Monthly Archives: March 2016

#TOTW from 22-03-16 ‘Would you know what to do in a mental health emergency?’

Evenin’ all!

So then…would you…know what to do?

This week’s #TOTW is a retweet from the mental health charity ‘Rethink Mental Illness:’

If someone is in crisis, it can be hard to know what to say or do. Our guide can help >

It’s a simple enough question, but is it one that you think you know the answer to? This is a really good guide from Rethink Mental Illness (@Rethink_) on how you can help when someone turns to you in a time of need. It’s made up of some scenarios (based on real life events) and ways you could help…things you might be able to say.

If you think you already know how to deal with someone experiencing a mental health emergency, then great! However, if you’re insure what you could do or say to help, then please take a quick look at this link and download the guide. It’s presented in a really easy to read format and isn’t too wordy!

It would be great if you never had to use this handbook, but you just never know when a friend or a colleague might need to turn to you in an hour of need.

I hope you find this of some help. It’s a great resource, and a handy place to start if you want to learn more about mental health emergencies and the part you could play in helping someone through them.

Ben

#TOTW from 15-03-16 “We’re culturally squeamish about death”

Hey Folks!

That time of the week again…and a happy anniversary to me, or so WordPress just tells me! I’ve been doing this whole blog thing for 2 years now apparently!

So this week I decided to choose a topic that I have tweeted about many times since I started on Twitter, but not so much of late, and so my #TOTW is:

“We’re culturally squeamish about death”

“The term “a good death” is a highly optimistic one, and hard to achieve at the best of times; but being shunted into a hospital to die alone instead of in the place you have come to call home seems like the opposite.”

In this piece, Archie Bland writes about our feelings and outlook on death following a recent BMA report on end-of-life care, in which it found that although the UK is seen as having a high standard of end-of-life care, there is still plenty more that doctors could do to make it even better. Death isn’t something most of us feel comfortable talking about, but the more we can have such awkward conversations about what we want to happen to us when the time comes, the better.

#ClickLinkLearn!

 

#TOTW from 08-03-16 ‘Woman shares photo of dimples on breast to raise awareness of cancer symptoms’

G’day Folks!

How are we all? As a follow-up to last week’s blog about how *NOT* to use social media, I thought it would be good this week to highlight a story about how *TO* use #SoMe and so my #TOTW this week is:

“Some people think breast cancer is just a lump, but in fact that is not true, it can present itself in other ways” Woman shares photo of dimples on breast to raise awareness of cancer symptoms via

For all the criticism that social media comes in for, it does have many positive uses. Those people that choose to share information about their private lives in such a way as this i.e. for the benefit of others should be praised and applauded, not derided. Like any media in life, whatever form it takes, if used appropriately it can be done so for the greater good. Unfortunately the doctor I mentioned in last week’s #TOTW chose to use social media for negative and mean-spirited purposes. This story shows that when used positively it can also save lives…literally.

Thanks for reading! Please share this with your friends and family. It only has to be seen by one person and you never know how much good it might do!

#SoMe rocks!

Ben

#TOTW from 02-03-16 ‘How *NOT* to use #SoMe’

Evenin’ all!

For those of you that haven’t come across the term #SoMe before – those of you that haven’t been following my blog before now that is – then it’s short for #SocialMedia. So the title and topic of this week’s #TOTW is:

You’d think someone in his position would have a bit more sense…clearly not! How *NOT* to use

Now you would think, or at least hope that someone in this doctor’s position would have a bit more common sense and may be a bit more ‘media-savvy,’ however it would appear not to be the case! Of course if he has those beliefs and opinions then that’s fine, so long as he keeps them to himself. Given that he is a consultant in a position of responsibility, then this is clearly not acceptable behaviour and he should indeed receive at the very least a good ticking off from his professional body. I would also hope he be booked on a course to teach him how to use #SoMe responsibly!

For those of us in healthcare that choose to use #SoMe to keep in touch with fellow professionals it is important to remember that what we put out there is going into the public domain for anyone and everyone to see – regardless of how tightly you think you have your privacy settings locked down! It is worth looking up to see if your employer has a policy on #SoMe. If you work for the NHS then chances are they will have. Download it, read it, and take note! You, and you alone are responsible for what you put out there. If you are still unsure as to what you should or perhaps more importantly, shouldn’t be publishing via #SoMe, then there is plenty of material available online for you to #GoLearn!

And remember…#SoMe should and can be fun as well as using it for your continuing professional development!

That’s ya lot for this week folks!

Benjamin S.