While the average depression rate across the London boroughs is eight percent of the population, around 13 percent of people in Islington are affected by it, according to government statistics.
Between 2009 and 2012, admission to hospital for mental health problems was twice as high in Islington as the national average. Frighteningly, they were also more likely to lead to suicide in the borough than the rest of the country.
Considering the borough’s cappuccino-swilling culture, this figure might come as a surprise. The council even signed up to the national Mental Health Challenge last October, promising to promote mental wellbeing and encourage people to use mood-enhancing leisure facilities like parks and gyms.
But when we dig a little deeper, poor mental health is entirely predictable given that Islington is one of the most unequal boroughs in the country. The link between inequality and mental health problems is well documented. Mind, the mental health charity, cited a surge in demand from people seeking mental health support and services when the recession began.
This is where the benefits of talking come in. This year, NHS Islington will fund a series of talk therapy programmes across the borough, with the aim of improving residents’ mental health.
Talk For Health
The Talk for Health programme, founded by psychotherapist Nicky Forsythe, is a social enterprise that runs peer counselling training – teaching skills including authentic sharing and empathic listening.
180 Islington residents – both youths and adults – will benefit from the sessions. The only requirement is being registered with a GP in the borough.
Participation is entirely free – effectively democratising therapy, which is generally only available to the affluent in the long term.
“I like the challenge of working with disadvantaged groups,” says Forsythe. “In all the programmes I’ve run so far, the results have been good in terms of people’s wellbeing by the end.”
Once participants are trained to properly contribute and listen to each other, Forsythe’s aim is that the groups meet regularly – every week or fortnight. This makes the programme sustainable long term, she says.
What is it about talking to strangers that’s so therapeutic? According to Forsythe, all forms of therapy work by fulfilling two important factors: first, that participants have a regular time and place for reflecting on their lives; and secondly, a therapeutic alliance – or empathic listening relationship – between people. “Importantly, anyone can get as good therapy outcomes as therapists,” says Forsythe.
The next programme will take place at St Luke’s Community Centre. An initial taster session is scheduled for 4 April. Training will happen on four and a half days over five weeks – on Fridays 25 April, 2 May, 9 May and 16 May.
Forsythe hopes to run further programmes at other community centres in Islington – the only requirement is that they much be able to recruit 16 participants and provide a venue.
The stigma surrounding mental health issues continues to prevent people seeking the help they need. “There is still a link in people’s minds between mental health and mental illness, but we all have mental health and need to look after it,” says Forsythe. Talk for Health hopes to normalise the issue and get people in Islington talking about their problems before they develop into something more.
