Mental Health and Wellbeing event to be held at St John’s

An event aimed at raising awareness about mental health issues is being held at the Old Divinity School, St John’s College.

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Event will take place on 2 June, and will include a personal video message from Stephen Fry as well as a screening of his documentary ‘The Secret Life of a Manic Depressive’.

The event, organised by GRASP, the Graduate Student and Post-Doc Forum, is aimed at all members of academia in Cambridge, regardless of whether they are just interested in the topic of mental health and wellbeing, whether they are struggling with lifestyle pressures, or have been diagnosed with a condition that impacts on their mental health. As well as having a strong focus on mental health, the aim of the event is to increase awareness about ways to improve mental wellbeing, and to show where support can be found.

Following an introduction to GRASP, there will be a presentation of the results of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Survey that was sent out recently to all graduate students in the Life Sciences, a panel discussion where panel members will talk about their personal experiences or professional expertise on the topic of mental health and wellbeing, including a Q&A with the audience, and workshops on how to improve coping skills in a stressful environment. A personal video message from Stephen Fry on the topic of mental health, made especially for the event, will be screened, followed by his 2006 documentary ‘The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive’ about bipolar disorder.

The co-chair of the event, Claudia Pama, a Phd candidate based at the Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, said: “The event is being held to raise awareness both among students and academics about this issue, as well as to show individuals what kind of support is available, and potentially discover new ways according to their needs.”

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Event will take place on Friday 2 June at the Old Divinity School, and free drinks and buffet food will be available. The event is free, but those who wish to attend should register via the link below, where more information on the day’s schedule can be found: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-and-wellbeing-event-registration-34331795324