News Release, 6 May 2008
The Mental Health Foundation has been given more than three-quarters of a million pounds in lottery funding to run self-management programmes for people with serious mental health diagnoses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The four-year project will develop, deliver and evaluate 60 programmes throughout Wales and is the first project of its size in the UK.
Self-management provides people with a set of skills that enable people to take more control over their health within the context of their day-to-day lives. The idea is to avoid a crisis before it happens, or be able to respond effectively if one does occur.
Self-management is commonly used by people with chronic physical health problems, such as diabetes and arthritis. The potential for using similar techniques within mental health care has been much anticipated but as yet underexplored.
Dr Andrew McCulloch, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation, said:
“This is a hugely exciting opportunity to shake the foundations of how social and health care is delivered for those with diagnoses of serious mental illness. Self-management is about giving people the tools to take control of their own mental health.”
"The benefits of successful self-management are not only felt by the individual concerned and those close to them. Expensive crisis management care is needed less often and people using self-management techniques are more likely to be able to stay in work."
David Crepaz-Keay, Head of Patient and Public Involvement for the Mental Health Foundation, who will be leading the project, said:
“People are expected to self-manage at the moment anyway, but without the training to do so. By letting people drift from crisis to crisis we end up with the worst case scenario for everyone. The service-user is left feeling powerless in the face of their illness while health and social services need to provide expensive crisis intervention that might have been avoided with a better self-management programme.”
Programmes involving service users with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder will be delivered by the MDF – The Bipolar Organisation which already has experience providing self-management training.
A number of the programmes will be delivered in Welsh.
Notes for Editors
For more information please contact the press office on 020 7803 1130/28/26.
The Mental Health Foundation uses research and practical projects to help people survive, recover from and prevent mental health problems. We work to influence policy, including government at the highest levels. And we use our knowledge to raise awareness and to help tackle the stigma attached to mental illness. We reach millions of people every year through our media work, information booklets and online services.
Back to top
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
