By Liz Scott

The Largactyl Shuffle, one of London’s Top Ten Walks as voted by Timeout magazine, took to the streets of Southwark on Saturday 21^st November with an All Saint’s Day theme. Run by CoolTan Arts, the walk is as much of a journey into Southwark’s past as a celebration of mental well-being and how this can be promoted through art, exercise and history.

The walk takes its name from the side effects caused by an anti-psychotic drug used to treat mental illness. Southwark has a legacy of mental health and the starting point for the walk was Maudsley Hospital in Denmark Hill, the first purpose-built psychiatric hospital for treatment and research.

The side effects of antipsychotic drugs are well documented but did you know there are some which disproportionately affect women? And that these can include infertility, premature ageing and reduced libido?

Last week’s episode of All in the Mind on Radio 4 explored some of the more surprising side effects of antipsychotics.  The programme featured a candid interview with Sabita, a 57 year old woman who’d been taking antipsychotics since the early 1980s.  She’d suffered worryingly irregular periods, loss of libido and had recently developed osteoporosis.  Sabita felt let down by doctors who hadn’t warned her of any side effects other than weight gain.

by Emma Johnston, volunteer at CoolTan Arts.

The news from a recent survey, published in the Guardian (Mind over matter – January 20^th 2009), that over half of UK employers would not employ someone with a known mental disorder, may come as no surprise to those involved in the sector.

The Mental Health Foundation states that one in four people will suffer from some form of diagnosable mental health problem within their lifetime. That’s one person not so far down your construction line, around your work station or across your boardroom.  So how do these conflicting statistics add up?

by Graham Peacock, volunteer at CoolTan Arts

The Largactyl Shuffle is a history walk taking place once a month, organised by Cooltan Arts. On the 11^th October 2008 a sponsored version of the walk took place to coincide with World Mental Health Day. I was one of the sponsored walkers. The route followed that day was the same as the history walks. It winds its way from the starting point at the Maudsley Hospital through a maze of backstreets and squares to the river by Southwark Cathedral and on, the short distance to the Tate Modern. A distance of about four miles.

by Peter Cox, CoolTan workshop participant

Five of us met outside the Maudsley Hospital in Denmark Hill from 12 noon. Ari, our guide for part of the walk, told us about the history behind the hospital which opened in 1923 and was founded by Henry Maudsley ( 1835-1918 ), a distinguished and wealthy psychiatrist. A nearby road, De Crespigny Park, is named after an 18^th century family home which was visited by Boswell, biographer of Dr. Johnson.

Ari told us of the origin of the word Camberwell- a place with a well for poor or broken people.