OMH Easy Read Guide to Good Mental Health
Click on the image to view the guide.
What is an Easy Read Guide, and why is it important for the people of Somerset?
According to an estimate made in 2020, 3,100 people in Somerset have learning disabilities. Across the UK, statistics show that between 25% and 40% of people with learning disabilities also experience mental health problems.
These figures demonstrate just how important it is that mental health care and support be readily available to people facing these combined challenges. However, mental illnesses among people with learning disabilities often go underdiagnosed and untreated. While this is due to a number of factors, a poor understanding of the subject and a lack of awareness often prevent people with learning difficulties or other reading challenges from seeking the mental health support they might need.
To address this issue, Open Mental Health, in partnership with Somerset Council and members of the learning disability community, created an Easy Read Guide to Good Mental Health. This inventive resource is designed for people who may find traditional guides challenging to understand.
It is important that everyone be able to recognise when their mental health is declining and know what to do about it. However, resources catering to the needs of people with learning difficulties or reading challenges are scarce. Recognising this gap, the guide explains in straightforward terms what mental health is, the importance of nurturing it, available treatments, and the organisations ready to offer a helping hand.
A guide that reflects the voice of lived experience
The guide was co-produced with people living with learning difficulties. By bringing together the insights of those with lived experience, Open Mental Health and Somerset Council have ensured that the content is informative, genuinely reflects the needs of the people who use it and speaks directly to its audience in a way they understand.
Every aspect of the guide was created with a commitment to simplicity and clarity. Through straightforward writing, complex mental health concepts are broken down into easy-to-understand pieces. Each page helps to build greater awareness so readers, or those who have it read to them, are empowered to take control of their mental wellbeing.
A picture is worth a thousand words
To help people with challenges that make understanding written material difficult, the guide uses the Easy Read system. This makes written information more comprehensible for people with learning disabilities or who find it hard to read. The system combines simple language with pictures related to the text.
Illustrations are used throughout to help bridge the gap between words and understanding. The guide contains dozens of thoughtfully chosen pictures that serve as visual explanations and make abstract concepts more relatable. The engaging images can be understood by most sighted people, whether or not they can read or write English. For people who might find written information daunting, the illustrations offer an alternative way to understand and remember the contents.
When the guide is used with the support of another person, the pictures can prompt and focus a conversation about the contents. The images help people understand the text before they start reading or when it is read to them and make the written words less intimidating for people with reading challenges.
While some people may need assistance reading the guide, the Easy Read system is a tool supporters can use to help them understand the essential mental health issues it explains.
A resource for the whole community
Mental health information presented in an Easy Read format benefits everyone. By using plain language, short sentences, and giving people exactly what they need to know, Somerset residents, regardless of any condition affecting them, can quickly identify the signs of poor mental health. So, download your copy below and get the support you deserve.
Limited hard copies are available. Please email info@openmentalhealth.org.uk for further information.
Easy Read Guide to Good Mental Health in Somerset
Digital version to read online
Easy Read Guide to Good Mental Health in Somerset
A4 print at home version