Wednesday, 26 February 2014

All about the Book

The next part of the book proposal to be written is called About the Book.

"Isn't it ALL about the book?" you might ask, and you'd be right, up to a point. But as we have been discovering, a book proposal has to cover rather more ground than "Hey this is a great book, sign us up!"

There are sections covering the market (audience), our credentials as authors, other books already published, production details, promotion, brief chapter summaries and sample chapters... phew! In many ways, the About the Book section is a summary of all those parts, and then some... and it's important to get it right.

I had my big pad of paper out earlier, and my best fountain pen, and did some scribbling... out of which, I believe, came some useful ideas which we will be looking to develop in the next few days.

Wish us luck!

Thursday, 20 February 2014

A little update

We’ve not provided any updates for a little while but rest assured, we are working away behind the scenes!

The main focus at the moment continues to be putting together the book proposal for "Gum on My Shoe". That is taking longer than we (certainly Marty) originally imagined, mostly because we’ve never written one before and were a bit naïve as to what it entails. It’s challenging, but as we go through the process we are gaining a far better sense of where we want to go with the book, and who our main audience will be.

Marty has been active on Twitter recently, and has met some great people over there. If you would like to follow us there, our Twitter handle is @GumOnMyShoeBook. We’d love to hear from you!

We’ve also been blessed in finding some great people to provide words of endorsement, which should stand us in very good stead. Mighty thanks to those who have done so, or have said they might!

The support and encouragement of you all means the world to us. We really couldn’t do this without you!

Sunday, 16 February 2014

Guest post: Chris Roberts

Introducing an occasional series of guest posts. Today, Chris Roberts shares her story and reveals what Gum on My Shoe means to her.

I have Bipolar I, which includes the psychotic symptoms during the mania episodes. The psychotic symptoms include schizophrenia, paranoia, and delusions. I was first hospitalized when I was a little over 17 and a half, and off and on for over 30 yrs.

There was no such diagnosis for Bipolar Disorder back then and it was thought that I suffered a drug overdose and would not come out of it. It wasn't until I was about 34 yrs. old that I was diagnosed. I'm almost 55 yrs. old now and have less severe manic episodes, but still suffer with mood swings and the intense emotions that go along with the disorder. I haven't had to be hospitalized in several years now. I take an anti-psychotic, mania meds, and an anti-depressant, to help not cure the disorder.

I enjoy the Gum on My Shoe Facebook page, because it further educates people about what it's like to have the Bipolar Disorder, which is not really known about all that much!

Thank you, Marty and Fran, for allowing me to be a part of something that hopefully will shed more light on the subject!

Monday, 10 February 2014

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

I’d like to share my experience of the Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) course I completed last week, because it deserves to be far more widely known about than it is. I’d never heard of Mental Health First Aid until I attended an event organised by the "Time To Change" programme, but it sounded just what I was looking for and I registered on the first available course. I had to take time off work, and pay for the course myself, but I can honestly say it’s the best investment I’ve made in a long time.

What is MHFA?

"Mental Health First Aid is an educational course which teaches people how to identify, understand and help a person who may be developing a mental health problem. In the same way as we learn physical first aid, mental health first aid teaches you how to recognise those crucial warning signs of mental ill health." [MHFA England website]

Four versions of the course are available in the UK.

  • Lite (3 hours, £75)
  • Standard (2 days, £300)
  • Youth (2 days, £300)

There is also a version of the course tailored for the Armed Forces. The prices I've listed are from the MHFA England website, but do check locally. The Standard course I did cost £95 for the two days (not £300).

Who teaches it?

According to the MHFA England website, there are over 650 instructors delivering the course in England. I was lucky to have the pick of the bunch. Bridget Woodhead and Rob Errington, of HealthWorks Newcastle, are simply exceptional. Having completed the course, I can’t imagine it being delivered by anyone else (unless maybe Ant and Dec, but they tend to be pretty fully booked these days).

Who is it for?

The course is listed as suitable for social care professionals, ambulance workers, nurses, school teachers, managers, as well as those with personal experience of mental illness, their friends and family. If you are thinking "I don’t really fit into any of those categories", don’t be put off. Find a course (there are some useful links below) and give it a go. You won’t be disappointed.

Of the thirteen in the class, I was the only one there in a purely "personal" capacity. The others represented a range of support services, including other parts of HealthWorks, which provides support for people wanting to make positive changes to maintain or improve their health, and Your Homes Newcastle, which manages council homes on behalf of Newcastle City Council. There was a great mix of personalities, ages and experience.

What is it like?

For anyone wondering, there was no role-play involved. There were several short exercises performed in groups of three or four. These were interesting and thought-provoking but not difficult, and fostered a positive atmosphere of sharing and working together.

The course is divided into four main parts. The first day covers depression and suicide/suicidal thinking: day 2 discusses anxiety disorders and psychosis. I found it odd that bipolar disorder was covered under psychosis (by definition only type 1 bipolar includes psychotic episodes) and mania/hypomania were scarcely mentioned. I feel it would benefit from a section of its own, but I recognise not everything can be covered in a two day course. Much of day one was directly relevant to type 2 bipolar, and very useful to me personally.

The value of the course extended far beyond the slides and booklet we were working from. It was stressed from the start that we were under no obligation to share more than we felt comfortable doing, but many of us felt safe doing so which added immensely to the experience. It really brought home to me that "mental health issues" don’t only happen to "other people". They are a part of all our lives in one way or another, whether we experience them directly, or in those we meet, know and care about. I came away with a deep respect for everyone there, and I am proud to count several as new friends.

And afterwards?

I think we were all sad that the course was only on for two days: we got so much out of it that we would gladly have returned for a few more sessions. Sue Field was on the course and kindly shared her experiences with me afterwards:

The MHFA course was a fantastic insight and introduction into mental health issues. I feel that this course should be compulsory for everyone as it looks at the stigma that is associated with mental ill health and how difficult it can be to be diagnosed with a mental illness. I haven't stopped talking about it to my friends, family and colleagues and it has highlighted the need for more services and support to help people to get professional help as early as possible. It has made me realise that I am passionate about helping people who are suffering with mental illness and am currently in the process of trying to find employment in this area. It was a very positive and motivational course made even more enjoyable by the fantastic course facilitators.

Rob generously shared his own perspective:

For Bridget and myself, talking about mental health is not a job but a passion. For more than five years we have delivered this training to hundreds of people and no two courses are the same. For some participants it builds on the significant knowledge and experience they already have. For other people it is a process of peeling back the layers of the myths and assumptions they have been told in the media to reveal a new understanding of what mental health is. And for some the two days are a safe place where they can feel that they aren't alone. It is a privilege to be able to explore these issues with people and we have learned so much ourselves along the way.

I wholeheartedly recommend the MHFA course to anyone. I found it built on my own knowledge and experience, and fired me to learn more. I’ve booked a place on an Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) course in July. Sadly, that won’t be conducted by Rob and Bridget. Whoever I get has a hard act to follow!

~Marty

Useful links

Healthworks Newcastle

http://www.healthworksnewcastle.org.uk

MHFA United Kingdom

http://mhfaengland.org

https://www.facebook.com/MHFAEngland

https://twitter.com/mhfaengland

MHFA United States

http://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/cs

MHFA Canada

www.mentalhealthfirstaid.ca