February 2021
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Full text: Tracy, D., Joyce, D., Albertson, D., & Shergill, S. (2021). Kaleidoscope. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 218(2), 123-124. doi:10.1192/bjp.2020.254
Read the full February 2021 Kaleidoscope column in BJPsych for free
There has been a welcome growth in cross-disciplinary research integrating social, cultural and community engagement (SCCE) to positively have an impact on mental health. The advantages are both gains in enhancing well-being and improving mental health, and also potentially preventing the occurrence of mental illness in the first place. Community ‘assets’ can vary from active engagement such as participating in sports, community and voluntary groups, to more passive enjoyment of museums, nature and the local environment, and heritage sites. It is clear these are not ‘run’ by health and social care services, although there is an increased prominence in ‘social prescribing’. However, some observers have questioned if the field is necessarily focused upon the issues of greatest contemporary relevance and importance (or indeed if it is established what these are).