Research Presentation

The issue that I have identified is the lack of creative forms in which information is given to those with mental health. This is something that may stem from the lack of awareness of mental health and is something that I have explored through extensive research.

Looking at mental health in a more in depth way I have learnt that 1 in 10 children and...

1 in 4 adults experience mental illness in their life time and many more of us know and care for people who do – this has been taken from the statistics posted on the NHS website.

Mental health is a subject area that I have been learning and gaining an understanding of through the future learn course, caring for people with psychosis and schizophrenia. This is ensuring that I have an educated understanding of mental health

As well as this I have research and I identified charities, the nhs and other organizations who are primarily focused on the individual suffering from mental illness

There is less and sometimes no attention given to those who are carers for the individual and therefore information about this topic is less frequently accessed

Through visiting student unions in Leeds and accessing their websites I have also identified that the majority of information is only gained through asking another individual, such as those in student welfare or through phone conversation.

This may hinder someone asking for help or more information about mental health and it should therefore be more openly and widely distributed

Through accessing the Mind website and downloading the 32 page PDF document on depression it became evident that a lot of the information is received through extensive wordy documents

Mind also has a number of advertising creative used on their social media using impersonal imagery and wording. This does not reflect that same positivity and encouragement that is received and present in the Time To Change campaign

- Time To Change 2017 campaign focuses on what you can do to help a friend and is an example of creative that focuses on the carers imput in a creative and engaging way

-This advertising campaign also addresses the statistic from The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, which highlighted that men are less likely to report or speak about their symptoms

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-Show video   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l8LpDitZvY

Through doing the future learn course I am learning of the more medical side of treatment

As well as this I have looked at brands and ways of helping individuals cope with their experiences/feelings in an alternative way

Wear Your Label is a brand that was born through two individuals wanting to spark conversation around mental health through the production of clothing. They describe their brand as working towards the removal of the stigma that silences so many individuals and giving back along the way. This is done through 10% of net profits being donated to mental health initiatives.  This is an alternative way of approaching the mental health awareness

Through reading a number of online articles it is the social opinion of the public, psychologists and therapists that adult colouring books can help with a number of emotional and mental health issues

Due to the nature of the drawings, they help an individual focus their attention and therefore there is a removal of negative thoughts. It also helps them focus in a productive and positive way, with the outcome being rewarding. 

this is another alternative direction in addressing mental health symptoms and therefore awareness

It is said that the coloring activity help individuals who suffer from anxiety and stress issues due to the relaxation of their amygdala. There are also a number of individuals who find that producing art helps express their feelings. This is something I have discovered through reading the art and mental health page on the Mind website

This is also shown by illustrator Sow Ay who sketches honest and personal cartoons about his ongoing fight with mental illness. From designer to audience this shows an understanding of feelings and therefore provides a much more influential piece of design compared to a purely typographic image or document. This is the opinion of those who have written comments on the websites that have published his work – bored panda and his tumblr page

So far my research has covered a range of different directions focused around mental health and the information that is available. This has bettered my understanding of mental health as well as being more aware of the creative that is existing in the form of helping those individuals

In the next stage of this module I hope to be able to use the information I have gathered and focus on providing information for individuals suffering from mental illness and their carers in a more engaging and creative way.