dad.info (Dad Info)/ www.cancerhelp.org.uk (Cancer Help UK)/ www.diabetesinfoplus.co.uk/cmspi/diabetespi/main/home.aspx (Diabetes Information Plus). CHILDREN'S HEALTH: www.childrenfirst.nhs.uk/ (Children First for Health)/ www.medicalconditionsatschool.org.uk (Medical Conditions at School). GLOBAL HEALTH: www.travelturtle.co.uk/ (Travel Turtle)/ www.who.int/globalatlas (Global Health Atlas). ESTABLISHED FAVOURITES: http://besttreatments.bmj.com (BMJ Best Treatments)/ http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com (BMJ Clinical Evidence)/ www.brainpop.com/ (Brainpop - health & science site for young people)/ www.intute.ac.uk/healthandlifesciences/latest.html (Intute Health & Life Sciences). (UM 7 [7-8] July/ August 2008 pp45-47)
• To see the DoH's report Choice Matters: working with libraries, go to http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_083956 (UM 7 [7-8] July/ August 2008 p5)
• Mencap’s relaunched arts website (click on link below) is the voice of artists with a learning disability. Art Spider, supported by Nokia UK, has been tested by lots of people with a learning disability to make sure that it looks good and is easy to use. The Website includes: What's on section promoting learning disability arts events; Art Spider Gallery showing the best art from artists with a learning disability - people with a learning disability are encouraged to send in their artwork; Resources section - for DVDs, books, reports and anything else to do with learning disability and the arts; links to the websites of other major learning disability arts organisations. See http://www.artspider.org.uk/ (Mary Harrington, Doncaster Libraries 22/08/08)
• A mental health trust has launched a website for young people with emotional, behavioural and mental health difficulties. Oxleas NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health, social care and learning disabilities services in Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich in London, launched the website: www.camhscares.nhs.uk in July. The website aims to provide information on issues that young people often worry about and the services and support available to help them deal with them. The Teen Zone and Kids Zone are especially designed for young people and children, but the whole site is for anyone to use. (Mary Harrington, Doncatser Libraries 22/08/08)
• New Patient Information for Manic Depression and Bipolar. See http://lancashirecare.wordpress.com/2008/08/26/new-patient-information-for-manic-depression-and-bipolar/ (Lancashire Care Library & Information Service 26/08/08)

Mental Health

• Due for release next year is a film called 'The Public' directed by Emilio Estevez about ' A conscientious librarian [who] tends to the homeless and mentally ill people who use the public library as a homeless shelter.' See: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182346/ [The Effing Librarian blogs: http://effinglibrarian.blogspot.com/2008/05/48-hour-angel.html May 28th 2008]
• The newsletter of the National Institute for Mental Health in England (April 2008): http://nimhe.csip.org.uk/silo/files/mhp-update-april-2008.pdf includes an article highlighting the activities, outcomes and learning from the Welcome To Your Library project, in the London Borough of Hillingdon, where the work was delivered through a partnership of Hillingdon Library Service, Healthy Hillingdon and Hillingdon HOPE. Newsletter at weblink above (article on pages 4-5). In the same issue, there is also a news item (page 25) on the launch of Well Being Centres in public libraries in Northamptonshire. (WTYL 05/05/08)
• YoungMinds magazine's t featured download for March 2008 is a copy of Angela Neustatter's article on the effects of asylum on young people's mental health.- see: http://www.youngminds.org.uk/document-library/pdf/ymm-featured-downloads/YMM-featured-download-iss-93.pdf The hard-copy of YoungMinds magazine (see http://www.youngminds.org.uk/join-us/youngminds-magazine for info), the latest issue (no.93, March/April) also has an important article about the recent spate of - largely unreported - suicides of young Kurdish and Turkish men ("'They would rather die than live their lives like this'", pp32-34). (WTYL 25/03/08)
• The 16th UK Public Health Forum: Community cohesion and empowerment: championing the social, cultural, economic and environmental determinants of health, 1-2 Apr, 2008, Arena & Convention Centre Liverpool http://www.ukphaconference.org.uk/ has two library & reading oriented poster presentations: Welcome To Your Library: Exploring the role of libraries as promoters of health literacy and community cohesion is a poster presentation, by Andrew Knight from Healthy Hillingdon, one of the Welcome To Your Library partners; and Healthy Reading Project for Young People: promoting positive mental health and wellbeing in schools and libraries within East Dunbartonshire. For the full programme see http://www.ukphaconference.org.uk/pdf/Programme_for_the_website.pdf (the above presentations are on on p20 under the heading P12 and on p22 under the heading P21 respectively). (WTYL 17/03/08)
• Community Care website. Briefings on “the bigger picture”
  http://www.communitycare.co.uk/Articles/List.aspx?NavigationID=153&SlotPageID=32 This expert guide section of the Community Care website has very readable briefings on a wide range of topics. Although intended for those involved in the social care sector these could be very useful background for library staff. Topics covered include Mental Health and Children’s Services. (WTYL 10/03/08)
• Roslyn Byfield reviews her experience of mental health awareness training provided by the National Institute for Adult & Continuing Education in Update Magazine. Also see NIACS's website for more information on their courses: http://www.niace.org.uk/Conferences/TrainingCourses.htm (UM 7 (1-2) Jan/Feb 2008 p54)
• Anglia Ruskin University & UCLan have produced a report (partly funded by DoH) entitled: Mental Health, Social Inclusion & Arts: developing the evidence base. See: http://www.socialinclusion.org.uk/publications/MHSIArts.pdf (posted on Lancashire Library & Info Service blog on 21/01/08 by S Jennings: http://lancashirecare.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/mental-health-social-inclusion-arts/ )
• The Minister for Young People, Kevin Brennan, announced on 24 January the 25 local authorities that will begin the Targeted Mental Health in Schools project. Each local authority and corresponding Primary Care Trusts will work with between three and six secondary schools, as well as their feeder or associated primary schools, to deliver better support for those children who are at risk or are already experiencing mental health problems. Successful local authorities in the SINTO area are; Lincolnshire, Leeds, and North East Lincolnshire. (The Network Blog 27/01/08: http://www.seapn.org.uk/blog.asp?page_id=48&blog_id=1&entry_id=34 )
• This Year's (new) SINTO Bob Usherwood Prize has been awarded to Dept of Information Studies student, Elizabeth Brewster for her dissertation 'Medicine for the Soul: bibliotherapy & the public library'. Carl Clayton's SINTO Blog has a post on this subject: http://sintoblog.blogspot.com/2008/01/bibliotherapy_18.html Or this link will take you to the SINTO Website where you can access a PDF of the dissertation. http://extra.shu.ac.uk/sinto/professional%20issues/A%20Professional%20Issues.htm#prize (University of Sheffield will also make the dissertation accessible from their website at some point - a link to this will be added when available).
• This book was recommended by an attendee at SINTO's Mental Health Awareness day on 20th November 2007: book. "I had a black dog" by Matthew Johnstone and the ISBN is 9781845295899 - the book captures very well what it feels like to be depressed. See the thread on 'Depression' at the bottom of this page to see the full comment and respond.
• This is from the US, but looks very moving and thought provoking: Willard Psychiatric Center: Forgotten Suitcases - Emotional Baggage "An exceptional exhibit at the New York Public Library provides a glimpse into the forthcoming book, "The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases From a State Hospital Attic" (Bellevue Literary Press), written by Ms. Penney and Dr. Stastny with photographs by Lisa Rinzler." The book chronicles inmates of Willard Psychiatric Center in New York's Finger Lakes region. [also see an article in the New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/college/coll07suit.html?_r=1&oref=slogin ]
• SINTO Mental Health Awareness Raising for Library Staff course was run on 20th November 2007 at Sheffield Hallam University. The afternoon seminar included the following talks:
  • Ruth Fletcher Brown on Rotherham PCT spoke about 'Mental Health the Role for Libraries: Mental Health & Social Inclusion'
  • Jayne Sinclair of Rotherham Library Service talked about their bibliotherapy service ( jayne.sinclair@rothgen.nhs.uk 01709 307190 )
  • Kate Cowell, Student Mental Health Coordinator at Sheffield Hallam University talked about the services of the Disabled Student Support Team with regards to mental health.

All the attendees are invited to use this page to refer to sources of information and contribute any information they think might be useful to other library staff.

• This article in the Times talks about patients increasing use of discussion forums to access support, as well as information, regarding various health conditions: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article2894007.ece There is advice on how to get the best out of these forums as well as links to several examples: www.breastcancercare.org.uk/content.php; share.macmillan.org.uk/share (cancer); saga.co.uk/sagazone (various, including 'Carers' and 'Health'); rnid.org.uk/forums (deaf people - this link didn't work, so try: http://www.rnid.org.uk/community/forums/ Gilly); ocdforums.org (obsessive/ compulsive disorders); epilepsyforum.org.uk ; aspergillustrust.org.uk/patients/
• World Mental Health Day on 10th October, looked at the impact of diversity and culture as its theme. See the following links for Information about World Mental Health Day; the 2007 Event: Mental Health in a Changing World: The Impact of Culture and Diversity (Big Issue 08/10/07)
• A new Public Service Agreement (PSA) is aimed at reducing social exclusion amongst the most vulnerable adults. The socially excluded adults PSA focuses on increasing the proportion of at-risk individuals in settled accommodation and employment, education or training, which represent the core foundations of normal, everyday life which the majority of people take for granted. Four client groups are covered by the PSA. They are particularly vulnerable to multiple forms of disadvantage and include: care leavers; offenders under probation supervision; adults in contact with secondary mental health services; and adults with moderate to severe learning disabilities. For more see: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/social_exclusion_task_force/
• MLA Yorkshire's latest Audience Development Toolkit Resource Banks are now available on their website. This includes advice for Working with People experiencing Mental Health Problems
• Improving Mental Health: right information, right now article by Roslyn Byfield in Update on a pilot project in Lambeth for the South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation (UM 6 & [7-8] July/ August 2007)
• CILIP's website has 'Top Tips' under 'Senstive Issues - Mental Health': www.cilip.org.uk/professionalguidance/adviceservices/toptips/
• There is an article by Helen Milner in May's Update looking at the social impact of four library projects connecting various groups to ICT: Older people, carers, adults with mental health problems (Cambridgeshire); Older people & adults with mental health problems (Lincolnshire); Families in poverty (Leeds); Older people and teenage parents (Suffolk). (UM p40-43 May 2007)
• Sue Berriman has set up a Bibliotherapy service at HMP Hull for prisoners with mild to moderate mental health problems. (UM 6 (5) May 2007)
• Young Minds Magazine concerned with mental health of children and young people: www.youngminds.org.uk. (LACJ 06/02/07)
• MLA Yorkshire's latest Audience Development Toolkit Resource Banks are now available on our website. They offer guidance on working with: Children in care/ Prisoners and young offenders/ People experiencing mental health problems To download a copy visit the Resources page of the website at: http://www.mlayorkshire.org.uk/webdav/harmonise?
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  58Ec&parent=group_1 (MLAY 18th Oct 06)
• Mental Health services will be integrated into Libraries by 2015 - The Future of Mental Health a vision for 2015, Sainsbury Centre of Mental Health/ Local Govt Assoc/ NHS Confederation/ Assoc of Directors of Social Care. See www.scmh.org.uk [Update Jan/Feb 06 Vol 5 (1-2) p2]
• The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has endorsed the use or self-help materials such as those supplied by 'Books on Prescription' Schemes. (UM April 2006)

General Health & Patient Information