Sociology of Mental Health Study Group: Archive of Activities

7 June 2011
A Difficult Alliance? Making Connections between Mental Health and Domestic Violence Research and Practice Agendas
Edge Hill University, UK

BRIEFING PAPER: A Difficult Alliance? Making Connections between Mental Health and Domestic Violence Research and Practice Agendas compiled by Angela Cotton and Lydia Lewis

Notes from workshop 5: Gender and mental health services compiled by Lydia Lewis

Report for the Foundation for the Sociology of Health and Illness - Angela Cotton and Lydia Lewis

Words, Stories and Noises - BMER Women and Domestic Violence - Marai Larasi

Reasonable responses to unreasonable behaviour?: medical and sociological perspectives on the aftermaths of sexual violence - Abstract - Liz Kelly, CWASU, London Metropolitan University

States of Denial: Gendering Policy & Practice in Domestic Abuse and Mental Health Services - Abstract - Professor Linda McKie, Glasgow Caledonian University

Exploring Implications of the Impact of Mental Health Issues on Those Experiencing Domestic Violence in Same Sex and/or Trans Relationships - Abstract - Catherine Donovan, University of Sunderland

The Joint Forum Women's Group - Abstract - Jackie Patiniotis and Lisa White

1-3 September 2010

Follow-up Symposium on 'Sociology of Alcohol Use: Future Directions' at the BSA Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference

Durham University, UK

6 February 2010
BSA Sociology of Mental Health Study Group Study Day: Alcohol and Mental Health - REPORT
BSA Meeting Room, London, UK

Seminar Series 2009
Researching in Mental Health: Sociological and Service User/Survivor Perspectives

The Study Group hosted a very successful joint seminar series with the Survivor Researcher Network in the academic year 2008-9. The series took place at the Conference Centre at the British Library in London.

Download the report submitted to The Sociology of Health & Illness Foundation.

Review 1 June presentations:

‘A symbolic interactionist approach to mental health outreach’ - presented by Jim Roe and Hugh Middleton, University of Nottingham
‘Using personal experiences to understand other people’s mental health recovery’ - presented by S. Ajayi, J. Billsborough, T. Bowyer, P. Brown, A. Faulkner, A. Hicks, J.A. Larsen, P. Mailey, R. Sayers, R. Smith, Rethink. The Rethink team are in the process of writing up this research and so welcome comments on this presentation until the end of July 09. Please email Sarah Ajayi.

Review 11 May presentation:

‘Women, alcohol and mental health: achieving authenticity in a hostile environment’, Patsy Staddon, University of Plymouth (Bibliography)

Review 6 April presentation:

‘Does who we are make a difference to the research that we do?’ Telling stories about the experiences of patients detained under the Mental Health Act - presented by Steve Gillard & Kati Turner

Papers from 2 March:

Effective Involvement in Mental Health Services: the Role of Assertive Outreach and the Voluntary Sector - Rosie Davies, Assertive Outreach Research Project
“Hard to Reach?”: Race, Minority Ethnic Communities and User Involvement in Mental Health - Jayasree Kalathil, Survivor Research
Lydia Lewis' paper, 'Politics of Recognition: What can a Human Rights Perspective Contribute to Understanding Users’ Experiences of Involvement in Mental Health Services?', will be published in a themed section of the journal Social Policy and Society, 8 (2), April 2009: Lewis, L. (Ed.), ‘Mental Health and Human Rights: Social Policy and Sociological Perspectives’. Contact Lydia Lewis for further details.

Sessions from the Inaugural Seminar are available to review:

April 2009

'Between ‘Rights’ and ‘Experience’: Sociological Reflections on the Politics of Mental Health'

Cardiff City Hall, UK

A seminar based on papers by Mark Cresswell and Lydia Lewis published in a themed issue of Social Policy and Society (vol. 8, issue 2, April 2009), 'Mental health and Human Rights: Sociological and Social Policy Perspectives' was held at the BSA annual conference in Cardiff in April 2009. Abstract. Journal themed issue.

Our fifth AGM took place at the Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference at the University of Sussex on Friday 5th September 2008. The event included a presentation from Dr Susie Scott, University of Sussex on her award-nominated book, Shyness and Society: The Illusion of Competence (2007, Basingstoke: Palgrave).

A panel session, Medicalization – Demedicalization of Depression, including presentations from David Armstrong, David Pilgrim and Ann Rogers, took place at the annual Medical Sociology Group Annual Conference, 4-6 September 2008 at the University of Sussex.

Members of the Group have recently hosted an ESRC seminar series. See: http://www.mhseminars.info/.

A panel session, 'Well-being and recovery: connecting natural and social worlds' took place at the BSA Annual Conference, 28-30th March 2008. View Joe Sempick's paper, 'Being outside: exploring perceptions of nature and health in therapeutic gardens' and Jean Nee et al's paper, 'Supported socialisation: first reflections on a randomised controlled trial'.

The Study Group held its fourth AGM at the BSA Medical Sociology Group conference on 7th September 2007 in Liverpool. Click here to view the report.

The group hosted its second day symposium on the 22nd June 2007 at the University of Warwick. The theme of the event was Mental Health and Human Rights: Sociological Perspectives. Click here to view the programme from the day, and here to view the abstract book. A report of the event and themed section of the international journal, Social Policy and Society, are also available. Selected presentations can be viewed as follows:

Beyond libertarianism and the behavioural state: Towards a framework for analysing fundamental (mental health) rights, Mick Carpenter, University of Warwick;

The ‘Rights’ of ‘Self-Harm Survivors’ and the Role of the State, Mark Cresswell, University of Manchester;

The Annihilation of Subjective Experience in Schizophrenia Research: Whither Human Rights?, Alastair Morgan, University of Nottingham, Tim Calton, University of Nottingham and Caroline Flood, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust;

An investigation of controversies around human rights of patients with ADHD, Pooria Sarrami-Foroushani, University of Nottingham;
The adverse effects of imprisonment on Deaf prisoners’ mental health: a Human Rights perspective?, Amy Izycky and Manjit Gahir, Nottinghamshire NHS Trust;
Confidentiality in Mental Health Services: Negotiating the negotiated order?, Tony Evans, University of York;
Experiences of Acute Mental Health Services among Black and Minority Ethnic Groups, Rubina Jasani, Sarah Pemberton and Laura Griffith, Warwick Medical School;

Third AGM at the BSA Medical Sociology Group Conference at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh on 15th Sept. 2006. Click here for a full report.

A panel session about Social Capital and Mental Health was held at the BSA Medical Sociology Conference (14-16 September. Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh). Presentations were as follows: Jerry Tew, 'Reclaiming Bourdieu: finding a paradigm that fits the experience of mental health service users'; Martin Webber, 'Social Capital and Recovery from Depression'; Ross Graham, 'A Convivial Mutiny: Sticking up the Bank of Social Capital'. The session was chaired by Lydia Lewis.

Panel session at the 2006 BSA Annual Conference (21-23 April, Harrogate International Centre) on the them of The Sociology of Mental Health: Continuity or Change? Presentations were as follows: Dr Peter Morrall on 'Post-Liberal Mental Health and the Status of Realism in Mental Health Policy' and Dr John Aggergaard Larsen, Insight in Mental Illness and Individualisation. The session was co-organised and chaired by Dr Joanne Warner and Louise Woodward.

Second AGM at the BSA Medical Sociology Group Conference University of York on the 16th September 2005. Click here for the full report.

Held its first meeting at the BSA Medical Sociology Group conference on the 18th September 2004 and plans to hold this on an annual basis. Click here for a report of the first meeting.

Hosted its first one day symposium in Nottingham on 30th June 2005. Click here for a report of the event and on the following links to access selected papers presented at the event: Larsen; Page; Pilgrim; Chidlaw; Leze. A special issue of the Journal of Mental Health based on this event is now available (Volume 16, issue 3).

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