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It’s dark and gloomy out there here in the UK and with so much bad news out there, many will be struggling to keep smiling.
Turning that frown upside down
You, like me, will almost certainly know someone who suffers from a mental health issue and perhaps even spent time in a specialist unit. That’s not surprising. One in eight of us live with a mental health condition, with a 28% rise in anxiety and major depressive disorder according to the WHO – With mental health conditions on the rise, countries must prioritize investments. While winter blues can be tough, the consequences of poor mental health can be tragic: suicide the third most common cause of death among young people worldwide – Suicide. With a desperate shortage of in patient care and skilled support here in the UK, nearly one-quarter of patients will wait for more than three months for treatment, with over three-quarters resorting to emergency services or a crisis line in desperation – Hidden waits force more than three quarters of mental health patients to seek help from emergency services.
Once our loved ones are lucky enough to be admitted to a specialist unit, the goal of every care plan should be to support sustainable recovery so they can rebuild their lives in the heart of the communities where they belong – and release a bed for someone else in need.
Perhaps the humble lightbulb, hiding in plain sight, could help?
My latest article in Network Magazine reviews the latest evidence for the potential of dynamic lighting and spectral tuning to make a significant difference to patient outcomes and medication use across conditions ranging from depression and bipolar disorder to dementia and schizophrenia. I touch on the impact of lighting on staff engagement and performance, including significant reductions in harmful medication errors and improved alertness during night shift work. Drawing on NASA and UK Biobank research as well as case studies from around the world, the piece looks in more detail at some of the underlying mechansims involved in sleep and mood regulation.
I also compare the relevant lighting standards (CIBSE LG02/09, EN12464-1) and the challenges of balancing visual and non-visual needs and environmental targets.
We may not be able to stop our loved ones struggling with mental health conditions, but we can do our bit to create brighter spaces to deliver care and support the dedicated professionals who provide it.
The Network is the quarterly magazine for the Design in Mental Health Network – a brilliant resource for building and healthcare professionals.
Read the full article here – The Network February 2025.
With thanks to Sonneman Toon, Glamox and Whitecroft for support with images.
WorkSpace Design Show
An excellent programme next week, kicking off on the 26th with a brilliant line-up hosted by Mark Eltringham, challenging the true value of the office today and following on with debates about workplace strategy, data-driven decision-making and designing for inclusivity – Workpace Design Show.
Save the Date – Innovators in Healthcare
Please join us online on the 17th of April from 2 to 4:30pm UK time for a rare chance to hear directly from leading policymakers, scientists and pioneering healthcare providers from around the world. You’ll learn about the ‘active ingredients’ in lighting to boost mood, improve sleep and reduce cognitive decline. You’ll discover the hurdles overcome and the life-changing results from implementing smart lighting systems- improved sleep and mood, eliminated sundowning and reduction in falls by up to 84%. Pose your questions directly to the experts and contribute to the conversation. The event will be recorded, so please register as a guest and we’ll send you the links as soon as they’re ready – Innovators in Healthcare: Circadian Lighting, principles in practice.
Thanks to our sponsors CircadaCare, Chromaviso, Commercial Lighting, and Nobi for making this possible.
It’s National Dogwalking Day!
Having a dog is good for your health – not only thanks to all the extra social interaction, but dog owners are more than twice as likely as the rest of us to get the recommended dose of daylight.
They’re also more likely to get up at around the same time – your pooch doesn’t care if you’ve been up late, they need to answer nature’s call!
What about those of us who don’t have a dog?
You can sign up for Borrow my Doggie.
Or volunteer for a charity like the Blue Cross, or the Cinnamon Trust that supports people who can’t take care of their pets for a while – The Cinnamon Trust.
Or try one of the hundreds of walking apps out there.
Or keep it simple – and just take yourself for a walk!