World Mental Health Day 2017
The Centre for Future Health was a co-sponsor of a series of events held at the University on 10 October 2017 to mark World Mental Health Day and raise awareness of this key health area.
The main organiser was the University of York Mental Health Research at York Steering Group and the Day was delivered in partnership with Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust.
The events included a well-attended series of broad-ranging and very engaging presentations aimed at exploring some of the diverse mental health research happening at York. These included:
“Child orientated mental health interventions” (Dr Lina Gega, Reader in Mental Health)
"Policing and mental health" (Professor Martin Smith, Professor of Politics)
“The Community Pharmacy Mood Intervention Study (CHEMIST) - Investigating depression prevention for people with long term health problems” (Dr David Ekers, Honorary Visiting Fellow)
“No different? How young adults with Asperger syndrome make sense of their mental health” (Professor Bryony Beresford, Co-Director Social Policy Research Unit)
"Housing, Neighbourhood, Homelessness and Mental Health" (Professor Nicholas Pleace, Director - Centre for Housing Policy)
“Listening to Voices” (Dr Debbie Maxwell, Lecturer in Interactive Media)
"Supporting people experiencing mental health problems to enhance their social networks" (Professor Martin Webber, Professor of Social Work)
The Day also witnessed the launch of Mental Health: Pasts, Current Trends and Futures a new book published by Orient Black Swan this year which has been jointly produced by the University's Centre for Global Health Histories [CGHH], which is a WHO Collaborating Centre, and CFH’s predecessor, the Centre for Chronic Diseases and Disorders [C2D2]. This trilingual book features a series of remarkable illustrated case studies of mental health from different areas of the world and across periods in time, several of them by experts from the University. Each sheds light on some of the many motivations and innovations in the field of mental health, and analyses the range of barriers and opportunities that continue to impact this complex area of work.
An exhibition of twenty images from the book was on display in the Exhibition Space next to the 3Sixty immersive space in the Ron Cooke Hub and free copies of the book were available in the exhibition room throughout the afternoon and evening. Both the exhibition and the book received many positive comments.
On display next door in the 3Sixty Space were a number of short films and animations themed around mental health, including another project funded under C2D2 - Jane’s Story. This short animation was produced by Amanda Mason-Jones in Health Sciences and Sandra Pauletto in Theatre, Film and Television with film director Nik Morris and charts the journey of a young person who is diagnosed with a chronic health condition but is determined not to let this disability stop her succeeding in life.