HOW THE NCMH CARRIES OUT ITS ASSESSMENTS
Lowri O’Donovan, 23, lives in Cyncoed, Cardiff, and joined the field team at the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH) in October 2016.
With her sights set on a career in clinical psychology, her role as a psychology assistant with NCMH has been an eye-opening experience and an opportunity to see how mental health issues affect people in their day-to-day lives.
“It’s my first job related to mental health and psychology,” Lowri explained. “During my psychology degree at the University of Birmingham I learnt about the risk factors associated with mental health conditions.
“Doing this job has really highlighted how difficult it is to predict what could trigger a change in someone’s mental wellbeing.”
Lowri and her colleagues go out to meet people, from all walks of life, who have volunteered for the research taking place at NCMH.
To date, more than 7,000 people have taken part.
“I’m part of a busy team and we spend most of our week visiting people, which is great for me as it’s the part of the job I enjoy the most.
“We also attend a number of events and clinics to help spread the word about our research and also get people talking more about mental health to help fight the stigma associated with mental health conditions.
“I love meeting with the people who volunteer their time to help us investigate the causes of mental health conditions. Participants don’t receive any financial incentive for taking part so they’re doing it because they have a genuine wish to help.”
A face-to-face assessment with the NCMH usually lasts around an hour.
First the research is explained to the participant and what taking part involves.
Once any questions have been answered there are consent forms to go through.
The beginning of the assessment asks some questions about mental health diagnoses, some lifestyle questions about alcohol, smoking and drug use, and some background questions about where the participant grew up and their job history.
Then either a blood or saliva sample is taken, which goes back to the lab to be analysed.
An online version of the assessment was launched in April making it easier for NCMH to reach even more people, particularly those living outside Wales and anyone who would prefer not to answer questions face-to-face.
Lowri continued: “It’s been amazing to see more than 1,500 people sign up online. No two participants’ stories have been the same, which really highlights that mental illness can affect anyone.
“While great work is already being done, it’s important to continue research into mental health to understand what makes some people more susceptible to experiencing problems.”
Lowri aspires to work in clinical psychology and in her spare time volunteers for Mirus, a charity which provides support for children and adults with disabilities, and on Sundays she volunteers on the older people mental health ward where patients are living with dementia.
She concluded: “I’ve heard from participants how devastating living with a mental health condition can be so this job has only strengthened my wish to pursue a career in this field and to do work to help those who are struggling.”