Social

Action
Research
booklet
Contents
Task 1: Brainstorm on social issues
Task 2: Research on other action videos
Task 3: Research on own video
Task 4: contact details and angle for own
production

Task 1:
(this should have been done in the idea process you now
need to write it down for example you looked into an
issue and didnt like it, or your realized it was too difficult
these ideas need to be noted now)

Your brainstorms should cover:

The issue
The effect the issue has on community
How easy it would be to cover the social issue
What has been done to cover this issue before
Rough idea on who you can interview

Idea 1: Is De-institutionalization a psychiatric Titanic?

This is idea would be to discuss the effectiveness of releasing
mentally ill or mentally sub-normal patients into the greater
community. I am interested in understanding more about the NHS
ideas and protocols around this important issue. I would have
researched how many people are termed as mentally ill or sub-
normal within the borough I live in and where they live and how our
local government look after them. I would also have researched
how many violent or dangerous mentally ill people go on to re-
offend or harm others when they are released into the community.
I quickly realized that no one would talk to me about these statistics
and no one would be, or said they were allowed to be filmed on this
subject so I rejected it.

Idea 2: Does paying your own bill get you better medical care?
There are numerous private mental health care clinics in the
borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and my second idea was to
research and discuss the merits of private mental health care versus
NHS mental health care. In particular, if an individual generally
receives better health care if they are paying the bill. I hoped to
gain a better understanding of the budget restrictions placed upon
the NHS by government and if these limitations result in a more
dangerous society if an individuals only choice is to use, the often
slow, NHS system versus the quicker Private option. This is also an
enormous issue and no one is prepared to be quoted never mind be
filmed about it, so this was rejected too.

Idea 3: If you help yourself will others help you?

The idea I settled upon was to focus on small local organizations
that provide a range of flexible interventions to suit individual needs
and lifestyles. There are several organizations offering therapeutic
treatments in Berkshire but I am going to focus on Talking Therapies
who are based in Maidenhead. I have chosen this organization as I
know people who have used this service and although they will not
discuss their own issues they are happy to discuss the process and
what they got out of it. I have approached talking Therapies directly
and although initially they were not keen on being filmed I sent the
questions I wanted answered and they made some amendments,
gave me several links to access for statistics and agreed to answer
my questions on film.

Task 2:
Compare two social action video similar to yours
(Look at LO2 Brief on website for guidance on what should be
covered)

Social Action Video 1

Professor Green: Suicide & Me, BBC Three
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-IQIrAfamE
British rapper Professor Green discusses the shocking levels of male
suicide and opens up about his fathers suicide and his own battles
with anxiety and depression.
The style was in a mini documentary film, Professor Greens story
was sad and emotionally upsetting for him and really did pull at the
viewers heartstrings. He interviewed family members that he
hadnt seen for some time who told him some poignant stories
about his father.

Social Action Video 2

Stephen Fry: Discussing mental health
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TopruGzX4U
Stephen Frys video was very different in comparison, it was an open
interview at a university where the audience were allowed to ask
him questions and he spoke very openly about his own feelings of
depression. The way Stephen Fry speaks compels you to understand
the seriousness of mental health issues, he quotes the statistic that
the biggest killer of men under 35 is suicide which is very shocking
to hear.

Task 3:
Your research should focus on:

Background on the Social issue itself:

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) is an NHS programme in
England that offers interventions approved by the National Institute for Health and
Care Excellence (NICE) for treating people with depression and anxiety. Talking
Therapies Maidenhead is part of this programme.
The issues of depression and anxiety can very easily escalate into clinical cases if
no support is given to suffering individuals. Suicide is the biggest killer of men
under the age of 35 in the UK.

Is there already a social action group to try and prevent the

issue? Yes / No
Yes. The government and local government is actively involved in
providing Mental Health Therapies
And IAPT has been rolled out across England. The government runs
several campaigns to raise awareness about Mental Health issues to
change public perception and reduce the stigma surrounding talking
openly about it.

If there is: Who is involved with the group? What effects has the
group had on the community? How has it helped certain
individuals? Does it already have an action video to help its cause?
(up load these if there are)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TopruGzX4U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBfYKE71RdE

Are there any famous people involved in trying to prevent

the situation?
Stephen Fry suffers with bipolar
Ruby Wax Suffers with bipolar
Mel Gibson- suffers with bipolar
Elton John suffers with Bulimia (eating disorder)
Emma Thompson - suffers with Depression
Carrie Fisher suffers with Bipolar and depression
Katherine ZetaJones suffers with Bipolar
Brook Shields suffers with Post Partum Depression

These are all celebrities who have spoken publically about their
mental health struggles in order to reduce stigma surrounding
mental health.

Is there government backing to prevent the situation?

Should there be? What could they do?
The government have a budget for mental Health care generally
and for children. The government guidelines for recovery are set at
50% and 46% has been reached, however Mental Health still
remains the biggest killer of men under 35 and I question that the
50% recovery target is too low.

How does the issue effect the community / nation / world?

Mental Health Issues effect everyone in the world at some time or
another. When one thing goes wrong in life an individual may easily
be able to cope with the recovery without intervention but when
several negative things happen close to each other giving the
individual no recovery time between crisis a persons Mental Health
can quickly spiral out of control leaving the person feeling that no
good can come from them being alive and without help they may
resort to suicide.
Some of the most common problems that people come to Talking
Therapies with are:-
Depression, Anxiety, Work Pressures, Bulling, Divorce, bereavement,
marriage, childhood abuse, eating disorders, personality disorders,
abusive relationships, post traumatic stress disorder, prejudice,
social media issues, disability and unemployment.
Most people can identify with one or more of these problems and
some may say why does it matter? and why cant people just get
on with life instead of dwelling on the negative? the reality is that
thousands of people cant cope with one or more problems and this
can result in their issues escalating to a clinical level.
Sever Mental Health sufferers die on average 20 years younger than
the rest of the population, usually owing to the effect of poor Mental
Health on physical health. Sufferers can be more likely to develop
diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer.

Look at statistics on the social issue

In 2015-16 there were:
1,399,088 new referrals
953,522 referrals that entered treatment
537,131 referrals that finished a course of treatment, of which:
81.3% waited less than 6 weeks and 96.2% waited less than 18
weeks to enter treatment.
490,395 started their treatment at caseness, with 46.3% moving to
recovery.

What can be done to prevent the issue from happening?

Educating school children about mental health issues generally and
making them aware of where to go for confidential help which will
intern reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.

Task 4
Contact details and angle

Informative, educational or change of attitude?

Discuss why and how you will achieve this.

My social action documentary aims to educate people to adjust how they judge
the people they live and work with and hopefully this will make them understand
that a person who appears to be coping with life could in fact be really struggling
and that an insensitive attitude could compound their problems or even push
them over the edge.

List of found footage you can use and reference where it has come from

1. Nick Clegg on the governments budget for childrens mental health - YouTube
2.Stephn Fry talking openly about Bipolar and self harming - YouTube
3.Carrie Fisher talking about the effects of Bipolar on her life & relationships -
YouTube
4.Elton John taking abut his struggle with Bulimia-YouTube
5.Emma Thompson talking about depression YouTube
6. Government guidelines on coping with mental health - YouTube
7. Mind, the mental health charity - YouTube

What ethical issues will you have to overcome or be careful

documenting?
Confidentiality is the main issue that I will encounter when filming as there is
immense stigma attached to mental health.

List of social action groups you could interview. Can you follow a
volunteer or member of the project?

Wokingham and West Berkshire mental health association could provide

information for when filming,
http://rva.org.uk/organisation/wokinghamwestberkshi/

Samreen Aslam Raja Social care innovation project RBWM.

Research on the subject: Research around the subject? Information
that you need to know BEFORE you interview people

I researched the government website on the seriousness on mental health in

the UK today. From this research I was able to formulate my questions that I will
be needing to film my interviews. I also researched many statistics so I will
have knowledge of the subject.

What shots / cut a ways / footage will you need to film in order for the
social action video to have impact?

Close up shots emotion

General public They may find this uncomfortable for people considering that
mental heath is a controversial subject to talk about.
Shooting someone sitting alone shows loneliness and isolation (relating to
how they may feel)

Interviews
Contact details

Name: Gina E
Position: Talking Therapies Patient
Involvement in action: Interviewee
What can they discuss in the video? The process that she went through and
how it helped her recover.
Where can they be interviewed? At her home
Phone number: 07967648160
Email address: gelworthy@aol.com

Name: Julie M
Position: Councilor
Involvement in action: Interviewee
What can they discuss in the video? Assessing clients needs to insure their
safety. Deciding on the type of support that is needed and will fit in with their
lifestyle. Formulating a plan for recovery with the client or clients. Confidentiality
contract.
Where can they be interviewed? Her Office
Phone number: 07850534991
Email address: jmurrell@hotmail.com

Name: General public interviews

Position: -----
Involvement in action: ----------
What can they discuss in the video? ----------
Where can they be interviewed? ----------
Phone number: ------------
Email address: ----------