The night is shattered and the blue stars shiver in the distance

HEY, Wonder Woman!

Short and sweet this week from the the hub of all things Arts and Health, where its great to welcome Dr’s Katherine Taylor and Rebecca Gordon Nesbitt into the fold and two new and exciting pieces of arts and health research. Great too, that so many of you got back to me about NW Arts and Health Research Network. I’ll arrange a date and post it on this blog very soon...and we may just have a guest speaker to kick start our meetings! The Recoverist Manifesto event I advertised earlier on the blog is all set for Wednesday evening in Liverpool and finally, I have been completely overwhelmed by the number and standard of expressions of interest to be a research artist on the Dementia and Imagination project - but seriously, no more phone-calls/emails about it - as the details made clear, we’ll be responding to EoI’s around the 28th Feb. So, the header for this week’s blog is a stunning little line from Pablo Neruda and the poem at the bottom of this page is a valentines special for melancholic lovers anywhere, who happen upon this blog.

Poignant and lyrical, Mike White shares, More Musings on Arts in Health from the Chemo Circus on the Centre for Medical Humanities blog. If you only have a few moments in your busy week to read anyone's blog ramblings, leave these pages immediately and catch up with Mike. His thoughts on arts/health are consistently provocative - his framing of these ideas through his own experiences are utterly compelling. 

Women in Print: Print as an agent of change 1920-1965

Friday 7 March 2014, 10.00am-12.30pm

A morning of lively talks and debate presented by writers and academics and programmed as part of the ‘Wonder Women Radical Manchester’ season co-ordinated by the People’s History Museum, Manchester. Click on the Dorothy Shakespear below for details.

Intelligent Kindness: Culture, Compassion and Brutalisation in Healthcare
Saturday, March, 22, 2014 - 10.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.

The title for the lecture is “Intelligent Kindness:  Culture, Compassion and Brutalisation in Healthcare” and it will be presented by John Ballatt, who is the co-author of the book “Intelligent Kindness:  Reforming the Culture of Healthcare”.  The theme of the lecture and focus for the discussion in the large group is very topical at the moment and I am sure you would find it interesting and thought provoking. I realise that at £60, most of us won’t be able to afford this lecture, but I include it on the blog because it looks really intersting. Perhaps if you do attened it, you might write a short pargraph for this blog? 

http://www.groupanalysisnorth.com/activities.php 

Funding for Creative Young People (UK)

IdeasTap, a non-for-profit initiative supports young creative people between 16 and 30 years of age, has announced that its Ideas Fund Innovators is open to applications. During this funding round the Ideas Fund Innovators aims to offer 20 projects £500 each (10 for those aged 16 - 22 and 10 for those aged 23 - 30) to help get them off the ground. In the past, Ideas Tap have funded everything from dance and film projects to music videos and photography collectives. Applications from any creative field will be considered. Ideas Tap are looking for projects that are inspiring, original, innovative and that Ideas Tap think you can deliver. This brief closes on the 7th February at 5pm and is open to IdeasTap members aged 16 to 30 on the closing date. Read more at http://www.ideastap.com/Opportunities/Brief/Ideas-Fund-Innovators-16-to-22-070214#Overview   

Tengo hambre de tu boca

Tengo hambre de tu boca, de tu voz, de tu pelo

Y por las calles voy sin nutrirme, callado,
No me sostiene el pan, el alba me desquicia,
Busco el sonido líquido de tus pies en el día.

Estoy hambriento de tu risa resbalada,
De tus manos color de furioso granero,
Tengo hambre de la pálida piedra de tus uñas,
Quiero comer tu piel como una intacta almendra.

Quiero comer el rayo quemado en tu hermosura,
La nariz soberana del arrogante rostro,
Quiero comer la sombra fugaz de tus pestañas

Y hambriento vengo y voy olfateando el crepúsculo
Buscándote, buscando tu corazón caliente
Como un puma en la soledad de Quitratúe.

Effective Addiction Treatments are Available

By John Renner, MD and Frances Levin, MD

We are all saddened by the death of Philip Seymour Hoffman and the many other
individuals who have died because of overdoses of heroin or pain
medications.  For all of those individuals who struggle with opioid use
problems, it is important to realize that help is available and that effective
treatment can restore them to productive lives.  Some 4.7 million people
in the U.S. have used heroin at least once in their lives.  It is estimated that nearly a quarter of
people that use heroin become dependent on it.



Whether it be through mutual support programs such as NA, long-term residential
treatment, or addiction pharmacotherapy with buprenorphine, methadone or ER
naltrexone, no individual need fear that their condition cannot be
treated.  Friends and family members also need to be educated in the use
of intra-nasal naloxone for the reversal of opioid overdoses.  



APA has long fostered the development of addiction focused training programs
for psychiatrists.  Many psychiatrists have been specifically trained
to provide office-based addiction pharmacotherapy and to manage the
co-occurring psychiatric disorders that often complicate recovery from
substance use disorders.  

More information:

·        
Information on addiction

·         Opioid Overdose Prevention Toolkit (SAMHSA)

·        
Substance
use treatment locator (SAMHSA)

·        
Buprenorphine Physician
and Treatment locator (SAMHSA)

·        
For psychiatrists:  Providers
Clinical Support System for Medication Assisted Treatment

Blog
contributors:

John
Renner, MD

Member, APA Council on Addicition Psychiatry (Past Chair)
Director of Addiction Fellowship Program,

Professor of Psychiatry,  Boston University School of Medicine



Associate Chief of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System

Frances Levin, MD

Chair, APA Council on Addiction Psychiatry
Kennedy-Leavy Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center

Director, Addiction Psychiatry Fellowship,

New York Presbyterian Hospital

New York State Psychiatric Institute

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...love's labour's lost

I went to see The Wolf of Wall Street last weekend. It was horrible in so many ways - and also quite brilliant. Repulsive - but made me think of corruption beyond the banks - replant ongoing phone-hacking media vultures, predatory people in positions of power, 'celebrities', Berlusconi-esque politicians - hrrrrrrrr.    The adverts during the film had me a bit spell-bound though and I began to worry that I may just be taking my work home!! The headline, 'Real Men Dance' for the forthcoming Cuban Fury about an under confident, overweight man learning to dance, so he can find love and then a trailer for Dallas Buyers Club, about a HIV-positive rodeo cowboy, who goes into battle with the pharmaceutical industry. Bring it on! Of course I haven't seen this one yet, but if it questions who are the most corrupt: street dealers (who don't pay tax) or Big Pharma, (our legally registered dealers) I for one, will be watching. So - one film promoting public health (maybe) and one questioning industrial greed and control of our health and wellbeing. hmmm...sounds like a critical arts/health film-club is in the mix! However, if you'd like to strip your mind of this drivel for a moment, can I recommend listening to something sublime? Many years ago, I went to see the Bulgarian State Radio and Television Female Choir. I dug out the album this week, and compiled this blog with this soundtrack to my weekend. Emotion is good, very good.

We’ve had lots of applications for the Dementia and Imagination Contemporary Research artists. A big thank you, to all of you. We hope to respond to everyone on the 28th February. As for all my  
d r o n i n g  on last week, well - it provoked one or two responses. Thanks for the links to the bizarre world of gaming culture, and in particular to UNMANNED, which you can go to by clicking on the partly shaved drone pilot. It is a disconcerting world to me, but very intriguing.

Since advertising work around dementia, I am increasingly aware of the range of opportunities and emerging projects out there and this week I’ve had a large number of emails from complete strangers asking advice on the subject, which luckily, I’ve been able  to direct them to appropriate help. It’s got me thinking about our dear old arts and health network though. Periodically I offer evening sessions here in Manchester and anywhere around the region to give people the opportunity to network and discuss what matters to them. That’s actually how the manifesto work began. Over the next few months I’ll be hosting some sessions with visitors from Australia; with Mike White from the Centre for Medical Humanities and with the three artists involved in the I AM: Art as an Agent for Change project. So lots on the horizon. But I thought, because so many people have been in touch about evaluation and research, it may be a good time for us to develop an informal North West Arts and Health Research Network. There is a national network for academics in this field, but I’m thinking more of a hybrid regional mix for anyone involved in the field. So if this is something you think’s a good idea, drop me an email by clicking HERE and let's start a conversation. Lets aim for informal, conversational, sharing and maybe, just a little collaboration.

All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts and Health

With huge thanks to Alan Howarth, Alex Coulter and Damian Hebron, the Inaugural Meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Arts and Health (APPG) was held in Whitehall on January the 15th. This is something that the National Alliance for Arts, Health and Wellbeing have supported the development of. With the cross-party input of the following parliamentarians, I have strong hopes for this group and its achievements for the field. I hope to report more fully on this meeting very soon, but for now, here are some of the people involved. Lord Berkeley of Knighton, Lord Crathorne, Lord Crisp, Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Baroness Greengross, Lord Howarth of Newport, Natasha Kutchinsky, Office of Paul Burstow MP, Jason McCartney MP , Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall, Sarah Newton MP, Matthew Offord MP, Andrew Stunell MP, Daniel Tye, Office of Sharon Hodgson MP, Sarah Wollaston MP.

Are you an Artist Working in Participatory Settings – if so, the Paul Hamlyn Foundation (PHF) want you to tell them about your experiences! The ArtWorks survey* seeks to understand and develop support for artists working in participatory settings. This survey is interested in response from practising artists from all artform areas, who may engage to whatever extent with individuals, groups and communities through their practice. You can access the survey by clicking on the image below, before 19th February

PhD studentship

Project Topic: A Mixed Methods Trial on the Value of Arts therapies (and Dance Movement Psychotherapy in particular) with People with Dementias

The proposed PhD study will look at the value of arts therapies (and Dance Movement Psychotherapy in particular) for this client population through a well-designed pilot trial using mixed methods (Creswell 2009).  Quantitative, qualitative and arts-based methods will be used before and after dance movement psychotherapy (and/or arts therapies interventions), while a control group will be employed.  Arts-based methods will enable participants to find a voice without being disadvantaged by their illness.  At the same time family carers, staff and therapists will be able to share their thoughts about the process and outcome of the intervention/s. Finally as a feasibility study it will test the design and methods and assure that trustworthiness remains high, while generating some, potentially solid, initial quantitative evidence. Applications are invited from qualified dance movement psychotherapists, dance/performing arts graduates, arts therapists, psychologists and/or other health professionals with a strong research background and experience. The supervisory team will consist of specialists in dementia and arts therapies from within and outside Edge Hill University. For details about this topic, click on the exhausted PhD student below, or contact the Director of Studies: Prof Vicky Krakow Vicky.Karkou@edgehill.ac.uk 

Friend of all things art and health, Holly Marland wonders why oh why, does The British Plastics Foundation have a Facebook page with no picture and only 7 likes? They are supposed to be engaging the public in debate and action about plastic recycling! Frustrated at their apparent appathy, greed and invisibility, Holly wrote and recorded this song, which you can get by clicking on the fetid garbage bags below.

Mental Health Training for Arts Practitioners

For: Experienced, practicing arts and culture facilitators working with young people experiencing mental health issues

Dates:  3rd and 4th of March 2014 (attendance at both days is necessary)

Time: 9.30am – 4pm on both days

Location: 42nd Street, Great Ancoats Street, Manchester

This very specialised training delivered by 42nd Street will increase knowledge and skills around mental health support when working with young people in groups.  You’ll learn about the impact that mental health difficulties have on young people and learn how to work safely and more effectively with young people who are experiencing such issues.  This two day course will involve experiential exercises, an overview of theory as well as discussion.  We expect demand to exceed the number of places available, so please send a short CV and no more than 1 side of A4 explaining how you will use this training opportunity in your practice to: Julie.McCarthy@42ndstreet.org.uk Deadline: Monday 10^th February 10am.

ACADEMY SCHOLARSHIP COMPETITION 2014

For the third year, the Institute of Ideas will be running the Academy Scholarship Programme for full time students of ANY academic discipline. Successful applicants will be eligible to attend the annual Academy weekend for only £60. Read on for details of how to apply. http://www.instituteofideas.com/academy2014.html 

FANCY A TRIP TO THE BALLET? 

NESTA Policy & Research Small Grants Scheme (UK)

NESTA (the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) has announced the launch of a new small grants scheme. Grants of up to £10,000 are available to universities and incorporated research organisations, charities, companies and consultancies for research projects. This could, for example, be developing a paper, a proof of concept or a policy idea. Priority will be given to proposals that address questions NESTA have not seen addressed before and that do not have coverage in the academic literature proposals that have a potential impact on thinking, policy or practice. NESTA plan to run the open call four times in 2014 and aim to fund up to ten projects in total across the year. The first closing date for applications is the 21st February 2014. Read more at: http://www.nesta.org.uk/Small-Grants-Open-Call

Grants to help new innovative visual arts projects (UK)

The Elephant Trust has announced that the next deadline for applications is the 14th April 2014. The Trust offers grants to artists and for new, innovative visual arts projects based in the UK. The Trust's aim is to make it possible for artists and those presenting their work to undertake and complete projects when confronted by lack of funds. The Trust supports projects that develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and appreciation of the fine arts. Priority is now being given to artists and small organisations and galleries who should submit well argued, imaginative proposals for making or producing new work or exhibitions. Arts Festivals are not supported. The Trust normally awards grants of up to £2,000, but larger grants may be considered. Read more by clicking on the brilliant Lee Miller's ID card. 

Welcome Trust Peoples Awards (UK)

Awards of up to £30,000 are available under the Wellcome Trust's “Peoples” Awards for projects that encourage public debate and understanding of biomedical science. Funding can be for up to three years. Applications can be made by a wide variety of individuals, organisations and partnerships. The next applications deadline is the 31st January 2014.  The Trust also makes “Society” Awards.  These are grants in excess of £30,000.  The next preliminary application deadline for “Society” Awards is 5pm on the 28 March 2014. Read more at: http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/Funding/Public-engagement/Funding-schemes/People-Awards-and-Society-Awards/index.htm 

*All responses will be anonymous, and under no circumstances will individual responses be made available to partners in the project or published. The survey is being undertaken by an independent research agency, DHA. If you would like to know more about the survey or the way in which responses will be used, please contact Tamsin Cox, Head of Policy and Research at DHA, at: tamsin@dhacommunications.co.uk.

...finally we are no one 

What a piece of work is a man! (...or woman)

DRONING ON

As the government ever so discreetly announces its plans ‘to spend more than $6.5* billion to purchase 657 military drones,  including 10 Reaper MQ-9s, which are armed with Hellfire ­missiles plus laser-guided 500lb bombs and can hover 20,000ft above targets for more than 20 hours’, I begin to notice the interplay between my dear children's addiction to computer games and the new-wave of arms-length war-mongering, with a mounting anxiety. Great to know our games operators can be thousands of miles away from their anonymous, pixilated targets.

On a more positive note and outside of the world of warfare and sport, the potentials of play and games as agents of change are seldom acknowledged and explored. However, the landscape of game making and playing is undergoing a radical transformation and recent developments are highlighting the possibilities of game design in engaging wider social processes, aligned to activism, journalism, interpersonal communication and community development. MMU is launching the Games and Social Change Network on Wednesday 19th Feb. You can find out more about this free event which has a range of exciting international speakers by clicking on the darling little hover-fly below, which I'm guessing, wasn't photographed over Blackpool beach..

After many long hours of travel recently, I sat, disoriented, in a damp waiting room at Crewe train station. It was as turgid as it gets, all neon chrome-yellow - deathly silent - save for the oozing ambient dribble of dub-step from my dull-eyed neighbour. All eyes down. Everyone in the room was some hideous version of me. All balding, middle aged men. Admittedly there were a few shiny and ill-fitting suits, but all blokes of a certain age and all, with the exception of yours truly, slavishly working their tablets and phones - plugged in and tuned out to all the world - other than their very, very personal ones.

Were they all really messaging friends, or were they scrolling through old mail in the hope of feeling loved? I felt very disconnected.

Then, as though to puncture my reverie, some phone goes off and everyone recoils to the sound of the ‘old phone’ ring-tone, which judging by the desperate sudden twitching of my compadres, meant a good few of them were desperately cloying for some nostalgia. We all flinch, (me too) and this particularly dim-witted fellow - tall - stooped - balding and with an air of desperation, began yelling down some invisible corded handset, ‘I’m really angry.’ I don’t know what was worse, the inane staring into the screens, or the gibbering angry idiot? Are we all really that indispensable, important people, with vital business to attend to? Or worse still, all loved up, swapping 140 character sonnets and sex-flicks? Good grief!

I must admit though, I’ve become rather slavish to my email and part of me thinks, I’ve had enough. So taking a friends advice about making changes (thank you), I’m going to test myself. My response-rate to emails is improbably high, as is my saying ‘yes’ to things that contribute to my slow decline (but sorry if I deleted you by mistake) and I am thus diagnosing myself as having, ‘internet addiction disorder’...this is real right? The DSM says so, so it must be true. I am putting down my iPhone and picking up my old phone (Ericsson t28 actually, and according to my offspring, ‘retro’) and will only have phone/text. No camera, no music, no web and no email! So, in the name of self-preservation I’m signing out of my virtual world and will only check work email from a desktop once a day, for this next month. I am told, that digital innovation is where it’s at. Well, for the next month, I’m a Luddite and proud.

*I know this is in dollars, but I’m quoting the media reports

For more details of SICK FESTIVAL at which I'm chairing a debate about the relationship between how we live and die and culture and the arts, click on the festival programme below.

2014/15 Clore Leadership Programme

The Clore Leadership Programme is currently inviting applications for 2014/15 Fellowships from exceptional individuals with the potential to take on significant leadership roles within culture. The Fellowship Programme supports the personal and professional development of leaders through in-depth learning, tailored to the needs, aspirations and circumstances of around twenty-five individuals a year, with the aim of building an innovative and resilient cultural sector. Fellows take a total of approximately eight months away from work to focus on the programme and benefit from unparallelled access to experienced leaders, a diverse peer group and extensive networks. The deadline for applications is 12noon, Friday 7 February 2014. For further details on the Programme and to access the online application form, please click on the fine wines below.

Community Right to Challenge Grant programme 

The Government has announced a new £10 million financial support scheme that will help voluntary organisations take over the running of public services in their communities. The Community Right to Challenge Grant Programme complements the wider Community Assets and Services Programme. Communities which want to take over the running of local services can apply for funding. These grants will not be available by open application but the SIB will invite applications from relevant bodies against a set of criteria which will be published on the SIB website. SIB expects that many of these service delivery grants will include a repayable element.

For more details, click on the photograph of Tory Councillor Matthew Palmer checking stocks and shares prices* during a council meeting about (amongst other things), cuts to mental health services. Cllr Palmer, have you considered you may have Internet Addiction Disorder?

New programme for disabled artists 

(England & Scotland) 

Following the successful Unlimited project which was at the heart of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and celebrated the work of disabled artists, Shape and Arts admin have been awarded £1.5 million by Arts Council England to deliver a new three year commissioning programme to support disabled artists in developing ambitious and high quality work, will be delivered throughout England and Scotland.  'Unlimited' will not only help disabled artists develop their practice and encourage the development of new relationships and collaborations with producers, venues and promoters, but will also increase distribution of disabled artists' work (through digital means and touring up to an international level), affording greater opportunities for audiences to see the work. The funding is available both to individual disabled artists and organisations applying on behalf of disabled artists. The deadline for applications is 12noon on the 17th February 2014. Read more by clicking on the sublime image of artist Sue Austin. 

CALLING ALL FILM MAKERS

The international film competition for the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival is now open. Whether you are an established industry professional or an aspiring amateur, if your work engages with and explores mental health, then we want to hear from you.

In its broadest sense ‘mental health’ is a term which touches most aspects of our lives. We want to encourage films which explore all aspects of mental health. Films can address specific mental health issues, but we’re also keen to encourage innovative and diverse perspectives.

Previous winning films have examined issues including ageing, childhood, equality, friendship, grief, music and sport, as well as specific mental health conditions. 2013 attracted entries from Scotland, other parts of the UK, Continental Europe, Turkey, Israel, India, Bangladesh, Australia, Canada and the USA. Last year's Festival drew crowds of 16,000 at over 300 events in 17 regions across Scotland, making it the busiest festival to date! Entry is free. The closing date for entries is Friday 11th April 2014. Click on the logo below.

A footnote on Dementia and Imagination call for contemporary artists...although I mentioned last week, that phone calls and emails asking for more dials will largely go unanswered, because of the volume, I still received questions like this one: 'You know the mandatory training for artists - is it mandatory?' Please lord, no more.

Україна
... Якщо ви читаєте це в Україні, будь ласка увійти в контакт і поділитися своїми інтересами...

OK...take care, thank you and goodbye for now...C.P. 

*A Tory councillor has been caught checking share prices in a meeting about cuts. Photos taken from the public gallery during a Kensington and Chelsea council meeting clearly show Cllr Matthew Palmer perusing charts for various stocks on his council laptop. While members discussed issues such as cuts to mental health services and council enforcement officers, Cllr Palmer seemed to be more interested in the performance of the following stocks:

Land Securities Group Plc, Sage Group Plc, Avanti Communications Group Plc, Samsun, Electronics Co Ltd, Unilever Plc.

Allt fast och beständigt förflyktigas

This last week, I’ve been on a residential as part of the Grundtvig funded, I AM: Art as an Agent for Change project in and around the environs of Florence and as guests of Gruppo Incontro, to whom a big thank you for your generous hospitality. Thanks too, for the lovely productive meeting with staff at Palazzo Strozzi. Che shock - Sono come Lady Di buttarmi giù per le scale! Mio caro Tiberio, Manuela, Ilaria, Paola e Paola, Francesca, Nicoletta, Joe, Mark & ​​Billo - Sono mortificata. Mi scusi. Deve essere stato tutto quel caffè, o semplicemente come Julie Christie in Don't Look Now, ho predetto la mia morte!

Over the next few months artists from the UK, Turkey and Italy will be working across the partner countries and in April, I’ll be hosting Cristina Nunez, Selda Asal and Ali Zaidi for a weeks workshops and residential, here at MMU. We’ll be undertaking some public events around self-portraiture and substance addiction and recovery. All will be advertised here and on the main Arts for Health website. We’ll also be holding a day symposium to share all the work, here at MMU in July, and sharing the first incarnation of the RECOVERIST MANIFESTO. The session that’s going to be held at The Brink in Liverpool is more or less fully booked. Email confirmation will be sent to everyone who’s asked to attend, over the next couple of weeks. I can confirm sessions for this work will also be happening in Turkey and Italy, but if you’re in a European country that isn’t part of this project, you can still get involved. So, if you work with people in recovery and want to give voice to your experience, just get in touch. 

DEMENTIA & IMAGINATION - ARTIST COMMISSIONS

Of course, I’ve been bombarded with emails and phone calls about the dementia and imagination call for artists expressions of interest. I seriously can’t reply to them all and that’s why I mentioned in the briefing, that expecting individual call-backs might be a tad unrealistic. The key things I’d say are: we’re looking for some evidence of your arts practice - and that doesn’t have to be in a dementia setting - and critically, some kind of vision, something that excites us about your work. You don’t have to give an explicit proposal, simply show us what you do and give us an exciting idea about how you might work on this project.

THIS AND THAT
The next few months sees some interesting events happening in the North West and further afield. In Falmouth next month, I’ll be supporting Arts for Health Cornwall in their delivery of Beyond the Toolkit: Understanding & Evaluating Craft Praxis, Health & Wellbeing, at which I’ll be Blasting and Bombardiering around arts, health and wellbeing, (see, those naughty Italians have had an influence on me, via Wyndham Lewis).

Start in Salford are organising 'Mental Health: Everyone's Business', a North West Mental Health Conference, on Tuesday 18th March 2014 and their keynote speaker is Ruby Wax.

Streetwise Opera is an award-winning charity that uses music to help homeless people make positive changes in their lives. We do this through a weekly music programme in 10 homeless centres across England and Wales and by staging critically-acclaimed opera productions starring our homeless performers. The Answer to Everything is an interactive film and live opera event set in a conference run by fictional property developer, Locateco Solutions. Our ninth major production stars Streetwise Performers from around the UK. They will be performing at the Cornerhouse on 10th February.

The International Conference on Urban Health will be taking place in Manchester between 4th and 7th March. Professor Sir Michael Marmot is one of the many big names speaking and right at the bottom of the agenda, Arts and Health has a slot too! Hoorah. Now what to do about those inequalities? Seriously though, I’ll give it my best shot to largely a scientific community.

And if all of this isn’t enough to give you convulsions, I’ll be involved with SICK 2014, a festival in Brighton on March 11th, where I’ll be extending some of the thinking I shared last year in Mortality: Death and the Imagination. This year I’ll be chairing a debate called PRESENT TENSE: Confronting Mortality. 

This debate will bring together artists, health professionals and free-thinkers to discuss mortality and particularly the ways in which we might exercise control over the manner in which we die. Whilst rational dialogue about assisted dying is still largely a taboo and divisive subject, we aim to bring together people who confront the issues head-on through their work and practice. With perspectives from the world of contemporary art, palliative care and philosophy, this conversation will explore the liminal space between life and death and the choices we might make. You can find all the details by clicking on the logo above. 

For colleagues and friends old and new, I hope the year ahead brings us great things. From small seeds a mighty trunk may grow.

ART THERAPY & ONCOLOGY - A QUESTION

Are you an art therapist who has extensive experience working in oncology and who is either a trainer and/or comfortable speaking to large groups? If so, get in touch about a potential opportunity.

Next weeks blog will see a return to all the funding and work opportunities that you've grown to expect, but for now, take care and thank you as ever for stopping by...Clive

Need a New Year’s Resolution? Try Exercise!

By Ahmed Raza Khan, MD, MPH

Follow@AhmedRazaKhanMD

Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Physician at Stanford University
School of Medicine



Most people know that exercise is beneficial for cardiac health and is prescribed by physicians for the prevention and alleviation of various medical complications. But what if I told you exercise can also significantly benefit your mental health in more ways than one? Let’s take a look at some of the ways exercise can improve mental health and how to incorporate this into your new year’s resolution list!

Exercise and Depression Prevention:More than 350 million people in the world suffer from depression and it is the leading
cause of disability worldwide.  Exercise
has often been considered as a supplemental tool in treating depression, but
recent evidence points to exercise playing a role in the prevention of future
depressive episodes. These recent findings show that even low levels of
physical activity (e.g., walking less than 150 minutes a week) can prevent
future depression. There has been significant research in the last few years
that links cardiovascular health’s role in the origin of depression. This would
certainly be a plausible explanation for why exercise may prevent depression.



Alzheimer’s Disease Prevention:Alzheimer’s
disease is a chronic, degenerative disease of the brain that affects over
25 million people in the world. This illness leads to a progressive mental
decline, steering its victims to dependence on caregivers and, eventually,
death. Amyloid plaques are abnormal clusters of protein fragments that are
found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and are thought to
play a major role in its progression. Recent studies have found that people who
exercised at or above the levels recommended by the American Heart Association
had significantly lower numbers of amyloid plaques than those who exercised
less. This was the case for even those who carried the APOE-e4 gene
variant, which is an established risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. When
people with the APOE-e4 gene variant were compared, those with higher levels of
exercise had lower levels of amyloid plaques.



Improving Cognitive Functioning:Exercise has been shown
to increase cognitive functioning in rats. As rats get older, their memory
tends to diminish and this appears to be due to a drop of nerve synapses in the
hippocampus, the memory center of the brain. But after 12 weeks of voluntary
running, both memory and hippocampus nerve synapses were restored in these
rats.



Consistency in Exercise:Recent neuroscientific
studies have shown that the cognitive benefit of exercise may have a window of
time. In fact, rats that improved their cognitive functioning by exercise, had
this improvement dissipate in 3-6 weeks of inactivity. This is similar to what
is seen with muscle mass or heart rate when exercise is withdrawn. This
evidence intimates that exercise is beneficial for the brain and should be
performed consistently.



The American Heart Association is a great
resource for planning the amount and type of exercise one needs. They recommend
at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity at least 5 days a
week for a total of 150 minutes or at least 25 minutes of vigorous aerobic
activity 3 days a week for a total of 75 minutes. An easy target to remember:
30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.

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