Dr Becky Inkster and Dr Akeem Sule demonstrate the role of pop culture in understanding the biopsychosocial determinants of mental disorders using hip-hop lyrics, and describe the potential use of hip-hop lyrics in psychiatric research settings, which may be especially relevant for patients from underserved communities.
More information and links can be found here.
Thrive Edinburgh welcomes all to!
HIP HOP PSYCH
Demystifying mental illness through hip hop lyrics and beatsity. Our medical credibility and authentic passion for hip-hop enables us to bridge this gap. We understand the culture and speak the language. We want to share our knowledge in order to cultivate awareness, empower others and remove stigma surrounding mental health and hip-hop.
Dr Akeem Sule and Dr Becky Inkster
http://www.dylanthomas.com/events/hip-hop-psychiatry-briefing/
http://www.dylanthomas.com/events/
| Location: Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan |
| Status: Operational |
| Security class: Category B Adult Males/Young Offenders/Juveniles |
| Capacity: 1200 (June 2009) |
| Opened: 1997 |
| Managed: by G4S |
| Director: Janet Wallsgrove |
http://www.festivalofideas.cam.ac.uk/events/hip-hop-psych
This is one event not to miss. To a sell out crowd of 500, HIP HOP PSYCH will join forces with others in an event like no other: a HIP HOP TAKEOVER at Cambridge University! The event will be held on 20th October 2014, doors open at 7pm, but breakdancing and DJing will be kicking off beforehand. Here are more details: “HIP HOP PSYCH PRESENTS”: Dr. Akeem Sule (Psychiatry) and Dr. Becky Inkster (Neuroscience) demystify mental illness through hip-hop beats and lyrics while Dr. Griff Rollefson (Music) and Big Dada recording artist Juice Aleem discuss the artform’s valorization of non-normative “illness.” Indeed, Juice Aleem implores us to "rock" our identities: "If you know who you are you'll rock your hologram." Includes live performances (music, dance, graffiti)--a "Hip Hop Takeover" of the Faculty of Music.
Akeem and Becky were invited to Lancet headquarters to do a podcast with editor Niall Boyce and their work has been accepted for publication.
"Here we discuss the potential of hip-hop music in the context of mental health and psychiatry. We focus on some of the avenues whereby hip-hop can be implemented as a unique tool for refining psychotherapies and psychoeducation, for enhancing recruitment and retention in psychiatry, and for facilitating public health education and anti-stigma campaigns."
HIP HOP PYSCH has been covered by The Guardian, BBC, The Independent to draw attention to how hip-hop can help treat depression.
"There is so much more to hip-hop than the public realises," Dr Becky Inkster told The Guardian. “Hip-hop carries messages that are much more complex than is generally appreciated.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/29595426
On Tuesday, January 21st, 2015, Hip Hop Psych delivered an interactive talk at HM Prison in Bedford, England. “HHP Mixtape 2: Resilience in Lyrics of Hip-Hop” was received by 15 men who imbued the talk with their personal narratives and anecdotes. Using science and hip-hop, Dr. Sule and Dr. Inkster drew attention to how to relate, cope, and conquer stress. HHP drew on concepts of stress inoculation, cognitive reframing, and epigenetics to provide scientific frameworks for understanding resilience. They paralleled the concepts by dissecting lyrics from Maino, Eminem, J Flexx, and Wu Tang Clan. And like any good work of artistry, each person related to the lyrics differently that together, painted a nuanced understanding of drugs, pressure, and challenge.
Throughout the talk, the energy was high and encouraged a dynamic exchange of ideas. Slides of the brain, synaptic clefts, and adrenal glands completed faces of ODB, GZA, and RZA. Life stories by audience members were shared enthusiastically, and even the most complex scientific terms were met with nodding heads. The excitements peaked when two inmates free –styled. The flow and bars were fresh, filled with salient moments describing hope and resistance. And once again, Dr. Sule and Dr. Inkster demonstrated the golden thread of connectivity between hip-hop and mental health. Feelings of inspiration and hope were evident by the end. “I’m out in two weeks, and I'll be getting in touch,” one exclaimed.
The Dean of the Institute of Psychiatry invited HIP HOP PSYCH to launch their new Maudsley Learning Centre called the Ortus. We had over 100 people attend from the general public and we collaborated with a London charity called Key Changes whose service users performed their own hip-hop songs in between our educational event. The age range of attendance was 16- 73 years of age, from service users to pension solicitors; we brought together a wide demographic and received excellent feedback from numerous people.
HIP HOP PSYCH was invited by the ex chair of the Wellcome Trust Research Resource Funding Committee to perform two separate events in Exeter across a 2 day event. The first was a public engagement event to the local community in a non-academic setting (a local nightclub owned by the UK singer, Joss Stone, situated in and area of socioeconomic concern) as well as to the humanities and medical departments in a structured lecture hall environment. Once again we worked with local hip-hop talent to enhance the entertainment value of the public engagement event and to de-stigmatise both mental health and hip-hop culture.
HIP HOP PSYCH has lectured to medical students and resident doctors at the University of Cambridge, including the student psychiatry society, and subsequently able to demonstrate that a hip-hop themed delivery of knowledge can be used as a valid framework for higher education in a medical setting.
HIP HOP PSYCH was incredibly successful at providing knowledge and insight to demystify mental health to the general public in a pub setting, which sold out with over 100 people. Attendees provided feedback such as “extremely positive and encouraging…excited about the potential of our vision”.
HIP HOP PSYCH has started a UK-wide campaign to reach out to ACSs around the UK. Our first stop was in Oxford and it was a huge success with immense audience participation and interaction.