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Listen
Well? Issue 4: Spring/Summer 2004
welcome to well?
George Burns once said, "You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old." So why does "ageing" have such a negative perception? Being old shouldn't mean decrepit, weak or incapable. Surely it should - and can - mean continuing to lead a healthy, fulfilling and active life?
This is one of the underlying themes in this issue of
Well? which looks at mental health and well-being in later life.
The themes of awareness-raising, tackling outdated attitudes, recovery from mental ill-health and preventing suicide feature strongly, together with commentary from older people who have experienced mental health problems, and local and national initiatives designed to help maintain mentally healthy and active lives well into later life.
As you may now know, each issue of
Well? reflects a different component of the National Programme's action plan agenda and the next edition (due in October 2004) will focus on young people and mental health.
To ensure that the autumn/winter edition is entirely driven by the issues that are of most concern to young people, we're recruiting a "guest" editorial team which will include young people from Young Scot, the Scottish Youth Parliament, Scottish Further Education Colleges, Scottish Universities, the Penumbra Youth Project, Aberdeen Foyer's 'Sorted, Not Screwed Up' young person's project, "see me" and the ThroughCare and AfterCare Forum.
This young person's team will work with our editor and production team by generating ideas, commissioning, researching and writing articles on mental health issues affecting young people, inputting ideas for graphic design and engaging with the whole process, from the very first editorial meeting right through to publication.
The autumn/winter special edition gives us a real opportunity to explore at first hand the mental health concerns, attitudes and issues which matter most to today's young people in Scotland. So please let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions.
Finally, due to the huge level of response we get to
Well?, we've introduced a Reader Feedback section (page 42) so please continue to write to us and we will do our best to include your comments and feedback.
Gregor Henderson
National Programme Director
Acknowledgements:
We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this edition of
Well?
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in
Well? are not necessarily those of the National Programme or the Scottish Executive.
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