Manchester's First Mental Health Festival

Manchester's to host it's first ever Mental and Physical Health Festival.

Manchester is leading the way in raising awareness of the importance of improving the physical health of people with severe and enduring mental illness (SMI) by hosting THINKphysical, the first festival to focus on both mental and physical health issues.

THINKphysical: Manchester Mental Health Festival will take place between 14 and 19 June 2015 at venues across the City, bringing together academic, healthcare and charity organisations alongside service users, carers and the general public in a week-long series of fantastic events.

Organised by the National Institute for Health Research Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (NIHR CLAHRC) Greater Manchester, THINKphysical is supported by a number of national and regional organisations including; Anxiety UK, Bipolar UK, Manchester Mind, Rethink Mental Illness, SANE, the University of Manchester and several NHS Trusts.

Compared to the general population, people with SMI have much poorer physical health, a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and a significantly reduced life expectancy. This unacceptable health inequality is due to a number of factors, including reduced access to healthcare, the effects of some antipsychotic medications and individual lifestyle choices, including potentially higher smoking rates, poorer diets and lower physical activity levels. The events that make up THINKphysical will raise awareness of these issues and highlight some of the excellent services already on offer.

“Many of the physical health difficulties that people with SMI face are either preventable or controllable, and people want support to do this,” says Professor Karina Lovell, THINKphysical Lead and Professor of Mental Health at the University of Manchester. “We know less about the ways in which people with SMI experience or cope with changes in their physical health, or the types of help or services that they would most like to receive. THINKphysical will bring together a whole host of people to put these issues in the limelight”.

THINKphysical will deliver a variety of events including free health checks, creative writing sessions, a bike safety demonstration by British Cycling, a rounders tournament, public lectures and even a specially commissioned theatre production at the Contact Theatre. Throughout the week, people will receive information on the side effects of antipsychotic medication, be able to sign up to a register of people interested in taking part in research, and contribute to the development of a new questionnaire designed to measure satisfaction with physical healthcare.

Kicking off with the official launch event at Manchester Town Hall on Monday 15 June, THINKphysical promises to be an exciting week of activities that puts mental and physical health at the forefront of people’s minds both in Manchester and nationally.

• mental health