classics:

It’s always interesting to me when I see things like this.  This has been ‘liked’ or ‘reblogged’ near 400 times.  What this means is that this number of people identified enough with it to make their mark with it.  Some of them taking it out of it’s original space to put it in their own.  Thus sending it through networks further.

I spend time on tumblr and all over the net exploring, observing and engaging with the ‘others’ online in a mental health related way.  It’s like putting on my mental health practice related specs and observing the webworld through them (I do take them off on occasion - I swear)

It was this that enabled me to see the existing mental health stuff that goes on in a million different ways -  like the post above.  Only users don’t engage with it in that way.  It’s one of those shared  ‘Just Is-isms’

It’s those ‘Just Is-ism’s’ that I’d like to point out to the health care professionals working within web 2.0 or what will sweep through the UK as Health 2.0.  There is nothing really that needs to be made.  No online services we must deliver - as we all have a mind, we all have issues relating to our mental health.  And people talk about them online, in their own language but they do talk about them.

Mostly for us then, its an improvisation work - what’s there already? - what can we bring to the table that keeps communication open?

A workable language would be great.  I always get the sense that the big words (which I understand and can employ when necessary) are detracters from the real language of feelings, confusion, hopes, dreams and desires that make up a lot of what an individual is.

Mental Health work through Social Media is not as simple as ensuring your message spreads through enough networks.  How do you build effective networks for mental health delivery? How do you target hard to reach groups such as BME and older people?

The thing I most like about using Social Media in this way is that health care professionals do not have a captive audience.  There are no people sat in an in-patients therapy group.  They can press a button and disconnect from you within the blink of an eye.  And they will.  Unless you know how to engage in the way they want to engage.

I’ll be discussing all of these issues and more practice based development in the Second wave IMH Seminar.  More details on the repeat of the First wave Seminar and this very shortly.

Have a great weekend.