South London Pupils Attend Mental Health Awareness Days
SEPTEMBER 25, 2006
-‘Know No Limits’ visit; 25-26 September, Institute of Psychiatry-
Seventy pupils from 22 Schools across Southwark and Lambeth are attending a two day event at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London in Camberwell this week (25/26 September 2006). A major aim of the visit is to encourage them to consider going on from school into higher education.
A parallel aim of this Know No Limits visit is to enable students to gain greater insight into what happens in their local mental health trust and dispel any misconceptions they might have about people living with a mental illness. The pupils, aged between 15 and 16, will hear talks on a number of topics and meet students studying at Kings College. They will also have the opportunity to meet and talk to individuals who have experienced psychiatric problems during their lives.
The programme will also include talks on ‘Treating Schizophrenia’ by psychiatrist Julia Lappin, Nature and Nurture by Professor Robert Plomin who is a psychologist and ‘What it’s like to be a teenager’ by Mima Simic, child & adolescent psychiatrist from the Maudsley Hospital. Students will also have the chance to visit the scanning unit which is at the cutting edge of brain research and experience what it’s like to be inside a scanner.
Helen Davies and Iain Campbell from the Institute of Psychiatry are the organisers of this event. Iain Campbell, Sub Dean of the Institute comments “We are aware that these young people are all in their last year of GCSEs and will soon be making crucial decisions about which subjects to study at A level. We hope that in the future some of the students will pursue careers in mental health.”
This is the fifth consecutive year that King’s College London has arranged this schools visit. It is funded by Aspire Aimhigher South East London and supported by the King’s Widening Participation team.