In Mind

Councillors were recently sent a copy of the annual report from Southend Mind , which is the local association for the national mental health charity Mind.

The Association is one of over two hundred Local Mind Associations, which comprise the Mind network.

They have a website here with a fair bit of information on it.

There’s local stuff such as contact details, and details on the services they provide. Southend Mind also cover Rochford and Castle Point, and one of their services is aimed for people who live in rural locations:

Community Bridge Building – Social Inclusion

Many people who experience mental distress often face unemployment, discrimination, low expectations, poor health, poor housing, social isolation, lack of direction and a detachment from the mainstream of life. This is social exclusion…..

The Community Bridge Building team supports and empowers the mainstream community to be more inclusive of everyone, especially their clients.

… The Bridge Builders will offer dedicated, tailored support to Service Users as they develop the confidence to use mainstream services and expand their social networks.

Within this service we run various social groups as well as a women?s only group.

Access to the Bridge Builder Service is for persons aged between 18 and 65 years, who live in the rural areas of Rochford or Castle Point Borough and have been diagnosed with a mental illness.

You must also be accessing a secondary mental health service or be supported by an agency for disadvantaged groups which is linked to by a Bridge Builder….

There’s also more general stuff, for example on dealing with combat stress in the UK armed forces:

COMMUNITY BASED ? 5500 New outpatients seen per year (3% of military population).
15000 Review appointments per year.

INPATIENTS
Approx. 350 per year.

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