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Recovering by helping others


LOCAL government has seen its funding cut. In and around Maidstone, the problem is not as se- vere in terms of responding to mental health needs, especially for the young. As elsewhere, services have often


been outsourced to charities,with a focus on being reactive by respond- ing to problems rather than proac- tive in dealingwith requests. The Maidstone and Mid-Kent


(MMK) branch of themental health charity Mind recently reported a 238% increase in the numbers of young people worked with from April 2017 toApril 2018. This figure did not include pas-


toral support provided in schools. MMKMind’sNikki Brooker said:


“We havedevelopeda range of sup- port for youngpeople, ranging from courses to peer support groups, fol- lowing youth participatory princi- ples of giving young people a voice to shape the services they are in- volved in.” Business is taking this issue seri-


ously. A successful book on man- agement,LeadersEatLast by Simon Sinek, includeda lengthy considera- tion of the problems of the millen- nial generation. It investigates how committing to helpothers boosts the brain chemicals oxytocin and sero- tonin, which are highly effective at


combatting anxious and depressive moods. Mr Sinek noted the vast market


for self-help books and the virtually non-existent market for books on helping others. MMKMindhas shiftedinitiatives,


such as the anger management course ‘TamingmyTemper’, to apo- sitionwhere sufferers help others. The Forward Thinking Females


group uses group discussions and exercise to focus on body image and self-esteem issues, while Bounce Back focuses on resilience in deci- sion-making skills.Mind’swork lo- cally comes


alongside the


county-wide Headstart Kent pro- gramme, targeted at young people. Mind works with people of all


ages, but anothermajor area ofmen- tal health problems has seen those with long-term issues becoming homeless and vulnerably housed. The level of deaths amongst this


group has risen noticeably in recent years. Accurate figures of those sleeping rough locally are hard to obtain, but local charities andhospi- tals have seen a rise in deaths


amongst this group. Martin Gore, of the Canterbury-


based charity Catching Lives, said: “Living on the streets is not likely to lead to good health outcomes… With clients with multiple complex needs, you can't make doctor's or hospital appointments in the usual way, because it justdoesn'twork for them.” Austerity measures may have


driven up homelessness and poor lifestylesmay be a factor in themor- tality rate increase. Amanda Sidwell, from Making a


Difference to Maidstone (MADM), said: “Mental health is a big issue with our street homeless. “Just being on the street affects


wellbeing and, in most cases, exac- erbates an already-fragile mental health state. It is a perpetual circle formany. “Many fail in our society due to this continual battle of mind and


spirit. There are instances of those who take their own lives, self-harm and generally just do not fit in any- where, feel lonely and are isolated. “We atMADMbelieve there is al-


wayshope for themanywho areun- well, and who all have the ability and opportunity to get well and be healed – or at least should be con- sidered for help, regardless of their life choices. “They are a part of our commu-


nity, are we not to ‘love our neigh- bours as ourselves’? I see those hurting, lost and confused and am sensitive enough to realise that they should not be abandoned.” Funeral director Jo Loveridge, of


Albany Funerals, confirmed that re- cently local deaths had shown a sig- nificant


increase in families


impacted by losing someone to drink or drug use. Additional research by Abbie Hambleton


Bobby brings creativity to raising awareness


BOBBY Duncan (26), of Maidstone, has embraced the idea that helping others is the best route to dealing with your own mental health issues. After graduating, Bobby followed


an eclectic but far from lucrative ca- reer in creative media, before working as cabin crew for British Airways. Issues with anxiety and panic at-


tacks got so bad in the second job that in March of this year, Bobby found himself facing an ambulance crew and, soon after, a psychiatrist at the Priory clinic, who diagnosed cy- clothymia (mood swings) with bor- derline personality disorder. He left his job soon after to re-think


his priorities, a decision that led to him establishing his own company – doyourbituk – and devoting his time and creative energies to fundraising. An ongoing project involves Bobby


parking his car in prominent locations and using pens to decorate it to raise


Mental health |News


awareness of mental health issues. His work during mental health aware- ness week, covering the car with thank you messages to those who had helped him and placing it in Fremlin Walk, raised £750 for the charity Mind. Bobby has gone on to work in Bris- tol and roll out his car project in local


nursery and play schools. He says: “I’m firmly with Simon


Sinek in seeing that helping others is the key to finding a sense of purpose. Doyourbituk is taking me in that di- rection, and it has been a privilege to bring my creativity to projects.


“I’ve had support from a pen com-


pany, which provided free pens to decorate the car, and I have a long- term goal to support and expand the ‘Dreamflight’ project which provides flights to Disneyland for severely dis- abled children.”


Maidstone October 2018 19


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