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mentally handicapped, so as to secure provision for them commensurate with their needs". The Society is
affiliated to the National one of the same name. There are many similar local societies in various parts of the
country who undoubtedly have had considerable influence on the development of the various services available
nowadays to children of this kind.
It is the sincere wish of myself and officers so closely concerned with the problems of the mentally
handicapped child, that in the near future channels of communication will flow more freely between this
voluntary body and the Department. This is not to say that there exists no communicating link between the
Brent Society and the Mental Health Division. Fortunately during 1967 there was at least one occasion on
which Department and Society joined to further the cause of better understanding on mental disorder in the
community. I refer to the Mental Health Week held throughout the country in the first week of June.
Mental Health Week, 4th June—10th June, 1967
It was possible, thanks to funds made available by the Borough Council, to stage an exhibition in
Anson Hall, Willesden. This afforded an excellent opportunity of getting together two voluntary organisations,
two psychiatric hospitals and the Mental Health Division. It was on the whole a well balanced exhibition
although, as one might have expected, the work of the children from the Junior Training Centre appeared to
predominate. This, understandably, caught the eye because of the imaginative way in which the work was
displayed and the high standard of execution. The general excellent effect was a tribute to the high teaching
skills of the staff of the Centre. The numerous paintings lent colour and gaiety to the show—from the crudest
colour splashes executed by very young children (in both the mental and physical sense) to most sophisticated
works of art by mentally ill patients from Shenley Hospital. The range of handicrafts was as diverse, on the
one hand again, some simple shaped object glued together somewhat haphazardly by a child in the Junior
Training Centre and on the other some most intricate pieces of joinery carried out in Shenley Hospital workshops
by mentally ill patients. A beautiful tiled screen, printed in Shenley Hospital, attracted visitors as did
the mosaic tables and lamps from the Bertie Road Day Centre. It was difficult to convey in an exhibition of
this kind the emphasis modern hospital treatment puts on industrial training. However, the Leavesden Hospital
exhibit managed to display this aspect quite effectively. Naturally it is tempting to put on show beautiful items
—how much more attractive to look at a gaily painted clay jug rather than an assembly of dull objects neatly
assembled into a carton. However, it is the latter activity that will make it possible for a patient once more
to earn his or her living when returning home, whereas the pretty piece of pottery will not even pay the weekly
T.V. rental. For all that, assemblies of this kind were on show and it says much for the skill of the Shenley
Hospital occupational therapists that none of these exhibits were uninteresting and indeed caught the eye of the
viewers in their own right. Other stands showed photographs of activities, outings and buildings, all pertaining
in various and numerous ways to mental disorder, its treatment and rehabilitation. One stand deserves a
mention—that of the Brent Samaritans. Its exhibit was starkly simple—a telephone and a message: "In distress
or despair—Phone the Brent Samaritans—965 8000".
Much enthusiasm and effort had gone into this very effective exhibition and it is therefore disappointing
that only a small number of people visited it. There were of course some organised parties of older school
children, etc., but "ordinary" people, i.e. shopping housewives during the day, or couples out for an evening
were very few indeed. The reason for this may be twofold—funds did not allow for wide advertising and
Anson Hall is not centrally placed.
Although commercial advertisements were not carried, the local press featured articles on mental
health issues following a visit by reporters to the Hostel, 9, Willesden Lane. On that occasion mental health
services were discussed at length.
My thanks are due to a Building Society for the generous offer of the use of their window space in
Wembley High Road where the Department was able to stage an attractive display.
The apathy of the general public on the subject of mental health is well known and therefore much
more effort is needed if ordinary people are to become better acquainted with this subject. Many attractively
displayed leaflets were distributed in various public places (e.g. libraries, clinics, etc.) but judging from the
small number of enquiries received by the Mental Health Division, the messages contained fell on stony ground.
One would have thought that the subject matter "Careers in Mental Health" should have made at least some
younger people curious enough to follow up the printed information with further enquiries.
At this juncture it may be pertinent to put the question whether health education generally and
mental health education specifically is making any impact at all on the public mind. Mass media have been
used to a fair extent—indeed an excellent film on the subject of schizophrenia was shown on BBC/TV at
peak hour viewing time during Mental Health Week. This film was made over a period of time at Shenley
Hospital and included Brent patients. Yet on the whole the general impression is that most people are still
uninformed on mental disorder problems and frightened at the very thought of consulting a psychiatrist, let
alone entering a psychiatric hospital. Local as well as national publicity does not appear to penetrate the
public's mind. This could of course be due to frightening phantasies preventing an open mind on the subject
of mental disorder, or, worse still, to apathy towards anything not directly related to oneself at that moment.
On balance, it would be premature to abandon mental health education measures at this point as it is unfair
to expect the public to respond readily to a subject that had been practically taboo for centuries. This however
means that efforts such as Mental Health Week will have to be intensified and sufficient funds allocated for
this purpose.