Author Archives: mmckenz11

About mmckenz11

IT Officer for London School of Osteopathy and a Carer representative for Maudsley. As you can see, I have many interests shown off my blog. I hope to keep it updated with posts and more things to come soon.

Review of play – So You Think I am Crazy?

Welcome to another blog post from Matthew Mckenzie a carer in Lewisham, On the 13th of March I took a trip over to the Albany theatre in Lewisham. I heard there was a play regarding the journey of a young black man through the mental health system. I had booked my tickets to see the play. The play was called “So you think I am Crazy” and I heard the play was shown over in the London Borough of Croydon and also played at the Maudsley Learning Centre in 2014.

Here is a video of the review if you wish to sit and watch instead of having to also read the blog.

I was very excited to at last have a chance to see the play which is directed and written by Ekanem Hines. The play on Friday also got a donation by Quo Vadis Trust & Equinox Lewisham. The play originated from a group of carers. On that evening the play sold out as news travelled about how good the play was. The play delivered various songs, powerful thought provoking scenes and rap throughout the night, however being a carer myself of someone who uses the mental health services, what were my thoughts about the play?

I do not want to spoil the play, but I felt it was very hard hitting. Half way through the play you actually begin to wonder about the title of the play “So you think I am crazy?”. You begin to question to yourself if not only the mental health system, but also society would need to take a long hard look at itself. Each scene looked deeply at the intentions of those who are unfortunately struggling to work out who is unwell and the reasons for the illness, but the resources are clearly not provided to tackle the stigma and discrimination within society and the mental health system.

As I sat throughout the play thinking how easy it would be for me to turn from carer to someone using the services, plus the added stigma of me as a black male. I would be lying if the system had not judged me for being unpredictable, maybe violent, untrust worthy and even so far to go as crazy. Still, throughout the play I felt proud that I have kept my patience with those who have judge and will continue to judge based on my own difficult journey as a carer.

The problem is that society takes strong and caring people, breaks them down and many end up within the mental health system where many are vulnerable. To make matters even more difficult, they have to focus on recovery and yet many in society will continue to judge those who are not only broken in spirit, but also in the mind. So thus we have the added stigma and discrimination of those who not only behave unwell, but are deemed to look out of place.

As I sat on the panel at the end of the play, I was proud and delighted to sit next to prominent figures such as

Marcia Riggs
Sephton Henry
Peter Wilson
Dr. Ayonrinde
Ekanem Hines

I thought long and hard about my answer to the audience as deep thought provoking questions and answers were explored about the theme of the play and tackling such difficult subjects. My answer to the audience is that each time we seek to understand the battle between mental health, race and society, we can only gain from this.

We need to congratulate ourselves for taking the time to understand other people’s journeys. We must EDUCATE ourselves and question prejudice, stigma and discrimination, hence the title of the group “kNow My Mind”. If we take the time to learn about mental health, raise awareness and tackle stigma then we can truly battle the idea of who is crazy and who isnt.

Carers – It is ok to moan and complain……sometimes

Sometimes it is known that carers tend to complaining and making a fuss. We fuss about who we care for and then an argument starts when things are not done right or there is a disagreement. We make a fuss at the health service when we feel that our loved ones are not getting the best service. Carers can sometimes make demands for information when they feel they are kept in the dark. As a carer, I have been down this very road several times. Can you relate? If you are a carer then you may understand.

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Its important to talk

As a mental health carer I feel this is one of the most important things that can help build up a stronger relationship between a carer and whoever they help support, although I have not blogged in a while. I having been thinking about this issue and felt the need to post about it.

Ever since the Time To Change campaign on tackling mental health stigma. I have realised how important it is to talk to your caree. I am sure many carers out there do this and try to spend time with who they support or care for, but I feel perhaps it might not be as widespread as I initially thought.

I was at a Time To Talk event yesterday where we heard from Time To Change Champions. Now a Time To Change Champion is a sort of volunteer, but they also do talks, promote events and have gone through or are still going through the mental ill health. I found out several startling facts from the speakers who pointed out that many men under 45 are high on the list of taking their own lives. They almost stated that the south east of London has a very high rate of mental ill health cases, but what most took my attention is a lot of these points could be tackled by just talking about mental health issues.

I am not saying that its going to be easy, because mental health can be a personal issue, but I feel so much can be done by talking about the following

What is mental health
What is stigma and discrimination in mental health
Talking about our mental health to those we trust
Letting who we care for know we are there for them
Working together with mental health professionals to tackle the high rate of mental health cases
Raising awareness in all settings
- Schools
- Workplace
- Community
- Health industry
Working towards increasing the social capital of those suffering mental health stigma.
Being honest with ourselves about our mental health.

Mental health and honesty

I am sure I could add more to the list above and some of these mentioned would need some funding, although I have seen so many volunteers working hard to raise awareness. It is also important to mention there are many other mental health and carer organisations working hard to break the stigma by not only talking, but also providing support. I guess what I am trying to say is we are all doing our bit, but there is always more work to be done.

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Living in London and realising that mental ill health is so high makes me wonder how many of us are honest about our own mental health. Perhaps it is good to be aware that mental health needs to be tackled, but the problem how we can do what we can in our own way. We need to lessen the rate of mental health problems in London and practically the UK, obviously more will need to be done and the problems of deprivation, social isolation and building stronger communities have to be addressed.

Hearing that young men have a high rate of using the mental health system and also being 3 times more likely to take their own lives states that I should also be honest about my mental health as well as many men out there. We need to know that its ok to talk to someone and being vulnerable is not a weakness. I will point out though that society needs to do their bit as well, because I also feel many young men are not supported enough and many issues are swept under the carpet.

A carers role

As a carer its important to remind those we look after that we care for them. I know this is not going to be easy or even possible for many carers out there, but if we try it can make a lot of difference. The hardest thing I have noticed is that sometimes those suffering mental ill health may not have the capacity or energy to recognise friends and families trying to care. Mental ill health can easily destroy those precious relationships, it breaks bonds, isolates the sufferer and can turn people against each other.

Carer’s, those with lived experience and health professionals can all play their part working together to strengthen the ties of support and recovery. A carer has to try talk to their caree and at the same time avoid labelling their loved one, we can all do our bit.

A change just requires we keep talking.

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Valentine’s day is more than just about love

Matthew Mckenzie (2) As of this blog post, today is valentine’s day. This is the day where people share their appreciation of each other. Where there is a chance to express your love interest or rekindle the flame of love on your current partner. Of course there will be many others there who do not have anyone to share the special day with, but maybe there will come a time when it is there turn.

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Time To Talk day 2015

As of this blog post. It is Time to Talk day over in the UK, which falls on the 5th of February. It has been a while since my last blog post and to be honest, I have been fairly busy with work and mental health involvement, but going back to the subject at hand. What is “Time To Talk” day all about?

Time To Talk day focuses on the point that we should at least try to spend 5 minutes of that day talking to someone about our health, especially mental health. In fact I would go so far to state we should try to open up a bit more about ourselves, especially with a close friend or someone you trust.

Time To Talk day is support by Time To Change, who are Led by Mind and Rethink Mental Illness which is England’s biggest programme to challenge mental health stigma and discrimination.

You see the problem is mental health discrimination and stigma are still prevalent in today’s society. There are so many cases of people falling into mental ill health, because they do not get the support. Some who develop mental health problems might have stigma or shame about their symptoms and may often refuse to talk about it or refuse to seek help. For those who do not open up about what is bothering them, this situation can be risky because if they do not talk about their health or seek help, then its highly likely their mental health situation may get worse.

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There can be a large number of mental health cases that could be reduced if we all took the step to at least phone a friend. The emphasis need not be on the sufferer, but we as friends, helpers or carers can phone others who we are worried about.

Unfortunately so many of us know deep down that someone is developing a mental health issue or are struggling. It could be stress, depression, compulsive disorder or many others mental health problems.

The sad thing is that people often sit back and feel it is not their problem to check up on someone. Perhaps the person feels that they are being nosey or are imposing themselves on others. Maybe a lot of us do not have time to check up on others, but the situation is that if we do not check up on those who might be suffering in silence, then its quite likely someone may deteriorate in their mental health.

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It is so important to talk to others on what is worrying or brother in us, but also on the other hand it can be important to check up with our friends on how they are feeling. Its not like we have to say much, but at least listen to them.

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Being a carer myself of someone using the services, I know only too well what other carers may go through. Over the 12 years of caring, I have spoken and listened to so many carers in carers groups, networks, forums and events. I hear time and time again how carers have been isolated and brought to their wits end, because they had no one to turn to or no one acknowledge their situation. We carers need to step up and support not only ourselves, but each other.

The thing is mental ill health does not discriminate, if you are a carer or support of someone who unfortunately has developed mental ill health, I am sure at times that you have been upset, depressed, anxious, worried and guilty. Taking these feelings to the next level, there is always a risk that carers themselves can develop mental health problems if not supported or listened to.

To counter act such problems, its important carers talk to those who we trust about how we are coping. A carer does not always need someone to wave a magic wand to solve our problems. A carer can just have someone acknowledge what carers have or still are going through.

So I hope that I have pointed out some of the reasons I think “Time To Talk” day is important. We need to push back on a society that feels that its good to be busy. As a society its good to take time out and spend it with a friend. It is good as a society we open up about mental health issues and combat the stigma and discrimination. As a society we need to change and there is no better time than to do this now.

Its Time to change!! Its Time to Talk.

Happy Time to Talk Day.

What defines us #carers

If you are a carer or have recently been one, I guess you are at least aware of some of the difficulties carers can face. If you are a new to the caring world then feel free to wander around my blog site, which is usually dedicated to carers helping to support those suffering mental health difficulties. My site also touches on other subjects like awareness, events and learning more about mental health and psychology, but for now I want to delve into a topic on what defines a carer.

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A look back on 2014 from my Mental Health blogsite

Well as of this blog, it is new year’s eve and soon it will be 2015. I cannot believe how fast 2014 has gone, but then again time moves so fast if you have been so busy, and yes I have been so busy during 2014. What did I get up to? What were the highlights?

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LMHC Xmas Party 2014

On the 18th Of December 2014. I enjoyed the Lewisham Mental Health Connection Xmas party. There were lots of activities, having fun and being part of the community. I met many old and new friends and hope to contribute and help the LMHC in 2015.

Health Watch Lewisham Annual Event

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On the 15th Dec 2014 at Lewisham civic suite. I attended the Healthwatch Lewisham Annual event where we got updates on what Lewisham Healthwatch has been up to, plus the 2014 Care Act was explained and we got a chance to influence Lewisham Healthwatch priorities for the coming 2015.

PerPlexUs: MA Applied Imagination Degree Show 2014

On 12th of December 2014. I headed over to PerPlexUs, MA Applied Imagination’s 2014 degree show. This took place over at one of the University of the Arts London sites. I met my friend Adele Orcajada who explained her Yarn work and project, plus I got the chance to visit many more of the other students art projects and participated in their group sessions.

Hidden Gems Exhibition at the SMART Gallery

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On the 10th of December 2014, I attended the SHARP gallary which stands for Social Inclusion, Hope and Recovery Project. This is where I got to visited and view many of the mental health trust staff art work. There were lots of hidden gems to find and I enjoyed capturing all the creativity that was held at the gallery including the event itself.

Southwark Healthwatch One Year on Event

On the 22nd of November 2014, I took a trip over to Pembroke House over in Southwark to attended and capture the Southwark Healthwatch On Year on Event where we got to hear updates from the past year where Healthwatch Southwark have been very busy collecting stories of those who use the health services. Healthwatch Southwark heavily engages with the public and those who champion health services.

Lewisham Mental Health and Wellbeing Day 2014

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On the 20th of November over at the Lewisham Civic Suite, I attended the Lewisham Mental Health Wellbeing day which was presented by the NHS Lewisham CCG, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham Council. The MH and Wellbeing stakehold event wanted to concentrate on the service user/survivor aspect.

CarersUK National Summit

On the 13th of November 2014 I attended the CarersUK National. My friend and Carer representative Bridget Jones also attended along with another governor. We heard many updates and issues from CarersUK, plus I was lucky enough to have my blog included in CarersUK newsletter.

The anatomy of melancholy

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On the 23rd of October 2014 I was lucky enough to watch an Opera performance describing the form of depression and the anatomy of melancholy. The Opera was a fascinating experience and a joy to watch, every actor kept my attention and there was so much to learn from the performance.

World Mental Health Day 2014

On the 10th of October was an awareness day, this being World Mental Health day, which falls on the 10th of October each year. I managed to visit 5 events from the Lambeth & Southwark Mind stall, to the South East London Arts Network workshop at Horniman Museum. I even attened a series of talks at the GV Art gallery.

Carers Lewisham Annual General Event

Carers Lewisham held its AGM in 2014, this is one the most carers centers I use in order to get support for my caring duties. I have used Carers Lewisham for probably 8 years or so. At the AGM we heard what Carers Lewisham have been up to since their last AGM and we got to hear carers stories, including my own carer experience.

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Lambeth Carers Hub Forums 2014

Lambeth runs around about 4 carers forums each year. I managed to attend and capture 2 of the forums. The forums are very large and although not all carers are mental health carers you can at least capture the general field of what carers go through and what issues are raised.

Family and Carers Listening event 2014

The South London & Maudlsey Foundation Trust run family and carer’s conferences each year. I was lucky enough to help plan and participate in the conference where families and carers get the chance to be informed of the work and updates the trust is doing to help families and carers of those using the services. There were lots of speakers, stalls and activities at the conference, I hope to blog about this soon.

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Lewisham Mental Health Connection Conference 2014

The Lewisham Mental Health Connection ran another of their yearly conferences and this one took place at the Lewisham Civic Suite on Thursday 11th September. We got to hear from many speakers in the field of mental health and volunteering, there were many workshops and stalls and I got to hear from friends who influence the field of mental health.

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Healthwatch Lewisham Best community care

Healthwatch Lewisham run many engagement events and one of them focused on community care. This event was held over at the Lewisham & Greenwich University hospital on the 28th of June. There was many great ideas from the event coming from those passionate about the community and passionate about healthcare. The event was run in partnership with the Save Lewisham Hospital campaign.

Disability MH and wellbeing event

Those who have learning disabilities can unfortunately develop mental ill health, but what things are being done to help those who have those challenges? I was asked to cover the Wellbeing event over at the Maudsley Learning Center situated over at Denmark Hill. This event was huge and practically used most of the building. There were many stalls ranging from health eating, mental health projects, healthy and active lifestyles and also workshops. I was most impressed with the involvement from those who use the services at the event.

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Croydon HearUs Celebration 2014

Hear Us is the Mental Health Service User Group which acts as a coordinating body to facilitate, and ensure service users involvement in the planning, delivery and monitoring of mental health services in Croydon. They have gone from strength to strength ever since the group started and this event was to celebrate their archievements. I was impressed with the presentations and stories from those with lived experiences.

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Sydenham Garden Autumn Fair 2014

On saturday the 27th of September, I was lucky enough to attend the sydenham Garden Autumn fair and lucky enough the weather was just right for it. Sydenham Gardens is award-winning charity providing gardening, nature conservation & creative opportunities for the well-being residents of Lewisham. At the fair was music, children’s activities, apple juicing and a chance to visit many of their gardens. Sydenham Gardens are also a member of the Lewisham Mental Health Connection.

Southwark HealthWatch Social Care

I visit quite a few healthwatch events and other healthwatches are happy enough for me to promote and blog their events. Southwark healthwatch held the Social care event in 2014 where we got to hear what they are doing for Access to GP services, Access to Mental Health services, Sexual Health Services, specifically HIV and of course Social Care. We also had the oppertunity to influence what needs to improve social care in the borough.

Bethlem Summer Farye 2014

On Saturday 5 July 12-5pm I decided to visit Bethlem Hospital grounds to attend the Bethlem Sunfayre 2014. Each year they hold the Bethlem Sunfayre where there are some of the stalls selling various wares, plus five zones. There were BBQ and music and entertainment stage, Art workshops, ceramic workshops and the Bethlem Gallery plus bethlem Archives and Museum. There was also a Community Centre, Complimentary therapies and cafe. I spoke to Victoria Northwood on the developments of the new Bethlem Museum.

Asylum movie event – London Anxiety 2014 Festival

The Anxiety 2014 is a London-wide arts festival taking place at multiple venues throughout June 2014 and I attened around 5 of the events and blogged, video blogged and captured a few events as well as networked with many of the attendees. One of the events was a documentary on film maker RD Laing’s controversial Archway Community, testing Laing’s conviction that mentally ill people can only heal their shattered “self” in a space where they are free.

Cooltan Arts Summer Solstice midnight walk 2014

Cooltan Arts held their midnight walk, where about 130 walkers gathered for their Summer Solstice Midnight Walk on the 21st June CoolTan Arts is a a mental health and arts charity that believes mental well-being is enhanced by the power of creativity. I had an amazing journey on their 5 to 6 hour walk. We explored the area of Southwark and heard many stories and got to do some activities, however most importantly we learnt more about mental health and made new friends.

Hear Us Wellbeing event

Back over in the London borough of Croydon on Tuesday 1st of July I attended the Hear Us wellbeing event where nearly 200 people, including those experiencing mental health problems, carers, staff and members of the public attended. I took part in some football, visiting some stalls, had some massage therapy and viewed some creative writing.

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Refocus on Recovery 2014

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On the on 2nd and 3rd of June 2014 the Refocus on Recovery 2014 international conference took place over at New Hunt’s House at Guy’s Hospital. The conference had four themes being, System transformation, Relationships that support recovery, Recovery in crisis and Keeping well in daily life.

Lewisham Mental Health Connection Xmas Party 2014

Welcome to another blog by Matthew Mckenzie a carer from the London Borough of Lewisham. Its Xmas as of this blog post and there are many activities and parties going on. I have been to quite a few celebrations myself, but on the 18th of December 2014, I was looking forward to attending the Lewisham Mental Health Connection Xmas party, which was held over at St Mary’s Center over in Lewisham.

However what is the Lewisham Mental Health Connection or LMHC?

Basically the LMHC are a group of people working in the voluntary sector who are committed to improving mental health in Lewisham. This is especially with the voices of those using the services and those who have important roles dealing with mental health.

To list some of the collaboration we have

Quo Vadis Trust, Equinox Lewisham, Healthwatch Lewisham, Bromley & Lewisham Mind, Family Action, Hexagon Housing, Animals for Therapy, Network Arts Lewisham, Voluntary Action Lewisham, Community Connections, This Way Up WellBeing, Volunteer Centre Lewisham, Lewisham Samaritans, Lewisham Parish, Sydenham Garden, Penrose and the Mental Health Providers’ Forum and myself.

So what happened on the day?

Well as I arrived at St Mary’s Hall, I could tell I was at the correct place because I could hear lively music coming from inside the hall. I managed to catch Charlotte Tarrant the Marketing Manager for Equinox, which provides support, care and recovery to people who are challenged by exclusion, marginalisation and a range of needs for special assistance such as mental health problems.

Charlotte was glad to see me and she was also greeting many others who attended the Xmas party.

More from Charlotte later. Eventually after a little chat I entered the hall to see that they were almost ready to start the Xmas party and celebrations.

The Lewisham Mental Health Connection have had such an amazing year in 2014 and coming off their Lewisham Mental Health conference 2014 which had speakers such as

David Robinson OBE, Co-Founder of Community Links
Dr Pamela Martin, GP Mental Health Lead for Lewisham CCG
Tony Holmes & Kirsy Giles from SLAM Recovery College Manager
Dr Jim Sikorsk from Sydenham Gardens

It was great that the LMHC, its supporters and clients took the time for an Xmas celebration.

Going back to the party, the first thing that caught my eye was the lovely Xmas picture up on the wall, which I had to take a picture of. I was reminded by Ingrid (Scheme Manager for a mental health residential project) that someone with lived experience had produced that picture.

Ingrid also introduced me to others at the party and the DJ also popped in to say Hi, but eventually I could not help notice some stalls at the back of the hall. I was intrigued as to what was in those boxes.

A lovely lady hosting the stall came up to me and explained that some animals were in the box and that she worked for “Animals for Therapy”. Here they provide companionship service, respite care, self-esteem for those suffering mental ill health.

The lady took a few animals out of the box to show me and although I was a little nervous at first, my curiosity eventually got the better of me, I began to be more drawn to the different types of animals and began to hover around different boxes to see what else was on display. The staff at the stall were friendly, professional and quite chatty.

Soon I started to see others at the Xmas party come up and stroke or touch some of the animals, which all were very behaved and I could almost see the warmth of affection and connection between the pet and the person touching the animal.

This is when Charlotte stopped by to say hello again and she also picked up one of the snakes to handle it. I was amazed to see how happy Charlotte was in handling the snake when I thought she might flinch from it, but this goes to show how different things are when you try to form a connection. I also took a snake to handle and see how it felt. The snake felt very smooth and light.

You can find out more about Animals for Therapy off their site being

http://www.animalsfortherapy.org.uk

At the LMHC Xmas party I got listening to some nice lively music from the DJ and eventually noticed quite a few people were dancing happily, almost forgetting their problems or worries and just enjoying the moment. I noticed a few of my friends arrive and I popped over to say hello and also met a fellow mental health trust governor who also does work in helping those with lived experiences seek employment.

Some of my friends went over to experience the amazing connection of animal therapy. This was when John O’Sullivan the CEO of a charity and housing association called Quo Vadis Trust introduced the guests to the activities at the Xmas party.

I then took the opportunity to experience handling a bigger snake, which was a constrictor and this one obviously felt more heavy, but felt smooth and I could feel how slowly the snake moved, I think the pet snake was called “Bea”, I am not sure, but I was so glad to have the experience, I mean I know some animals are not for everyone, but none at the stall were harmful.

Soon I played some games, which were free to play and I began to feel as if I was part of the community, since I was having a great time. I felt wanted and noticed how people came together as a community who have been through tough times amazed me. We all contributed in the spirit of being together and either relaxing or doing activities. I felt my label as a carer was melting away as I really enjoying myself, although it was not always easy.

Next was to check out some more of the stalls and I found out that Bromley and Lewisham Mind had an information stall hosting a large array of useful information about mental health and Peer support group dates for 2015. I spoke to Simta from Bromley and Lewisham Mind about the different group activities for 2015 being walking, reflective writing, mindfulness and creative arts.

Being that it was Xmas one booklet from the stall took my attention, which was title “How to cope with loneliness”. Now I know I was having a good time at the Xmas party, I know also that others were enjoying the festivities here and elsewhere, but I also know many suffering mental ill health are isolated, many suffer social exclusion, suffer mental stigma and are too afraid or worried to go out. Its important that not only those suffering mental ill health are giving information on how to cope, but also those who do not understand loneliness also have a read.

Xmas can unfortunately be one of the worst times for those left behind, because there is always talk about time with families and friends and this can upset those who are lonely.

We should spare at least some thought for them.

Going back to the LMHC Xmas party, after being served free Xmas dinner and chatting to some others, we had a raffle, but being a carer I felt it was time to head back although I did try and invite them to come along.

I really enjoyed the event and It was a shame I could not record the other activities there since I did not spend as long as I would have liked. I thank the Lewisham Mental Health Connection team for spending such a massive effort to get the xmas party set up. There will be more projects, discussions and opportunities coming from the LMHC off one of their social media groups which is on meetup.com.

I cant wait to see what the journey is like for 2015.

Check out Lewisham Mental Health Connection online.

http://www.meetup.com/Lewisham-Mental-Health-Connection

A Caring Mind

A blog for carers of mental health and cancer

Author Archives: mmckenz11

About mmckenz11

Review of play – So You Think I am Crazy?

Carers – It is ok to moan and complain……sometimes

Its important to talk

Valentine’s day is more than just about love

Time To Talk day 2015

What defines us #carers

A look back on 2014 from my Mental Health blogsite

Lewisham Mental Health Connection Xmas Party 2014