Research suggests that bisexual people are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicidality than lesbian, gay or heterosexual people. Biphobia and bisexual invisibility can mean that if bi people seek help from health professionals and therapists they are not always well supported. However it is also clear that many bisexual people experience benefits to their mental wellbeing from being bi, such as a sense of independence, self-awareness and authenticity and an ability to develop identities and relationships without restrictions. In this conference we aim to explore both mental health problems and mental wellbeing for bisexual people.
This year’s programme includes keynote speeches by Roshan das Nair, Meg Barker and Christina Richards, and papers on topics including bisexuality, nonmonogamies and therapy, eating disorders in bisexual men, and bisexuality and madness in the works of Shakespeare and Spencer.
BiReCon is a conference for anyone with an interest in contributing to, or finding out about, current work on bisexuality. The conference aims to bring together academics, professionals, activists, and the bisexual community. It is organised by BiUK (www.biuk.org) and is held every two years. This year it will take place on Thursday 9th August 2012 at Bradford University.
Due to high airfares to the UK during the Olympics, some international speakers have had to withdraw their papers. There is therefore still time to submit an abstract for the parallel sessions. Please have a look at the Call for Papers http://bisexualresearch.wordpress.com/birecon/birecon-2012-2/birecon-2012/ and get in touch if you would like to submit a workshop or paper.
Email:
[log in to unmask], Twitter: @birecon2012Organised by: Dr Rebecca Jones (The Open University), Helen Bowes-Catton (The Open University) and Dr Caroline Walters (University of Exeter) on behalf of BiUK www.biuk.org