On Wednesday the 25th of May we presented our work at the Primary Care Mental Health Research Conference run by the Society for Academic Primary Care. The theme of the conference was ‘Mental Health: Safety, Quality and Effectiveness’, hosted by the Universities of Manchester, Bristol, Keele and York.
Our post-doctoral research fellow Claire Carswell presented the findings from our qualitative study DIAMONDS QUEST, exploring the lived experience of people who have co-existing severe mental illness and long-term conditions. Claire described how living with mental illness is precarious and constantly changing, meaning mental health takes priority over physical health. Severe mental illness can also contribute to the development of long-term conditions, through side-effects of psychiatric medication and the use of harmful coping strategies. Finally, Claire highlighted the importance of having a constellation of support for those with severe mental illness, including person-centered healthcare, and informal support from family and friends.
As part of the conference there were prizes awarded to the best elevator pitch in each session. Our presentation of the QUEST results won the award for the session on ‘Quality and Safety’, congratulations Claire!
You can read more about the results from our DIAMONDS QUEST study here
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