Mind in Croydon is gaining a reputation for the production of ground-breaking documentaries on a range of mental health subjects, and our video on self-injury, Visible Memories, was recently featured in a programme shown on Channel 5. We were also pleased when our latest film Pillar to Post was featured in the Department of Health’s Guide on Good Practice in Dual Diagnosis as a recommended educational resource. We continue to receive encouraging feedback for these films.

If you require any further information about our videos, please contact Richard Pacitti.

Unspoken

A Film About Sex, relationships and Mental Health

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Our latest film on the subject of sex, relationships and mental health, “Unspoken” is now finished. 

The sexuality of people with mental health problems raises important clinical, social and legal concerns. Despite this, there is relatively little written about the subject and staff can feel confused and embarrassed when discussing these issues.

Mental health problems may interfere with peoples' sexual function. For example, depression is typically associated with decreased sexual interest, libido and sexual performance, whereas mania is associated with disinhibition, sexual inappropriateness and heightened sexuality. Practitioners are aware that psychiatric medication can interfere with sexual function, yet service users sometimes feel that these matters are ignored or discounted.

Sometimes, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender service users feel poorly treated by services. This is perhaps not surprising, given that for many years psychiatry considered homosexuality to be a mental disorder.

"Unspoken" explores these issues, with service users explaining their experiences. A range of other experts discuss how professionals might respond differently, and models of good practice are presented.

The DVDs should be delivered from the duplicators by the middle of April. Copies will be available from Mind in Croydon and National Mind at a cost of £35. An official launch will take place in May.

Cost: £35 Running time: 27minutes

Hard to Believe

A Film About Spirituality and
Mental Health

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A person's Spirituality (whether or not it involves religious beliefs) influences strongly how they see themselves in the world and society. It is now recognised that peoples' Spirituality is an area that mental health services may have ignored or overlooked in the past. Some staff feel out of their depth in this area, some see such beliefs as being symptoms of mental ill health, and some may feel that religious beliefs have harmed people.

It is also the case that some people from Faith communities lack knowledge and understanding of mental health issues, even though there is evidence that spiritual well-being is an integral part of good mental health.

"Hard to Believe" considers both Mental health services' attitude and knowledge regarding peoples' spiritual needs and Faith communities' understanding of mental health problems/issues.

The film tells the story of three service users, how their Spirituality was perceived by mental health services, and the role that Spirituality has played as part of their recovery.

The film considers the work of the Chaplaincy at the South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and Nigel Copsey's Multi-Faith Team in East London. Dr Andrew Powell, who chairs the Royal College of Psychiatry's Spirituality Special Interest Group, also features.

"Hard to Believe" explores models of good practice in terms of how mental health services can work better to meet peoples' spiritual needs and also how faith communities can develop a better understanding of mental health problems and thus support people in their community who may be experiencing such difficulties.

The film is available on VHS or on DVD with extended interviews and special features.

Cost: £35 Running time: 30 minutes

pillar to post

a film about dual diagnosis

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People with a dual diagnosis of both mental health and substance misuse problems are currently considered to be one of greatest challenges to services. Studies show that between 30% and 50% of people with a diagnosis of a serious mental health problems also People who have a dual diagnosis report how they are pushed from Pillar to Post - from one service to another, with each service offering little or no help or simply passing the client on to another service. The result is that people with complex needs often fall out of services completely.

Pillar to Post features people with a dual diagnosis and a range of experts who describe the difficulties faced both by services and service users. The film shows that many service users are self-medicating with street drugs because they find such substances more helpful and less damaging than prescribed psychiatric medication.

The film argues that the problem is not necessarily due to service users with multiple needs but with services whose approach can be the cause of many more problems for service users.

Pillar to Post presents a model of good practice which shows how by working flexibly and with the service user's agenda, progress can be made with people who once felt they had been written off by services.

Cost: £35 Running time: 23 minutes

visible memories

a film about self-injury

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The issue of self-injury is surrounded by stigma and misunderstanding. Such behaviour is often labelled as attention seeking or, mistakenly, as attempted suicide.

Visible Memories allows people who self-injure to describe their experiences. They tell us some of the reasons why they self-injure and what approaches they find helpful or unhelpful. Setting self-injury in a more general context of self-harm, the film argues that such behaviour is a valid coping mechanism for dealing with internal emotional distress, and that consequently, the challenge for those who do not self-injure is to come to terms with their own feelings in relating to those who do.

Cost: £40 Running time: 27 minutes

finding the edge

young people and mental health

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As many as 1 in 4 people will at some time experience mental health problems, yet stigma and misunderstanding often isolates those in distress.

Many of the members of Croydon Mental Health Users' Group (CMHUG) began using mental health services when still teenagers. They are aware that the stigma and misunderstanding of mental health issues still prevents many young people from seeking help when they encounter difficulties in their lives.

By providing clear and factual information on the subject they aim to remove this stigma and make it easier for young people to seek out the support they need. Young people discuss some of the challenges they face and focus on the solutions to these challenges. Counselling services for young people are described and illustrated in a way that aims to overcome barriers.

Cost: £25 Running time: 15 minutes

Hard to Believe feedback

"Hard to Believe is highlighted in the new Project Paper published by the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) and the Mental Health Foundation and will be a major educative and training resource across the country-and, hopefully, internationally. I am confident that it will help us all to create services which genuinely consider what is best for the whole person and act on that understanding".

Peter Gilbert, NIMHE/SCIE Fellow and Project Lead for the NIMHE/Mental Health Foundation Partnership on 'Spirituality and Mental Health'.

Hard to Believe is sympathetic to faith leaders, mental health workers and service users - acknowledging fears, inviting further exploration and pointing to a way forward. The film should be helpful to anyone who wants to be more aware of issues concerning religious belief and mental health. Mary Ellen Coyte, Mental Health Foundation

Pillar to Post feedback

“I found this film to be a personal and powerful account not only of the devastating consequences of these diagnoses, but of the meaningful and often common sense approaches that can be offered to individuals, which can make a significant difference. I thought the film well-balanced regarding specialist psychiatric services’ failure to provide meaningful provision for this group, understanding the reasons why this might be so, and demonstrating future developments for these services that could rectify this failure in the duty to care. Overall, I think this is a much needed educational resource.”

Ian Ryrie, Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health

“Pillar to Post is highlighted in Department of Health guidance on good practice in dual diagnosis as a valuable educational resource for practitioners. I hope very much that it will help to bring about improvement in the experiences of service users with this combination of problems.”

Jenny Bywaters, Deputy Brach Head, Mental Health Services, Department of Health

A comprehensive and accessible introduction to the key issues for services and service users.

Adrian Worrall, Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Research Unit.

Visible Memories reviews

"An important contribution to the growing body of knowledge from those of us who live with self-harm. The primary experts are leading the way to a greater understanding of self-harm. Watch and learn."

Louise Pembroke, Chair of National Self Harm Network, Author of "Self-Harm: Perspectives from Personal Experience".

“A highly professional and excellent resource which everyone with an interest in self-harm should see”.

Elizabeth Gale, Policy and Development Manager, Mentality

". . . 100% on target. The film takes the mystery out of the behaviour . . . All in all very effective."

Professor Armando Favazza, Author of "Bodies Under Siege"