OCD Action

Nimrod
Key Master

See the full content with graphics at http://www.time-to-change.org.uk

Contents

England starts talking about mental health
Catherine Zeta-Jones speaks out
Join us on the road this summer
Talking about mental health at work

England starts talking about mental health

Last month we launched our new campaign ‘it’s time to talk, it’s Time to Change’. And people have been doing just that with conversations about mental health happening on TV, radio, websites and in living rooms across England.
There’s been a brilliant response - in fact over 60,000 people now like our Facebook page , showing their friends that they are part of our movement to help end mental health discrimination. Here’s what a few people had to say...
"The Time to Talk campaign gave me the confidence to tell my manager about suffering from bipolar with a positive response!"
“Mental illness shouldn’t be a secret, the more open we are about it the less isolated people who suffer with it will feel.”
If you’ve missed any of the live campaign coverage, check out our Facebook page or website to catch up, watch our short film featuring some well-known faces , and share the campaign with your friends and networks.
With all the conversation about mental health in the last few weeks, now is the perfect time to take action yourself. Why don’t you do something today?
• Order free materials to put up in your place of work, community centre or gym
• Find an event near you to attend and show your support or even run your own
• Send a Time to Change ecard to a friend to show them you care.
Take action today

Catherine Zeta-Jones speaks out

Media coverage of Catherine Zeta-Jones has been hard to miss over the last few weeks, since she recently went public with her bipolar disorder. We think her honesty will help to lift some of the stigma attached to the illness - it's certainly helped draw media attention to mental health problems.
One supporter, Angela Woodside, who also has bipolar, has blogged about her personal reaction to the story, saying
"For the many of us living with bipolar disorder who feel silenced and shunned, it is easy to be thankful for the person, famous or not, who challenges stigma and misunderstanding by openly stating that they have experience of mental distress."
Read more of Andrea's blog and let us know what you think.

Join us on the road this summer
We're hitting the road again this summer, with a series of roadshows aimed at getting people talking about mental health in high streets and at events across England.
We want to get plenty of volunteers on board to talk to the public about mental health and help get this issue out into the open. At the moment, we're finalising the route and dates, but we aim to cover all regions of England throughout the summer.
If you think you might be interested in volunteering, drop us a line.
Get in touch

Talking about mental health at work
It's time to talk - but we know that when it comes to telling your employer about a mental health problem, that's not always easy.
If you're wondering whether to tell your employer about your mental health problem, and are not sure what your rights are, why not check out our online information about mental health in the workplace?
Our latest legal blog also looks at how the new Equality Act affects what you need to tell a potential employer when you're applying for a job.
Read more http://www.time-to-change.org.uk

Fri Apr 22 2011 9:03:46 #
Tess
Member

Thanks for the info Caps. I've had a look at the link and was surprised to see that the Rethink event in Cornwall on 18th March at which our OCD support group gave a presentation is shown on the map of events. Just wondering if there is any way we can get more inclusion of OCD into the Time to Change campaign. For example Catherine Zeta Jones has highlighted bipolar but there are twice as many OCD sufferers as bipolar and yet we are still struggling to raise awareness - and more importantly still struggling to get knowledge and understanding into the health profession and related fields such as social services.
For example, this is a small extract from the presentation we gave on 18th March, as it was told to the group, and this is what OCD sufferers are still having to cope with in some GP practices:
I used to have to have regular blood tests and I couldn't even walk into the surgery. I had to open the door with a tissue. The nurse said "will you take a seat" and I had to explain why I couldn't sit down. She said she couldn't do the test with me standing up so I asked her to put some paper off the roll on the chair. Then she turned round so I couldn't see her get the needle out of the packet so I told her I have to make sure the needle is not contaminated so I have to see it taken out of the packet. She got very annoyed with me, she said who did I think she was, she knew how to do her job and when I stood up to go she watched me struggling to open the door and did nothing to help me. I got more and more flustered but she wouldn't open it for me and it took me about ten minutes to get out. If I had a physical disability and was in a wheelchair she would have opened it but she just watched me struggling and then asked me when I was going to leave.

Fri Apr 22 2011 10:01:25 #
Nimrod
Key Master

Tess. The points you raise are very valid. I passed on the information from Time-to-Change because I thought it would be of interest to forum members although at that time I had not read it myself. My personal view is that the TtC objectives are right but are not necessarily focussed in the best areas or are fully inclusive. Also, I agree it would be good if we could get OCD more into their campaign and I will see that the OCD Action Trustees have this matter on the agenda of their next meeting.

Best wishes,

Fri Apr 22 2011 19:35:28 #