Heads Up

• AQ-10

• Bipolar – The Essential Guide
• Coping Strategies – General
• Coping Strategies – Depression
• Coping Strategies – Mania
• Early Warning Signs
• Medication
• Self-Management

• Leaflet on ESTEEM service
• Ideas for Coping with Psychosis
• How to Help Your Relative Cope with Psychosis

• Independent Advocacy
• Rights of Carers
• Consent to Treatment
• Compulsory Treatment Orders
• Emergency and Short-term Powers
• Roles and Duties of NHS Boards and Local Authorities
• Mental Health Act – Easy Read
• Advanced Statements
• Named Persons

• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar
• Eating Disorders
• Phobias
• Panic Attacks
• Personality Disorders
• Stress
• Depression
• Anxiety Disorders
• Self-Harm
• Postnatal Depression
• After a Suicide

• Anger
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Health Anxiety
• Insomnia
• Panic Attacks
• Self-Esteem
• Stress

• 5 Things You Should Know About Dementia
• Worried About Your Memory?
• Dementia Friendly Exercises For Coordination and Balance
• Dementia Friendly Exercises For Strength and Flexibility
• Feeling Worried: I Keep Forgetting Things

• Tai Chi Instruction Booklet

In Scots law, adults are presumed to be capable of making decisions and manage their care. While having a mental disorder, an adult is still assumed to have capacity unless they are unable to meet one or more of the tests of the law. These being unable to: understand information regarding decisions; or retain information to make a decision; or weigh information to make a decision; or communicate decisions. Mental capacity can be important in the treatment of those with dementia or learning disability.*

With respect to the Mental Health Act, decision-making capacity regarding treatment can be impaired as a consequence of a mental disorder.

Further information about Mental Capacity is available

At every consultation, there will be an assessment and consideration of risk and Mental Health services have a duty to ensure your safety, especially when there is an impairment of mental capacity. For most, risk can be managed in collaboration with Mental Health professionals, but significant risk is also one of the guiding criteria in the use of the Mental Health Act.

Those most at risk usually pose harm or vulnerability to themselves, but Mental Health professionals must also take into consideration risks to others.

Further information about Management of Risk is available 

This is when a person receives support to enable them to understand information and to express their will. In the context of mental health treatment, this support is often received when under the compulsory powers of the mental health act, e.g. advocacy support.

This is when an external person is appointed to act in the best interest of someone else. These are commonly Guardians or those with Power of Attorney.

*The test to be applied is different in Scots law S1(6) AWISA:

• “adult” means a person who has attained the age of 16 years;
• “incapable” means incapable of:
  (a) acting; or
  (b) making decisions; or
  (c) communicating decisions; or
  (d) understanding decisions; or
  (e) retaining the memory of decisions, as mentioned in any provision of this Act, by reason of mental disorder or of inability to communicate because of physical disability; but a person shall not fall within this definition by reason only of a lack or deficiency in a faculty of communication if that lack or deficiency can be made good by human or mechanical aid (whether of an interpretative nature or otherwise); and
• “incapacity” shall be construed accordingly.

There are loads of great stories of how these five steps to wellbeing can be put into action. 

You can find some of these stories on our Mind Waves website, the majority of which are created by our volunteer “Community Correspondents”. Use the Topics tab on the Mind Waves site to explore particular themes and issues and find other top tips:

• Exercise: Read how joining a gym helped me find myself and provided an escape from the pit of depression
• Giving back: Mind Waves community correspondent John describes the benefits he has received from giving something back
• Music and mood: how making a feel-good playlist can make you feel better.

Did you know you can share your own contributions about mental health and wellbeing via our Mind Waves Community Media Project? You can also connect on Twitter – @mindwaves1

We all have times when we have low mental wellbeing – when we feel sad or stressed, or find it difficult to cope.  Sometimes, there is no clear reason why we experience a period of poor mental health but it is important to give yourself permission to feel your feelings; we all need to be better at acknowledging that there are times when “it is OK to not be OK”.

Whether you have a mental health problem or not, there may be times or situations in your life that are more difficult than others.  For example, when we suffer some sort of loss; experience loneliness or relationship problems; or are worried about work or money.

It can be easy to turn towards negative things to cope when you are feeling down, for example: drinking too much alcohol.  However, this type of behaviour will probably only make things worse in the long term and so it is important to look after yourself and actively engage in reaching, and maintaining, good mental health and wellbeing.  There is a helpful guide from Mind that gives lots of practical pointers.

And how can you help someone else who may be struggling with stress? The award-winning Power of OK campaign from Scotland’s See Me programme gives some very practical advice (videos contains strong language)

What’s causing you stress? Get help

We know that there are lots of things that can cause us stress and impact on our mental health – we provide some information and resources below to help you with some of these issues too. There is also a stress section within Heads Up that has further information and advice.

One resource you may find helpful for coping with stress is the Steps for Stress resource – including a free guide to download, and relaxation videos. But there’s plenty of additional support available on a wide range of things that might be causing you stress.  Try searching for specific resources on NHS Inform  or via the ALISS info database or check out the resources below.

What’s worrying you? Get support on…

• Money worries – Citizen’s Advice Scotland
  can provide advice on money worries and a wide range of other problems
• Relationship and family difficulties – Relationships Scotland website
• Being a carer – a wide range of information is available from Carers Scotland
• Sleep problems – there is guidance available from Mental Health Foundation with How to Sleep Better 
• Dealing with loss and bereavement – Cruse Bereavement Scotland 
• Being bullied, harassed or discriminated against – a range of helpful resources available from Scotland’s Anti-Bullying service Respect Me
• Being a victim of crime – resources available from Victim Support Scotland
• Affected by murder or suicide of a loved one – contact Petal

Many people are finding that social media and the internet can be very beneficial in supporting mental health and wellbeing, but it’s important to find the most positive ways to use these technologies safely and avoid the pitfalls. Our colleagues at Outside the Box Development Services have been working with people who have experienced mental health problems to develop some guidance on getting the best out of the internet.

Here’s some background from Outside the Box:

“For many of us using the internet has become an essential part of everyday life. Sometimes it’s hard to remember how we did things without it. From finding recipes to booking holidays, the internet can make a lot of things simpler. Over time a range of internet services have been developed for people with mental health problems, including online community forums and places for advice and support. 

“There are other ways we can use the internet to keep well, such as staying in touch with friends and family through social media. Sometimes we aren’t well enough to see people but we still want to chat to and feel connected to others. This can help us to feel better.  However, people with poor mental health are less likely than the general population to use the internet and digital ways of communicating. They are less likely to have internet access at home.

“Outside the Box spoke to people with mental health problems to ask about the barriers that prevent them from getting online. We also heard about the benefits people get when they do have access to digital technology. We’ve used this information to put together some hints and tips about digital inclusion and mental health.

“Speaking with people also helped us to get an idea of some downsides to think about, so we’ve included a section about staying safe online. Digital inclusion is about ensuring that as many people as possible have access to and skills to use things like smart phones, tablets and computers, social media and the internet so they can participate and benefit in the new technology. We hope that many people find this resource useful.”

Mental health charity MIND has information on staying safe online and using the internet for positive mental health support.

If you are a carer, you may also find this Mind Waves piece from carers’ champion Tommy Whitelaw of interest: “When caring became too much, my blog became my pal”