equilibrium autumn issue 54

MAGAZINE FOR WELLBEING

AU

TUM

N

2014

ISSU

E 54

AUTUMN Issue 54

>> Wellbeing News Roundup>> Race & Mental Illness>> Technology & Disability>> Art, News & Reviews

EQUILIBRIUM 2

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Equilibrium PatronDr Liz Miller Mind Champion 2008

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EQUILIBRIUM 3

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Hoping you’re all keepng warm and that you enjoy our Autumn issue of Equilibrium. Packed full of

the usual news, reviews and opinion pieces, we’d again like to thank our guest contributors and

artists - do keep sending us your fantastic work! We’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue, so

go ahead and tweet us at @teamequilibrium. And if you’d like to join the team, contribute an arti-

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the teamFacilitator/ Editor: Kate Massey-Chase. Editorial team: Angela, Dev, Ian, Alan, Nigel, Paul and Richard.Graphic design: Anthony Parké.

Summer/ Issue 38EQUILIBRIUM Summer/ Issue 38

Technology and disability

EQUILIBRIUM 4

Five steps for a high well-being society

A new report has been published by the

All-Party Parliamentary Group for Wellbe-

ing Economics, which is based on a nine-

month inquiry exploring well-being and

makes five key recommendations for build-

ing a ‘high well-being society’. These are:

1). Focus on stable jobs, not growth.

2). Promote shorter, more flexible

working hours.

3). More green spaces in our cities

4). Mindfulness training for doctors

and teachers.

5). Invest in arts and culture.

The report calls for all political parties to

set out in their manifestos their strategy for

building a high well-being society, and

how they are going to embed well-being

into the policy process if they are elected.

The New Economics Foundation suggests

‘you write to your MP asking them for their

party’s take on the report’ and that we try

and ‘make the next parliament the one

where well-being takes its rightful place as

a central goal of government policy’.

Somebody dies by taking their own life

every 40 seconds, according to a significant

report by the World Health Organization.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-29060238

This report has deemed suicide a ‘major

public health problem that was too often

shrouded in taboo’. The report is based on

10 years of research and data on suicide

from around the world, and has concluded:

Around 800,000 people kill themselves •

every year.

It was the second leading cause of •

death in young people, aged 15 to 29.

Those over 70 were the most likely to •

take their own lives.

Three-quarters of these deaths were in •

low and middle income countries.

In richer countries, three times as many •

men as women die by suicide

The economic crisis in Europe and North

America led to more than 10,000 extra

suicides, according to figures from UK

researchers

(www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-27796628)

The study by the University of Oxford and

the London School of Hygiene & Tropical

Medicine analysed data from 24 EU coun-

Wellbeing News Round Up

Summer/ Issue 38Summer/ Issue 38 www.haringey.gov.uk/equilibrium EQUILIBRIUMEQUILIBRIUM 25EQUILIBRIUM 5

tries, the US and Canada, and suggest

that there’s a lot of good evidence show-

ing recessions lead to rising suicides. They

have, however, discovered that this isn’t

the case everywhere and is significantly

influenced by different country’s political

policies. Unsurprisingly, countries such as

Austria, Sweden and Finland, who invest in

schemes that help people return to work

(such as training, advice and subsidised

wages) and support and protect vulner-

able groups are not facing this dire influx

of suicides. Clearly, in fraught economic

times, we need to take even greater steps

to support the most desperate.

Arts to be further integrated into medi-

cal training (www.artsprofessional.co.uk/

profile/liz-hill. Liz Hill, Arts Professional)

A new project has been funded where

healthcare workers will receive arts-based

training, in an attempt to reduce human

error in medical interventions and improve

patient safety and wellbeing. This initiative

is part of a three-year research and devel-

opment partnership programme and will

be delivered for medical professionals at

King’s Health Partners in London, supported

by a £580k grant from the Guy’s and St

Thomas’ Charity. The findings will then be

shared with medical and arts educational-

ists, policymakers and participatory artists

across the UK, with the aim of establishing

arts-based learning as a key methodology

in the training of healthcare professionals.

New report by the Mental Health Network:

‘The future’s digital: mental health and

technology’

This report argues that compared to many

other service sectors, mental health serv-

ices – and the NHS more broadly – are

behind the curve with regard to using new

technologies. The report argues that we

need to make more use of digital technol-

ogy and online resources to improve over-

all public mental health. Everyone should

be able to access reliable information

about mental health and wellbeing online

and to access help and advice anony-

mously in a variety of ways (live chat,

email, text and phone). The scope for how

technology aids the way we design and

deliver NHS mental health services is huge,

giving more efficiency and choice and

empowering individuals to take charge of

their own recovery.

Summer/ Issue 38EQUILIBRIUM Summer/ Issue 38EQUILIBRIUM 6

Benefits & tips of Regular Eating

Summer/ Issue 38Summer/ Issue 38 www.haringey.gov.uk/equilibrium EQUILIBRIUMEQUILIBRIUM 7

Regular eating is eating your meals and

snacks regularly throughout the day,

about every 4-5 hours. This is in order to

improve mood and concentration as

well reducing the physiological impact

of hunger which will lead to less hunger

binges as well as having more energy

in order to be physically active. In the

long-term regular eating will help an

individual to lose weight, and help lower

blood glucose and cholesterol levels.

Aim to include a starchy food at

every mealtime. It is these foods that

provide a steady flow of energy which

reduces physical hunger. Inadequate

starchy foods have also been linked

with increased anger, depression and

tension. It is best if you can to choose

slow energy releasing starchy foods e.g.

wholegrain cereals, basmati rice, sweet

potatoes , oats and rye or wholegrain

bread.

It is important also to always eat break-

fast. When you wake up after a night’s

sleep your blood sugar will be low

because you haven’t eaten for many

hours, therefore it is important to refuel

with a good breakfast that will raise your

energy levels and mood. Even if you

don’t feel particularly hungry even a

small amount of a breakfast will prevent

you from getting hungrier later in the

day. It will also help to regulate your

hunger/fullness signals throughout the

day back to normal.

If you can plan what you are to eat for

meals and snacks the night before can

be a good way of reminding yourself to

eat at regular intervals. It can also be

useful to take a snack with you when

you are out during the day.

Make sure you are also drinking enough

fluids during the day, in particular water

and sugar free fluids. Lack of fluid

affects your concentration, memory,

and well-being both physically and

mentally.

For further nutrition links see:

www.mind.org.uk

www.nutrition.org.uk

www.bda.uk.com

Rebecca Bennett

Summer/ Issue 38Summer/ Issue 38 www.haringey.gov.uk/equilibrium EQUILIBRIUM

Gifted Hands by Ben Carson is an

inspirational and moving book;

although I found it a bit predict-

able in places it is still an enjoy-

able book to read. The person who

inspired me most in the book is

Ben’s mother; she is the reason why

I read this book.

Sonya Carson raised her sons Ben

and Curtis to believe that anything

is possible. She is the one who

taught them that hard work would

get them what they wanted and

that they weren’t just entitled. Ben’s

determination and courage to

become a surgeon when the odds

are stacked against him is admirable.

Ben has a strong Christian belief,

which helped him through his dark-

est days. I’m not religious however

reading the book made me think

about what gets me through not so

good days.

For me this book is worth reading

because it made me both smile

and sad in places. I really wanted

Ben to succeed and followed

his journey of highs and lows.

Ben Carson was always going to

succeed there’s no doubt about

that.

Gifted Hands is a short book and I

read it over three days. This book

made me think differently about

things for a while; I still read Ben

Carson’s inspirational quotes when

I need to.

Overall a good book.

EQUILIBRIUM 9

Gifted Hands by Ben Carson

Sharon

Book Review

Summer/ Issue 38EQUILIBRIUM

Mental illness was probably the first

taboo, so why is there still stigma around

it? Will it ever go away? People are

discriminated against for lots of reasons,

including their race and sex, so what is it

like to be a black, female, mental

health service user, like me?

In many urban areas, Black and Minority

Ethnic communities are significantly

over-represented in the poorest wards,

notably people of African, Caribbean,

Bangladeshi and Arab origin. Research

suggests that both the experience of

racial harassment and perceptions of

racial discrimination contribute to health

outcomes (Chakrborty & McKenzie

2002). There are proportionally more

black people in the mental health

system than white people. This maybe

for reasons like racism, poverty,

unemployment, unstable family units,

prison, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and

bereavement.

Mental breakdown, also know as nerv-

ous breakdown, is a colloquial term for

an acute, time-limited psychiatric disor-

der that manifests itself primarily as

severe stress-induced depression, anxi-

ety or disassociation in a previously

functioning individual.

The Disability Discrimination Act (1995)

makes it unlawful to discriminate against

employees with a disability. Those with

a mental illness that has a substantial,

adverse and long-term (over 12 months)

effect on their ability to carry out normal

day-to-day activities are considered

to have a disability under the Act. It is

intended to offer protection but attitu-

dinal changes towards disability and

mental health lag behind legislation.

Despite this, a report of Mental Health

and Social Exclusion, published by the

Social Exclusion Unit in 2004, showed

that amongst those with long-term

mental health problems, only 24% were

employed.

When people using mental health serv-

EQUILIBRIUM 8

Race & Mental Illness

Summer/ Issue 38 EQUILIBRIUM 9

ices are asked about the major issues

that concern them in their daily lives,

personal finances are consistently

identified as a major source of diffi-

culty and distress. 1 in 3 people with

a serious mental health condition is

thought to be in debt. Concerns and

anxieties regarding finance constitute a

significant stressor (In the red: debt and

mental health, Mind, 2010).

A study by the South London and

Maudsley Trust found that people diag-

nosed with serious mental illness had

significantly reduced life expectancy

(8.0 to 14.6 life years for men and 9.8

to 17.5 life years for women). Highest

reductions were found for men with

schizophrenia (14.6 years lost) and

women with schizoaffective disorders

(17.5 years lost). Living with schizo-

phrenia and bipolar disorder increases

the risk of certain physical diseases

(cardiovascular and chronic respiratory

disease, diabetes, hepatitis C, HIV).

According to the Mental Health Foun-

dation, only 1 in 10 prisoners does not

have a mental health problem, count-

ing substance abusers (and those with

dual diagnosis), those with a primary

mental illness and others who become

unwell under the psychological stresses

of imprisonment. There are a dispropor-

tionate number of people from ethnic

minorities in prisons in this country; in

2010, the ethnic minority prison popu-

lation (of which the highest proportion

is black) had doubled in a decade

(‘More black people jailed in England

and Wales, The Guardian, 10 Oct 2010).

I am a black Caribbean women born

in the UK. The family unit is often very

unstable in the Caribbean commu-

nity. Unfortunately there are too many

one parent families. The National Child

Development Study (which has tracked

around 17,000 people born in Brit-

ain during one week in 1958 over the

course of their lives) has recently shown

that greater social acceptance of

divorce has not reduced its impact on

children. When outcomes for this group

were compared with children born in

1970, children from both cohorts whose

parents split up are ‘equally likely to

end up without qualifications, claiming

benefits and suffering depression’ (Elliot

J Vaitilingham, Now we are 50: Key

findings from Child Development Study,

Centre for Longitudinal Studies, Institute

of London, 2008)

Angela

cont.


My story

During my time as a service-user, I have

noticed that there are a lot of social

workers and nurses who are from the

Caribbean and Africa. I found this useful

as a black Caribbean woman. The black

staff would always make sure that I

looked after my appearance; they would

tell me, for example, when I needed

to go to the hair salon, tell me to wear

smart clothes and shoes, and would

check my hair and skin to make sure I was

looking after it properly and it

wasn’t too dry. However, I have not seen a

lot of black doctors in the mental

health services (only 2 doctors from

Africa).

What I found strange the first time I was

admitted to hospital was that they

said they had to medicate me because I

was smiling all the time and over

happy. This sounds like they would prefer

me to be some kind of zombie

(smile and the world smiles with you?!).

One of the social workers set up a

support group for black women in the

mental health system. We used to meet

up every week at St Anne’s Hospital and

talk about our experiences. I will

never forget the session when we

discussed being manic, because it was so

funny. One Saturday, they took us to

Margate seaside resort. We had lovely

Caribbean food and really fantastic

weather. I am glad that I went because I

didn’t have anyone else to go to the

seaside with.

Lambo Day Centre

I was pleased to see Lynton Bedford’s

recent letter in the Islington Tribune, as

she is just saying what everyone in the

black community is thinking: race is at

the heart of the decision about Lambo

Day Centre. The Afro-Caribbean Day

Centre at Despard Road in Archway was

created to compensate for the

disproportionate number of black people

locked up in psychiatric wards.

Moving all the users from two other centres

into what is currently an all black

centre will mean that Despard Road will

no longer be a black service.

I used to attend Lambo Day Centre. All the

staff are black. We get African and

Caribbean food, such as rice and peas

and chicken, and curries. We have

had a speaker in talking about sickle cell,

which is a blood disorder that

affects the black community. The first

group I attended there was a music

group. We made our own songs, which

was really good. This group had even

produced its own CD. Other activities

cont.


include sewing, going to the gym,

cinema trips, dinner and dancing, going

to the West End for Christmas,

holidays in Centre Parks, Belgium and

France, fire safety talks by the local fire

brigade, a restaurant manager talking

about healthy eating – the list is

endless!

We celebrated Windrush in 1998, and

have also attended black theatre

productions and black concerts. We

went to a cooking show which featured

Ainsley Harriet, a black celebrity chef. He

came to talk to us and took pictures.

We have visited African restaurants and

took part in an exercise class led by

a trained black service user. We also

went to African Village and have had

lots of parties (any excuse for a party!).

The anthem for the Day Centre was

‘Lean on Me’ by Bill Withers.

Conclusion

The Minister for Mental Health, Norman

Lamb, says he is supporting mental

health is Black Britain and the Mental

Health Foundation is a charity involved

in research, who hopefully can help us

understand some of the issues better.

If we can’t get rid of the taboo about

mental illness, let’s get rid of mental

illness (prevention is better than cure)!

A lot of doctors in mental health services

are white and middle class, and do not

understand our culture which can lead to

misdiagnosis. We all need to know how

to handle stress and be happy.

For further information, please see:

Goldberg RW, Seth P; Hepatitis C serv-

ices and individuals with serious mental

illness. Community Ment Health J. 2008

Oct;44(5):381-4. Epub 2008 May 9.

Sajatovic M, Dawson NV, Perzynski AT,

et al; Best practices: optimizing care for

people with serious mental illness and

Psychiatr Serv. 2011 Sep;62(9):1001-3.

If you’re in distress or need immedi-

ate help, there are many services and

organisations that you can talk to, includ-

ing The Samaritans, who offer emotional

support 24 hours a day. Get in touch with

them on 08457 90 90 90 (UK)/1850 60

90 90 (Republic of Ireland) or email jo@

samaritans.org.

The Black and Minority Ethnic Mental

Health Network campaign is gaining

momentum. For further information, call

0208 215 2424, or visit

www.diverseminds.org.uk n


Technology and disability

EQUILIBRIUM 12

Technology now plays a very important role in

everybody’s lives, whether that’s watching TV,

using mobile phones or the internet, or even

traffic light signals. In fact we are inundated

with technology. If you walk down the road

you will see so many examples. But technol-

ogy can play an important role in supporting

our physical bodies as well. Big strides have

been made in helping people with physi-

cal problems, regardless of which part of the

body, through technology. These technologies

are making life easier for people with various

disabilities, including severely disabled people.

A famous example is Steven Hawking, who

use modern technology both to communicate

and move around. In fact, Robin Christopher-

son from AbilityNet, a British organisation that

promotes accessibility in technology, says:

‘One of the beauties of mainstream devices

is that they have hundreds of peripherals that

you can just add on’.

These types of technology can vary widely,

such as the ibot 360, a wheel chair that can

climb stairs. This is achieved by having three

sets of wheels on either side of the chair, rather

than just one on each side. When the first pair

of wheels are placed on the stair and locked,

the wheel rotates forward for the second chair

to reach the next step whilst lifting the chair.

When not climbing up the stairs it is used as a

normal wheelchair.

The DinaVox EyeMax system was created to

assist people with severe paralysis or strokes

to communicate with their eyes, by an eye

recognition system. Basically, the eye points

to a letter on an onscreen keyboard allow-

ing them to enter words and phrases; these

are then translated into spoken text via the

device’s text-to-speech mechanism. It also

has predefined words that make it easier for

them to speak. You might have seen this being

used by Steven Hawking.

Another interesting invention is the Kapten PLUS

Personal Navigation Device for blind people.

This helps guide visually impaired people to

Dev

Summer/ Issue 38Summer/ Issue 38 www.haringey.gov.uk/equilibrium EQUILIBRIUMEQUILIBRIUM 25EQUILIBRIUM 13

get to their destination using voice activated

and GPS systems. It also tells you where you

are, similar to a Sat Nav in your car. But this is

currently only available in the US and the only

flaw with this device is that it is not found in any

other language.

An engineer, Dr David Hong, has created

a car that can be driven by a blind or visu-

ally impaired person. It uses sensors on the

person’s gloves and on the seat allowing the

person to independently drive a car. It also has

sensors to tell you when there is an obstacle in

your way. At first view, it seems that it would be

impossible, but when seeing it actually work it

shows what can be done with the help of tech-

nology.

A small but highly useful technological inven-

tion is the Cochlear Implant, a device that

allows severely deaf people to hear sound.

First it picks up sounds via a microphone; this

then carries the signal to a small computer

worn behind the ear, where it is transferred to

a digital signal and transmitted to the implant

itself. Once received by the implant, the

device directly stimulates the auditory nerve,

providing an entirely new means of auditory

sensory input.

However, saying this, there are several prob-

lems with these new technologies. For exam-

ple, the accessibility of these products. Take,

for example, the ibot 360 wheel chair. Would

it be able to handle steep narrow stairs, stair

wells or even bumpy terrain? More impor-

tantly, would people who are on low wages

or people from poor countries be able to get

this or any of the other technologies described

above? Also some of these inventions are still

prototypes, such as the cart for the blind. Most

of these technologies still need to be tested

at very, very basic level or, as engineers say,

to try a ‘viability test’. But with the advancing

technology more technologies will be able to

assist people with disability – as long as they

can get access to the technology. n


Artwork by Denica Charlery


Art Review: I was recently asked to

be an art critic; I found myself jump-

ing for joy because I love creativ-

ity, whether it’s painting, drawing,

colouring or writing, I find myself very

much at home; the healing power it

produces makes me ecstatic.

I am looking at Denica Charlery’s

art work; it is very bold, bright and

colourful. She loves shapes, from

circles to crosses and even the Jewish

star (which represents male and

female) and a Celtic-looking cross.

No two pages of her art are the same,

all as individual as thumbprints. Black

snakes, zigzags – her imagination is

as wide and varied as one could ask

for; she has even gone as far as to

not fully colour some of her designs,

which reminds me of the cartoon

character Rhubarb and Custard (that

might jog some memories for a few

people, and it might give an idea of

my age to you, the reader!). Denica

has also done a cartoon style face

with a crown that I’m assuming is a

king. In another picture I see thought

bubbles, like the type you get in

cartoon magazines, starting small and

getting bigger. Oval shapes, flow-

ers, tear drops, stained glass window

arches, churches, trees, clouds,

diamonds, jars and cups…. She has

a very beautiful imagination. I would

say the sky is the limit and as the old

saying goes ‘if you aim for the stars,

you land on Mars’. I would love to see

her go on to do more creative work

and delve deeper into her pool of

creativity.

Richard Honan (a.k.a. mohecan,

raphecan, touché, punt, lsd, kudos,

cara2che)

Summer/ Issue 38EQUILIBRIUM Summer/ Issue 38Photo: AnthonyEQUILIBRIUM 16

Hospitals are Turning to Art to Reduce Stress

As an artist I’m always interested in

new and innovative venues to hang

art. However my previous opinion of

hanging art in hospitals had always

been that it was merely a form of

distracting decoration. Little did I

know…

Researchers are learning more about

the precise ways paintings and other

works of art can help patients and

families in the healing process. With

studies showing a direct link between

the content of images and the brain’s

reaction to pain, stress, and anxiety,

hospitals are choosing artworks based

on the evidence and giving it a higher

priority than merely decoration for

sterile rooms and corridors.

Certainly the health benefits associ-

ated with the creation of art is well

documented. Art therapy classes run

the length and breadth of the country.

But the health benefits received from

viewing art, are less widely known.

Lisa Harris, a nephrologist and chief

executive of Eskenazi Health says,

“These [artworks] are not just accou-

trements or aesthetics anymore.” With

a $1.5 million budget from donors, the

health system commissioned 19 artists

to create original works to support

“the sense of optimism, vitality and

energy” for the Sidney & Lois Eskenazi

Hospital .

I always think of art in hospitals

as running along corridors and

entrances, and of course patients art

wo

rk: A

ntho

ny J

. Pa

rke


Nigel Prestatyn

do indeed walk along corridors and

the like, and so benefit can certainly

be gleaned – at least for the physi-

cally able. But I wonder how much art

is shown in the wards themselves, for

certainly this is where patients might

best benefit from them. It’s one thing to

hobble past an artwork in a corridor,

perhaps another thing altogether to lay

in one’s hospital bed and contemplate

the work. I know which I’d prefer, if I

were unfortunate enough to be in that

position. And which I’d likely benefit

more from.

Heather Kreinbrink says when her

daughter Allison had a stroke at age

12 in 2010 and was hospitalized for a

week, she and her husband, Rod, found

looking at the installation outside the

children’s wing provided a sense of

calm amid their fear and exhaustion. “It

ended up being something we would

go to every day for peace and to come

to terms with what was happening,”

she says. When Allison was discharged,

her parents brought her to see it. “It

made me think as I saw other kids being

pushed in wheelchairs by their parents,

how awesome it is to be able to have

something like that to take your mind of

everything you are going through,” says

Allison.

Hearing Alison’s story made me think.

I have no figures that suggest this, but

I suspect there is far less artwork in the

actual wards themselves, than there is

in hospital walk ways and the like. And

I would imagine that is, in part at least,

perhaps a logistical problem. I’m think-

ing of the walls behind ward beds and

surrounding areas filled with medical

apparatus of one sort or another. But

imagine, if you will, images of artworks

projected onto ward ceilings, constantly

changing images of art work; in this

scenario Alison wouldn’t have wait to

recover before she could enjoy and

benefit from the artwork as her parents

did; she would have benefited from it

when she needed it most.

http://www.paintingsinhospitals.org.uk

http://online.wsj.com/articles/more-hospitals-use-the-

healing-powers-of-public-art-1408404629


If you like to watch TV you may find

some recent research in Psychologies

Magazine interesting. The University

of Maryland article called “The Mind

Experiment” reported that people who

watched TV for 18.9 hours per week

were happier than those who aver-

aged 25 hours per week.

The unhappy viewers were not as satis-

fied “with their financial situation”,

“felt less safe, trusted others less” and

thought they were less active socially

than their peers, who were more happy

after viewing TV less. The average Brit

watches around 4 hours of TV each

day. The collective total is around 455

million hours per year.

Using programmes as a topic for

discussion, watching comedy or music

programmes tend to make people

happier than people who allow the TV

to dictate what they watch.

This research was in an article by

Martha Roberts, an award winning UK

health writer and mental health blog-

ger at mentalhealthwise.com

EQUILIBRIUM 18

Psychology Marco Lanzarote

Watching Happy TV


Brain Health

A new word in my vocabulary is “micro-

biome” and I came across it as it relates

to bacteria in the human gut which scien-

tists are now studying. It actually refers

to “bacteria living in the gastro-intestinal

tract” and plays “a complex and critical

role in the health of its host”.

The studies done so far are probably

common knowledge but now scientists

are interested in understanding not just

how the microbiome affects the organs of

the body but also how it affects the brain,

in order to

develop potential gut-based treatments

for “neuropsychiatric disorders”.

I understand that a healthy gut is impor-

tant to overall health and I want to see if

they can find new treatments for depres-

sion or possibly even other psychiatric

disorders now that we have reached the

stage where resistant 20th century antibi-

otics etc. are causing scientists to re-ex-

amine our relationship with bacteria in the

21st century.

See: The Conversation.com/uk

EQUILIBRIUM 19

Psychology Marco Lanzarote

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Tea: The Iron Killer? Nigel Prestatyn


My partner has forever been telling me

not to drink tea after my meals, that I

should drink coffee instead if I want a

beverage. Well, coffee aside, what is the

harm of drinking tea? I often stop taking

these things without necessarily under-

standing them. Often relying on my

partner’s own brilliant insights into these

matters. But this time I thought I would

check, to see if her suggestion, like tea,

held water (pun intended).

I does seem that drinking tea after a

meal does in fact stop iron entering your

body. So what’s specific about tea, and

not say coffee. Is it okay to drink coffee?

Well Tea contains tannic acid chemi-

cals which bind to the iron in food and

absorb it.

Well surely I can spare a little iron? I’m

not anemic or in any category that

would require me to maintain levels of

iron. Of course this is very much an issue

which should be of concern to women

of a certain age. When that ‘time of the

month’ comes around, there is very

much a drop in iron levels due to the

loss of blood, and so avoiding tea after

food would be beneficial for people in

this category.

So a little bit of iron lost via absorption

through tea is no big deal. I guess. But

holds on don’t I always complaining

of feeling tired, don’t I complain of not

having enough energy to complete all

the tasks I have in the day? Can I actu-

ally afford to lose any iron? The answer is

no. why bother with tea when I can have

coffee.

Let’s be clear, the iron absorbed from

your food is of a certain type. Drink-

ing tea with red meats, poultry or fish

does not significantly decrease the

amount of iron your body receives.

These animal products contain the heme

form of iron, which is easily absorbed by

your body. In contrast, the non-heme

iron in plant foods is more difficult for

your body to use and more likely to be

inhibited by black tea.

So look after to your vegetables, treat

them with respect, and absorb all their

beneficial irons!

Tea: The Iron Killer? Nigel Prestatyn


Transforming mental health: A plan of action for London

A new report on mental health from the Kings Fund

http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/sites/files/kf/field/

field_publication_file/transforming-mental-

health-london-kingsfund-sep2014.pdf


The Kings Fund have recently

published a report called ‘Transform-

ing mental health: A plan of action

for London’ (Gilbert, Edwards, Murray,

Sept. 2014), which describes a vision

for the future of mental health provi-

sion in London. Tackling the costs

of mental illness (almost £7.5 billion

a year in London alone) has been

identified as a priority by the London

Health Board, and the report details

worrying statistics regarding the

prevalence of mental illness: it is the

single largest cause of disability in

the UK (contributing up to 22.8% of

the total burden, compared to 15.9%

for cancer and 16.2% for cardiovas-

cular disease, according to the World

Health Organisation in 2008). It also

notes that the incidence of mental

illness varies considerably between

London boroughs, with some mental

illness twice as common in deprived

parts of London compared with the

least deprived areas (People’s Inquiry

into London’s NHS 2014). Other key

findings include:

• People with mental health problems

are at a higher risk of developing

significant physical health problems,

including preventable conditions

such as diabetes and heart disease.

• People with serious mental health

problems die 20 years younger (on

average) that the general popula-

tion.

• Overall, the health, economic and

social impacts of mental illness result

in costs to the capital of an esti-

mated £26 billion each year (Greater

London Authority 2014)

• There are three important factors

effecting London’s mental health

needs which need to be considered:

poverty, ethnic diversity and transi-

ence (people moving in and out and

between boroughs)

Kate Massey-Chase

EQUILIBRIUM 24

what can art make us feel?

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What can art make us feel?

I was pondering over this question

recently because I began to wonder

what do I want people to feel about my

art!

To answer it I had to put myself in the

position of a viewer of my art, rather than

a creator. Of course one would think it

wholly natural for an artist to begin by

thinking how an idea for a work may

affect people, but often times, it can be

the other way round. You have an idea

for a work, you create it, and then, if at

all, you may consider how this work may

affect people.

It is not entirely impossible for some

artists to not care a jot about how their

art affects people. To give any consid-

eration at any point throughout its crea-

tion as to how the work may emotionally

affect people.

Now this could be my naïve take on

things. It could be that I’m basing this on

my own shortcomings. I’ve often consid-

ered how people might emotionally react

to my work, but in a very general way.

But the language we most commonly

use as artists is often a language

designed to express the work’s meaning.

So we possess a language to convey the

conceptual underpinnings of the work.

This in turn will determine to a degree

people’s responses, but perhaps intel-

lectual responses, rather than emotional

responses. But it is emotional responses

that I’m interested in.

So the question is not what people think

(though naturally this is of course very

important), but more a question of what

do people feel about my work: or more

specifically what do I want people to

feel about my work?

Well when I first considered this question

I have to confess I didn’t feel I had the

necessary language to answer this question.

So what can we feel about works of art?

There are of course as many answers

as there are spectators. A Rothko can

convey a religious quietitude for some,

whereas for others it may convey a

EQUILIBRIUM 25

cont.

Nigel Prestatyn

sense of melancholia, and for others

something different entirely.

So there is no definitive answer of how a

specific work of art can affect people.

But in a hypothetical world, how would

I like my work to effect people on an

emotional level?

As a hyperrealist I create images of

everyday objects. How we respond to

these everyday objects in actual daily

life, and how we respond to them in a

painting, are different. We don’t regard

several figs in a bowl on our tables as a

work of art (so no emotional aesthetic

response), yet when this image is trans-

ferred to a canvas it can convey an

emotional response (though there are

likely many who argue otherwise).

As a hyperrealist I’m obsessed with

detail, and for many their responses can

often begin with the technical matters of

a painting. But in what way can a paint-

ing of several figs in a glass bowl move

people on an emotional level.

I think the emotional response would

need to involve a response to beauty.

For these objects are beautiful - or at

least that is how I see them. Hopefully

others would too. Is it not too far fetched

to hope that one would have a similar

emotional response to a rising sun as

they would a painted image of figs? Is

this expecting too much?

But what do we feel in the face of great

beauty? We feel a sense of awe, wonder-

ment, perhaps even a tingle of excite-

ment? When I look out of my flat window

and see a striking skyline, there is quiet-

ness, a sense of humility in the face of

such monumental natural beauty. But is it

hard to make this kind of emotional tran-

sition for art? When we see a butterfly or

a beautiful flower, we are fascinated by

its formal properties. These properties in

turn can make us feel a certain way.

Unfortunately I don’t have the perfect

answer as to what emotional response

I would like from viewers of my work. I

think I would simply ask that they feel the

beauty of these objects. For it is a beauty

heightened, exaggerated, a ‘hyper’ real

beauty. There will always be a sense of

wonderment at the minutiae of the natu-

ral world, as well as the monumental,

and with both perhaps a feeling of awe,

however mild or intense.

EQUILIBRIUM 26

n

Equilibrium at Clarendon Recovery College

Clarendon Recovery

College is a place where

I come to the magazine

group, Equilibrium. I come

on a Friday. It starts at

2.30pm. I come here and

I write about many differ-

ent topics. I also go into

the library and read many

different things. I have been

coming for about three

weeks. I hope that I will gain

good skills so I can move on

and get a job or go and study until I get one. Maybe by study-

ing I will get a certificate. I may write something they will put in

their magazine, called Equilibrium*.

I enjoy writing because I like to write about different things, such

as articles, books, maybe poems. I started writing a couple of

years back, first at 684, then Barnet College, then Crisis, then

Alexandra Palace, then Mind. Now I write at the Clarendon

Centre. I am also writing a book about the life of King Henry VIII.

I am learning to write at City Lit. I enjoy writing. I wish one day I

could become a good writer, perhaps writing books or for the

newspaper.

* Paul is very pleased we have!

EQUILIBRIUM 27

Paul Blackman

equilibrium autumn issue 54

Documents

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autumn issue of equilibrium

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