November 2021 I have been asked to undertake some data analysis on the University of Bedfordshire/Oxford Brookes University study into de-prescription of mental health drugs mentioned below. This should begin early next year.
I attended the first meeting of the SPACES study Programme Steering Committee (see September 2021 below).
The More RESPECT study (a randomised controlled trial of a sexual health intervention for people diagnosed with severe mental illnesses), for which I am a co-applicant, is one step closer to being funded and we await the outcome.
Work continues on the McPin Foundation/Plymouth University funding bid for a study into how lived experience can be used to transform community mental health services (following on from the workshop in July). I am currently engaged in developing the bid documents, including the plain English Summary and the full funding application.
October 2021 Work continues on the RECO (Realist Evaluation of service models and systems for CO-existing serious mental health and substance use conditions) study run by Edinburgh Napier University. My next active role in the study will be to run focus groups in which participants with a diagnosis of severe mental illness and co-morbid substance misuse can share their views on what is working and what is not in dual diagnosis services.
September 2021 I have been recruited to the Programme Steering Committee for the SPACES (Supporting Physical Activity Through Co-Production) study run from University of York which aims to co-produce an intervention to increase physical activity rates in people with severe mental illness. The intervention is intended to improve health outcomes for this group and impact on the mortality gap. My role is to provide oversight of the project, monitor progress against planned timescales, and to provide a lived experience perspective.
My second Mental Elf blog is now live. The paper under review outlines a study in which tweets about bipolar were analysed for markers of positive or stigmatising attitudes.
July 2021 I attended a workshop run by the McPin Foundation which aimed to develop a research question around transformation of community mental health services in a co-produced way. The event was my first face to face event since the pandemic began, and was attended by researchers, clinicians, service users and carers.
I have been recruited to the Steering Group for a University of Bedfordshire/Oxford Brookes University study into de-prescription of mental health drugs (including benzodiazepines, opioids, “Z drugs”, antidepressants and gabapentin) . My role is to provide oversight of the project, monitor progress against planned timescales, and to provide a lived experience perspective.
February 2021 I participated in a round table discussion with researchers and service users about the development of a hub for data which might be used for mental health research.
My co-produced guidance from the Royal College of Psychiatrists for psychiatrists writing clinic letters is now live!
January 2021 My first blog for the Mental Elf has now been published. It’s a critique of a paper exploring electronic mood monitoring for people with bipolar disorder.
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