A new self help group will be meeting in the Borders. The first meeting of the Borders group will be on Monday 14 May 2012, 5.30pm – 7pm, New Horizons Borders, Unit 10b Galabank Mill,Galashiels TD1 1PR

The group will then meet on the second Monday of each month, at the same time and venue as above.

The group is open to anyone who is affected by bipolar disorder.

The Renfrewshire Mental Health Carers Forum will be meeting at Renfrewshire Carers Centre, Unit 55, Embroidery Mill, Abbey Mill Business Centre, Paisley, PA1 1TJ, on the following dates:

Thursday 15 March 2012
Wednesday 18 April 2012
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Wednesday 4 July 2012
Wednesday 15 August 2012
Wednesday 19 September 2012
Wednesday 24 October 2012
Wednesday 21 November 2012

All meetings are held between 10.30am – 12 noon. Meetings are open to anyone who lives within Renfrewshire and cares for someone who experiences mental ill health.

Prof Andrew McIntosh, University of Edinburgh, is looking for people to take part in research projects that he is currently conducting into bipolar disorder.
If you have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, or are a direct relative of someone with bipolar disorder (over 16 years old, but do not have the diagnosis yourself) and would like to take part in Prof McIntosh’s research projects, please contact Tiffany Stewart on 0131 537 6258 or e-mail tiffany.stewart@ed.ac.uk

Scottish Mental Health Research Network are looking for people who experience mental ill health and carers/friends to volunteer for research into the causes of mental ill health. The Mental Health Research Register will connect researchers from respected research institutions with volunteers from the general public who are willing and interested in participating in research projects. (more…)

Bipolar Scotland’s Chief Medical Adviser, Prof Andrew McIntosh is involved in conjunction with the Edinburgh Centre for Regenerative Medicine, in a groundbreaking research project that looks to grow brain cells from skin samples taken from people with a bipolar disorder diagnosis. To read more about this research please click on the following link www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jan/29/brain-cloning-breakthrough-mental-illness

The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance have published a report,”More for Less? , Independent Advocacy – More demand, less funding”. To read the report please click on the following link – http://www.bipolarscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/SIAA-Report.pdf

The Sunday Mail have published an article about the very positive experience of a woman with bipolar disorder and her pregnancy. It covers the practical help/support that she was given by her local perinatal mental health services.

To read the article in full please click on the following link http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/real-life/2012/01/08/trainee-nurse-s-shock-bipolar-diagnosis-saved-her-own-life-86908-23689029/

Researchers from Heriot-Watt University in conjunction with SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health), are conducting an independent survey to understand employees’ experiences of psychological well-being at work and broader attitudes to mental health and employment.

All information gathered in this questionnaire will remain confidential. Your employer will not be fed back any of your individual information and will not be able to have any knowledge of your responses to these questions. Any information that you provide will be completely anonymised. Even the research team will not be able to identify you as an individual. If there are any questions that you do not wish to answer then please feel free to miss them out and move onto the next question or the next set of questions. (more…)