Positive Mental Attitudes
Positive Mental Attitudes project (PMA) is East Glasgow’s mental health awareness and anti-stigma project. Funded by East Glasgow Community Health and Care Partnership, we work in partnership with a range of local and national organisations to challenge negative attitudes and to support the development of people experiencing mental health problems. We run three art groups: creative writing, drama and visual arts. The groups meet weekly with a professional arts worker and a support worker, developing work in their areas of interest and progressing towards exhibitions, publications, performances, training and community events.
Positive Mental Attitudes (PMA) seeks to address the stigma experienced by people with mental health problems and promotes positive attitudes towards mental health in East Glasgow. Funded by Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHS, the project was established in March 2002 in response to the desire of mental health services users to tackle stigma and discrimination in their communities.
PMA works in four distinct settings: workplaces, schools, asylum seeking and refugee communities, and the arts. We employ professional arts staff to work with adults in East Glasgow who have an interest in tackling stigma. While participants tend to have first hand experience of mental health issues, this is not a pre-requisite, and we welcome all who are interested. Information about the project is distributed to local community centres and support organisations but word of mouth, and recommendation, is most successful in attracting people to experience our services.
Participants in the three arts projects have been involved in making animation and film, a performance piece and an art exhibition for World Mental Health week in October. This project is the result of collaboration between PMA, Creative Interventions and Platform, Easterhouse’s new, award winning arts centre. It will culminate in an event held over two days as part of the first Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, of which PMA is a partner. The festival, taking place over 12 days and in venues across Glasgow, comprises art, film, media, comedy, music and writing.