North London medics back mental health campaign with TV's Dr Radha Modgil
Dr Radha Modgil fronts a new video aiming to help people build up emotional resilience. - Credit: Thrive LDN
Senior north London medics are among those backing a campaign to help people increase their emotional resilience amid the strain the pandemic is placing on mental health.
A campaign from the Thrive LDN organisation - run from City Hall - has involved doctors from the Central and North West London NHS Trust (CNWL), which works primarily across Brent and Camden.
In a video featuring TV and radio presenter Dr Radha Modgil, experts and people who have struggled with their mental health discuss how they've been able to build up their resilience.
One of the senior medics involved in producing the video was CNWL's director of therapies, Dr Ryan Kemp. He told this newspaper: "The Thrive team got in touch actually quite recently - and this has all happened quite quickly. We had a number of people who knew a bit about the science involved and we decided we would try to get across this message."
North Londoner Ranna appears in the new Thrive LDN video. - Credit: Thrive LDN
He said that his work with staff and patients at CNWL had exemplified the stresses of the pandemic, and the importance of learning how to look after one's mental health.
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Dr Kemp said emotional resilience was about "accepting that you can't just change emotions".
He added "The phrase 'pull yourself together' - that's nonsense. We have the science on this, that's just not possible. It's a sort of process, that you can acknowledge the lows and the difficult moments but still come through.
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"It's difficult, with the lockdown and the long winter nights, but it's how you get through that. Step one is accepting that you're having these emotions. And then it's about starting to build good habits, find ways of building positive routines and just being patient."
In the video, north Londoner Ranna extols the value of compassion in helping others through difficult mental moments.
She said: "Being kind doesn’t cost, ask your colleagues how they are when you are on a Zoom call – and then ask twice.”
CNWL's Ross O’Brien - who runs its innovation and technology work - added: “Bringing together the clinical advice combined with tangible and inspiring examples from a diverse range of people is an innovative approach."
He said he hoped the video would help people across north London and the wider city to get through mental difficulties. The video is available at thriveldn.co.uk/resources/emotional-resilience/
