5 JUL 2024 · In 2022, a survey revealed that only 11% of people working in the UK’s film and TV sectors considered the industry to be a mentally healthy place to work. As the latest iteration of the “Looking Glass” survey is launched, we speak with Rupert Jones-Lee, Head of Research and Impact at the Film & TV Charity, about the mental health challenges faced by those in the film and TV industry. We talk about the reasons behind these mental health struggles, the measures currently being implemented to address them, and the further actions needed to create a healthier work environment. Do you work in the screen sector? You can complete the latest Looking Glass Survey by https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/research-impact/reports/looking-glass-2024/?utm_campaign=Looking%20Glass%202024&utm_source=Staff%20Outreach&utm_medium=Rupert Other links: - If anyone has questions about the survey they can email research@filmtvcharity.org.uk - Link to the Looking Glass 2022 report: https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/research-impact/reports/looking-glass-22-report/ - Charity website: https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/ - The Film & TV Charity’s 24 hour support line is 0800 054 0000.  - Webchat and email can be reached via https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/get-support/24-hour-support-line/ - Whole Picture Toolkit:https://filmtvcharity.org.uk/get-support/support-for-organisations/the-whole-picture-toolkit/ Content Warning There is a brief reference to statistics around suicidal ideation. Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more athttps://www.bio.link/livelyminds Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our websitehttps://www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds

22 MAY 2024 · Hi everyone, just a quick podcast update today. Ellie and I have decided to reduce the frequency of Lively Minds to once a month. The main reason for this change is that, as you know, we produce the show in our spare time, and maintaining a fortnightly release schedule has become challenging alongside our other commitments. We aren’t going anywhere! The next episode of Lively Minds, focusing on AI and mental health, will be released on the first Friday of July. Following that, new episodes will be published on the first Friday of each month. We also hope that moving to a monthly schedule will allow us to dedicate more time to each episode. Those of you who have ventured into podcasting understand the constant balancing act between regularly releasing episodes and ensuring the content is high-quality. We have some exciting ideas for future episode formats, including something we’re calling "voice notes." Ellie and I will exchange voice notes over several weeks or even months, gradually building a conversation around a specific topic. This approach, the idea for which came from the brilliant Podcraft podcast, allows each of us to respond thoughtfully and research before we reply. I'm also eager to create episodes that blend previous interviews with new conversations to delve into specific themes. One idea is a show titled “The Figments of My Imagination Are Out to Get Me,” which will explore the evolutionary history of anxiety and why this essential human feeling can sometimes spiral out of control. So, please keep listening, sharing, and telling others about the show. If you are able to, please donate to us at https://buymeacoffee.com/livelyminds. If you haven’t yet, please rate or review us on your podcast app—it really helps boost our visibility and motivates us to create new content. Until July, bye for now.

8 MAY 2024 · Australia’s nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award 2024, Matt Ottley, talks to us about his new work The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness, which explores experiences of bipolar and psychosis through art, word and music.  Matt Ottley is an internationally acclaimed and multiple award-winning neurodiverse artist, author and composer from Australia, with more than forty picture books to his name. You can find out more about The Tree of Ecstasy and Unbearable Sadness by following these links https://mattottley.com/the-tree-of-ecstasy/ https://onetentaclepublishing.com/the-tree-of-ecstasy-and-unbearable-sadness/ Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more athttps://www.bio.link/livelyminds Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our websitehttps://www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds

24 APR 2024 · “Sometimes, people just need to be really very sad together” In this episode, we will be talking with funeral celebrant - or ‘funeralist’ - Andy Jones about funerals and mental health.  We ask Andy what ingredients he thinks a funeral needs in order to best support the wellbeing of those that have lost someone. We also discuss how, as someone who spends his life around death and grieving, Andy looks after his own mental wellbeing. You can hear Andy interviewed on the Cinematologists podcast by https://cinematologists.podbean.com/e/plan-75/ He will also be interviewed on an upcoming episode of the Endings podcast, which you can https://justhazel.co.uk/podcasts/ Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more athttps://www.bio.link/livelymindshttps://www.bio.link/livelyminds Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our websitehttps://www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds

10 APR 2024 · What is Dramatherapy? How does it work? And how can it help us make better sense of our mental health?  In this episode, Ellie and Will chat with Ciara McClelland of https://dream-together.co.uk/ who is a registered dramatherapist and social worker. We explore dramatherapy's application in both individual and group contexts. From facilitating personal healing journeys to shedding light on pressing social issues, dramatherapy emerges as a powerful tool for fostering self-awareness and collective understanding. We will also discuss how dramatherapy helps to reclaim the way we understand ourselves, leading to profound insights into the complexities that shape our lives. Please note: case study examples are 'mock ups' of therapeutic scenarios for which consent has been given. Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more athttps://www.bio.link/livelyminds Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our websitehttps://www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds

27 MAR 2024 · Did you know, that in the UK, anyone - no matter what their qualifications or experience - can set themselves up as a counsellor, a psychotherapist, or indeed use any job title except for a chosen few that are protected by law? In this episode, we will be talking Phil Doré and Amanda Williamson about regulation - or rather, the lack of it - in mental health care in the UK. Amanda Williamson is a Senior Accredited Counsellor and Coach working in private practice. Following her experience of abusive therapy as a trainee, she joined Phil Doré as part of Unsafe Spaces and campaigned for the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy. Phil Dore is a mental health nurse who has spent most of his career in the NHS, which is where he currently works. He started the Unsafe Spaces blog and together with Amanda, Phil wrote the Unsafe Spaces report in 2016 (see link below) Now you may be wondering why we are interviewing people who wrote a report that’s now 8 years old? Well, the reason is because - as we’ll hear later - everything in that report remains equally as relevant, if not more so today. Links  https://notsobigsociety.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/unsafe-spaces-report-may-2016.pdf the Unsafe Spaces report https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1847527/Disgraced-therapists-ignoring-rulings the investigation by the Daily Express https://www.professionalstandards.org.uk/share-your-experience the Professional Standards Authority's 'Share Your Experience' form General advice on choosing a therapist in the UK - https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/drugs-and-treatments/talking-therapy-and-counselling/how-to-find-a-therapist/ - https://positivemindpractice.co.uk/blog/finding-accredited-therapists/ Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more athttps://www.bio.link/livelyminds Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our websitehttps://www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds

13 MAR 2024 · How can the arts help achieve positive change for people with mental health problems? Who can get involved? What counts as “activism”?  Writer, director and Disabled rights activist: Vici Wreford Sinnott returns to the show to discuss these questions. She highlight some of her favourite examples of mental health-focused activism and talks about how those with and without mental health challenge can work together to make society a more equitable and happier place for everyone. Links - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_Deficiency_Act_1913#:~:text=In%20May%201912%2C%20a%20Private,provision%20for%20registration%20and%20segregation. about the Feeble Minded Control Bill (which became the Mental Deficiency Act 1913)  Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more athttps://www.bio.link/livelyminds Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our websitehttps://www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds

28 FEB 2024 · How many times have you heard someone say “I’m being so OCD” to describe a random bit of preciseness or when they need to double-check something? Whether it’s newspaper articles falsely linking OCD to violent behaviours, unhelpful social media memes that perpetuate mistaken concepts of “intrusive thoughts”, or the names of brands which trivialise the experience - misinformation, and perhaps sometimes active disinformation, about OCD remains rife. OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) is one of the world’s most misunderstood mental health disorders. For a long time, it has been portrayed in the media as a personality quirk that has something or other to do with cleanliness. In fact, according to the World Health Organisation, it is one of the most disabling conditions on Earth. Whilst ‘contamination OCD’ is the most common subtype, this strand of the condition is grossly mischaracterised by the media, who also ignore the fact that most forms of OCD have nothing to do with germaphobia. In this special collaboration with https://theocdstories.com/, Ellie and Will chat to Matthew Antonelli from the https://iocdf.org/ and Stuart Ralph, from OCD Stories, about the impact OCD myths can have on those with the condition - and what we can do to spread positive messages that encourage people to seek the help they need and deserve. Links - The https://theocdstories.com/ - The https://iocdf.org/blog/2023/02/08/iocdf-launches-campaign-against-misinformation/ to articles that appeared in the New York Post Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more athttps://www.bio.link/livelyminds Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our websitehttps://www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds

21 FEB 2024 · A podcast update! Listen | Donate | Connect at www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds

7 FEB 2024 · Why is mental health and learning disability so often confused? How do they interact? Why are learning disabled people more likely to experience mental health problems than the general population? In this episode, we will be talking to Paul Wilshaw, who is Associate Producer at https://www.mind-the-gap.org.uk/. As well as being an advocate for Mind the Gap, Paul uses his own lived experience to be an advocate for learning disabled people. Paul is also presenter of Mind the Gap and Disability Arts Online’s podcast, https://disabilityarts.online/projects/the-disability-and-podcast/ Again, we make quite a few references to websites and research in this show. Here are the links! The connections between mental health and learning disability according to https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/research-and-statistics/health/mental-health and https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/learning-disability-support/. Some research suggests that learning disabled people are more than twice as likely to experience a mental health problem than the population at large: see results on https://consensus.app/results/?q=Are%20learning%20disabled%20people%20more%20likely%20to%20have%20mental%20health%20problems%20than%20non-learning%20disabled%20people?&synthesize=on Disabled people are more at risk of loneliness than non-learning disabled people: ses results on https://consensus.app/results/?q=Are%20disabled%20people%20at%20higher%20risk%20of%20loneliness%20than%20non-disabled%20people%3F&synthesize=on Follow @livelymindspod on X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and more athttps://www.bio.link/livelyminds Please note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our websitehttps://www.anyamedia.net/livelyminds --Show Transcript-- W: Hi everyone, the following episode includes a brief reference to suicidal ideation and a potentially triggering comment made by a healthcare professional who is not identified in the conversation. There are also quite a few references to research again and you’ll find links in the show notes. Please take care whilst listening and for signposting to support, visit our website anyamedia.net/LivelyMinds W: Hello, my name is Will. E: And my name is Ellie. W: You are listening to Lively Minds, the podcast about mental health challenges that go beyond the ebb and flow of the everyday. E: The podcast that looks at how developing our understanding of mental health issues influences the ways that we address them. W: Before we get going with today’s episode, we just want to say a big thank you to the person who gave us a very generous anonymous donation at our Buy Me a Coffee page. You know who you are. It’s very much appreciated. If you’d like to support the show too, then you can find our Buy Me A Coffee page at buymeacoffee.com/livelyminds. [Music] E: In today’s episode we are talking about the interconnections and misconceptions surroundingmental health and learning disability.  W: According to the charities Mind and Mencap, learning disability and mental health are often muddled. At the same time, some studies show that learning disabled people are at least twice as likely to struggle with their mental health than the population at large. E: To guide us through this topic, we are delighted to welcome Paul Wilshaw to the show. Paul is an associate producer at Mind the Gap Theatre Company. His role includes supporting the company’s producing team and project delivery. As well as being an advocate for Mind the Gap, Paul uses his own lived experience to be an advocate for learning disabled people. Paul is also presenter of Mind the Gap and Disability Arts Online’s podcast, Disability and… I always want to say the dot dot dot. W: Welcome to the show Paul. P: Thank you very much for having me. Really do appreciate it. W: I guess we should start off just by saying that Ellie and I both know you outside of this podcast, known you for a while and it’s just really great to actually finally be able to have you on the show. E: Definitely. P: It’s great and I know Ellie from We Shall Not Be Removed and that was a great experience, except for, wish we didn’t have to go through that experience in the first place but we did. E: Yeah W: Just to explain that We Shall Not Be Removed was the Disability Arts Alliance that came together during the pandemic to try and work out how we could have a better landscape for disabled artists during and most importantly, following the pandemic as well, right? E: Yeah,  P: definitely. E: Simultaneously it feels like it was ages ago that me and Paul were seeing each other on Zoom all the time, but actually it also in a way feels like it was like a month ago. P: I know. W: So Paul, thanks for coming and talking to us. To start off with, as I mentioned in the intro, according to both Mencap and Mind, Mencap being a charity that works with learning disabled people, Mind being a charity that focuses on mental health, learning disability and mental healthare often confused. So, we were wondering, do you agree with that? And if so, why do you think that is? P: I think it, it does get confused. A lot of the times that you can’t actually tell what part is of you, what part is your learning disability and also what part is your mental health. And if, if you don’t understand it yourself, then in a way, how can you expect other people to understand it. So I mean, I have depression, I got diagnosed with that, but I’ve also got learning disabilities and cerebral palsy. So what part of my personality is my learning disability, what part is it my mental health, and what part of it is my cerebral palsy?. It’s a really hard thing to understand in myself, so I do understand why people get confused. I think though people do get confused, I think it’s also that fear that people have of the unknown and the fact of that there’s so much now being in the media around mental health, and people are trying to understand their mental health but also trying to understand have I got this disability? or is that part of my disability? And that sometimes, it’s hard to actually know yourself. So yeah, no, I think there is definitely some confusion, but I think there’s, people are trying to understand more, well I’m hoping so anyway. E: It’s hard trying to figure out which bits which isn’t it? And then at the end of the thought you’re like, well, actually it’s just sort of all the bits, a bit like a jigsaw or something.  P: Yeah, you have to put it all together. I think it’s also that thing of that everyone’s scared, but also there is fun around having your disability and having your mental health because there is fun in that.  E: Yeah.  P: I think that’s something that people are like, how can that be fun? How is that fun? But you can’t just, you’re not always down.  E: Yeah P: And I think that’s a thing that people just think, oh, if you’ve got depression, or if you’ve got this, you’re always down. It’s not always the case. It’s also that support that you have in place as well.  E: Yeah. W: Can I ask Paul, if I had to put you on the spot and say, have you thought about what might be some differences between mental health and learning disability? P: I think my mental health fluctuates and I try not to use jargon words. So what I mean is it goes up and down. My learning disability is there all my life.  E: Yeah P: It’s the best way I can describe it. My learning disability, I learn different from and I need support. With my mental health, I get support but it’s not as easy. And sadly, I’m one of those people that probably tries to cover up and puts a face on stuff too much. And what I’ve started to realise more recently is that people know when my cerebral palsy is playing me up because I’m shifty and all that. And I’m, but with my mental health, only a few people will recognize when I’m going through one of my situations. W: mmm P: I think, yeah, there’s so much. So, no, there’s no, I think what mind and mencap put is very honest and say that it’s not the same thing because it’s not. And not, I mean, not one person will have the same situation. I mean, my situation is different than other people with mental health situations, but you need to be there to support everyone. And so, yeah. E: Yeah. P: And something that Mencap do talk about is how one of the problems about the confusion is that sometimes a learning disabled person might go to their doctor, and the doctor will just assume that whatever they’re presenting is part of their learning disability, whereas in actual fact, it could well be a mental health issue. And the other thing they mentioned as well is that sometimes there can be a lack of connection between mental health and learning disability services within health as well, and a lack of coordination. P: A prime example of the doctors and stuff is that I went to my doctor ... https://www.anyamedia.net/livelymindspod/s2e2-learning-disability-and-mental-health-with-paul-wilshaw/