MH_Other_Resources
Risk assessments
Your employer will probably have a stress risk assessment to be able to review the issues which are causing you stress at work. It should also have a section on control measures which can help reduce the impact on your wellbeing.
It will be a confidential document which you can complete with your line manager if you feel confident discussing your feelings with them. If not, speak to your Branch official, Welfare support Officer, Counselling Service or Occupational Health department. There will probably be a review date to ensure that the control measures are working properly.
Health & Safety Executive Management of Stress Standards
Employers are encouraged to use the Health and Safety Executive’s Management of Stress Standards when reviewing a role or creating a new one. The six sections of work design listed explain what it is that you should be able to achieve in your role to be able to stay well.
See http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress/standards
The Management Standards represent a set of conditions that, if present, will result in high levels of health, wellbeing and therefore performance. It is helpful to talk about the standards at your appraisal, as it focusses the conversation on the key areas which might be causing distress, therefore poor wellbeing.
WorkStress
WorkStress is A Voluntary organisation that campaigns to secure proper recognition of the damage cause by work-related stress and to prevent work-related stress – see http://www.workstress.net
They have produced a comprehensive information booklets on all aspects of stress, including case law. See http://www.workstress.net/sites/default/files/stress.pdf
Recovery & Wellbeing
Recovery
There is no single definition of the concept of recovery for people with mental health problems, but the guiding principle is hope - the belief that it is possible for someone to regain a meaningful life, despite serious mental illness.
If you have been affected by poor mental health, find out if there are any Recovery Colleges in your area. There may be free courses which will help you to understand what is going on for you, help in getting you back into the workplace as well as recreational courses which support your recovery and wellbeing. Often they are provided free of charge.
This may help to explain the concept of Recovery as it relates to being mentally unwell.
http://www.recoverydevon.co.uk/edocman/Recovery_Concepts_Laurie_Davidson.pdf
There may be local meetings which you can attend which follow the Recovery model. See here from the Mental Health Foundation for more information on recovery https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/a-to-z/r/recovery
The Scottish Recovery Network is well established and has many resources – see http://www.scottishrecovery.net . There is a wealth of information in the Resources section including personal stories from people who have experienced the recovery model and what it has meant to them.
See also www.recoverydevon.co.uk. There is a Devon Recovery Learning Community which has a course list and a Library with book reviews. See http://devonrlc.co.uk
Maintaining your mental wellbeing
As with physical health, it is important that you pay attention to your mental wellbeing with as much care. Whether you have lived with the effects of mental illness or maybe just thinking about how you can build your resilience for the future, here are some suggestions which may help.
Five Ways to Wellbeing – these are a set of evidence-based actions which promote people’s wellbeing – see -
http://www.fivewaystowellbeing.org
http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/improve-mental-wellbeing.aspx
https://www.devonpartnership.nhs.uk/Five-ways-to-wellbeing.415.0.html
A Resilience course – Your local Mind will have courses which help to build personal resilience and are tailor made for FRS’s. You can take these courses if you’re well and not experiencing any challenges.
Ensure that you have a good work / life balance – work your contracted hours, take regular breaks including a lunch break (go for a walk, take a book outside, chat with friends but NOT about work!). See below for Work Your Proper Hours day which you could introduce into your workplace. Whey not get a group together & organise some lunchtime activities?
https://worksmart.org.uk/work-your-proper-hours-day
Further Resources
FOA Leaflets are also available; these might be helpful to officials and members when dealing with mental health issues relating to : -
Blue Light Mind booklets http://shop.mind.org.uk/shop/blue_light_publications?ctaId=/news-campaigns/campaigns/bluelight/blue-light-resources/slices/order-booklets
Mental Health First Aid – As with physical first aid, there are 2 days courses available in your area to give people additional skills in recognising signs and being able to signpost to sources of further support whilst keeping people safe – see http://mhfaengland.org Find out if you have any MHFA trained people in your FRS. Go on a course!
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) - Developed in 1983 and regularly updated to reflect improvements in knowledge and practice, ASIST is the world's leading suicide intervention workshop. During the two-day interactive session, participants learn to intervene and help prevent the immediate risk of suicide. Over 1,000,000 people worldwide have taken the workshop. See
http://www.prevent-suicide.org.uk/asist_suicide_intervention_skills_training_course.html
Book - Depressive Illness; the Curse of the Strong. Dr Tim Cantopher (2012) – 100 pages of easy to read and understand information about depression and how to combat the effects, as well as support colleagues, family and friends.
'If the response to his BBC broadcast is anything to go by, Tim Cantopher is saying something uniquely powerful to people with depression. People affected by depression tell me this is the most powerful and helpful book ever written about the topic. I keep meeting people who say this book changed their lives' Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio
Book - Living with psychosis: Recovery and Wellbeing. Elina Baker & Melanie Attwater. This book is intended to help people struggling with psychosis to feel hopeful and develop ways of understanding and coping with their experience which will enable them to move forward in their lives. The book could also be used by someone supporting the recovery of a person experiencing psychosis, to aid their own understanding or give them ideas to try with the person. http://www.recoverydevon.co.uk/news/521-new-book-living-with-psychosis-recovery-and-wellbeing
Fact Sheet on general mental health support (Devon County Council) http://devon.cc/mentalhealth
A – Z of mental health http://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/a-z-mental-health