{jcomments off}To mark World Mental Health Day, a new interactive online programme called ‘Work Out’ has been launched.  This is designed to help young men on the island of Ireland to improve their ‘mental fitness’.  This website is the result of a partnership between Inspire Ireland, the National Office for Suicide Prevention (NOSP) and the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland.  It is one element of a bigger all-island initiative called the ‘Young Men and Suicide Project’ (funded by the DHSSPS, PHA, HSE and NOSP).

Work Out (www.workoutapp.ie) is free and easy to access.  It is based upon a series of brief online interventions (called ‘Missions’) which utilise the principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.  During Work Out, young men are invited to:

• Register for an account.
• Take a comprehensive test to assess their strengths and weaknesses.
• Undertake a series of practical ‘Missions’ to improve their mental fitness.
• Use the online reports to check (at any time) how they are improving.

The Work Out programme addresses four main areas:

• Being Practical
• Building Confidence
• Taking Control
• Being a Team Player

It offers young men a standalone programme that they can access in their own time, and engage with on their own terms.  They can choose as many, or as few, Missions as they wish to within each of the main areas focused upon.

For more details, click here to see the Press Release about the launch.

{jcomments off}Don’t forget ...  Wednesday 10th October 2012 is World Mental Health Day.  This occasion seeks to raise public awareness about mental health issues, to promote open discussion on this subject, and to highlight prevention, promotion and treatment services.  This year the international theme for the day is ‘Depression: A Global Crisis’.  Depression affects more than 350 million people of all ages, in all communities, and is a significant contributor to the global burden of disease.  Although there are known effective treatments for depression, access to treatment is a problem in most countries and, in some countries, fewer than 10% of those who need it receive such treatment.

{jcomments off}A new report examines why men from disadvantaged backgrounds in their 30s, 40s and 50s are at higher risk of suicide.  On average, around 3,000 middle-aged men take their own lives each year, and men from low socio-economic backgrounds living in deprived areas are ten times more likely to die by suicide than men from high socio-economic backgrounds living in the most affluent areas.  The report, commissioned by the Samaritans, explores the reasons for suicide in this group of men, and calls for suicide to be addressed as a health and social inequality.  A copy of the report, titled: ‘Men and Suicide: Why it’s a Social Issue’, can be accessed online at: www.samaritans.org/media-centre/our-campaigns/were-your-corner/were-your-corner-research

{jcomments off}A new draft public health framework titled ‘Fit and Well - Changing Lives’ was published for consultation in July 2012 by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety.  The consultation period will run until Wednesday 31st October 2012, and your views are being sought.  The new framework provides direction for policies and actions to improve health and well being and to reduce inequalities in health.  Like its predecessor - ‘Investing for Health’ - this proposed new strategic framework will require partnership working across government, the statutory, community and voluntary sectors.  It seeks to move Northern Ireland towards a vision where all people are enabled and supported to achieve their full health potential and well being.  The framework adopts a life course approach, and retains a focus on the most disadvantaged in society.  See www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/showconsultations?txtid=57771 for a copy of the document and details about how you can input to the consultation process.

{jcomments off}Following the September 2012 seminar in Newry on inequalities in Traveller men’s health, the full report on the research study (titled ‘Dying Fifteen Years Early - What can Traveller Men and Relevant Agencies do?’) is now available online.  This is a very large report (285 pages), in Portable Document Format (PDF), and takes quite a while to download (as it is a 6MB file).  Copies can be accessed at: www.southerntrust.hscni.net/pdf/DyingFifteenYearsEarly.pdf

{jcomments off}Are you looking for research focused on Northern Ireland? ...  If so, then try ORB.  ARK’s Online Research Bank (ORB) consists of two searchable databases of research, and these are a key resource for practitioners, community activists, service providers, students, academics, teachers, researchers, and journalists:  (1) The Social Policy Database contains a bibliography and summaries of social policy research in Northern Ireland since 1990.  The database can be searched in different ways, for example, by year of publication, by topic or by author.  There are now over 2,500 entries in this social policy resource.  For much of this material, there is a short summary of the work - giving background details, the research approach, key findings, and the conclusion.  (2) The Children's Research Database consists of a searchable bibliography of over 850 pieces of research looking at the lives of children and young people in Northern Ireland.  The database is sponsored by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to support the implementation of the Children and Young People's Strategy.  The framework for the search categories is based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).  As with the Social Policy Database, links and summaries are available for the majority of database entries.

{jcomments off}This event will be led by Dr Ian Banks, and will take place on Wednesday 14th November 2012, from 9.30am - 12.30pm, in the Waterfoot Hotel, Derry / Londonderry.  The seminar will raise the profile of men’s health issues in the Western Health and Social Care Trust area by highlighting key facts and statistics on men’s health, exploring ‘what works’ with men, and giving opportunities to participants to comment on men’s health issues in the West.  To register, contact the Health Improvement Department at Tel: 028 7186 5127 or Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   For more information, or to book online, visit: www.westerntrust.hscni.net/about/2441.htm

{jcomments off}Abbeyfeale and District Initiative - in conjunction with Limerick Social Service Council - invites you to a free seminar titled ‘Community Resilience: My Mind Matters’.  This will be held on Wednesday 17th October 2012, in the Devon Inn Hotel, Templeglantine, Co. Limerick, at 7.30pm.  The speakers will be: Dr. Kieran Murphy (GP in Athea, talking about the ‘Iceberg of Depression’), Alan Quinlan (Irish Rugby Football Union player, talking about ‘Life’s Journey’), and Christine Fitzgerald (Coordinator with the Grow organisation, talking about ‘Community Support’).  For more information, Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.