Them And Us

I'm spitting tacks.  No, I tell a lie - if I could spit daggers I would.

MP's are to get their own mental health clinic at a cost, to the taxpayer, of £25,000.  I don't think for one minute that £25,000 will be the total sum involved but possibly one consultant's monthly fee.  Then, if treatment is necessary, our 'servants' will be fast tracked to the best there is available.

Regular readers will know that I have a particular interest in mental health and have closely followed the progress - or distinct lack if it - that governments have made throughout my lifetime.  Out of sight, out of mind has been the position of those who could have made a difference to the mental health services offered to those unfortunately enough to suffer from problems.

As a society we seem content with young children receiving very detailed sex education in schools, yet most of us are uncomfortable discussing mental health issues.

"Jimmy has been signed off with depression/anxiety," is met with, "Oh, that's a shame".  Nobody asks how severe Jimmy's symptoms are or if they can help, because many people don't understand - or don't want to understand - the results when physical and mental health become unbalanced.

In this country (and I speak from a UK perspective), mental health facilities and treatment vary from the sublime to the ridiculous.  The sublime of course is what stressed MPs have acquired for themselves.  The ridiculous is indescribable; poor diagnosis, poor treatment and worse still, no treatment at all. Such a pity they couldn't have strived for similar facilities for their own constituents, who possibly wait many months for an initial consultation and the same length of time for any required treatment to begin.

The excuse, stated in the article: 'discrimination over mental health makes it hard for them to talk to doctors in their constituencies' is what maddens me.  That they regard themselves in any way different to their constituents is appalling in itself, but the insult to the doctors shows a pompous misjudgement.  

Most of their constituents have no choice other than to talk to these doctors in the hope that they can help.  Many people, unlike MPs, are invisibly bullied into leaving their jobs if it's discovered they have mental health issues.  I've seen that several times: "We'll have to get rid of x because he/she's having a breakdown", was a comment I heard, directed at a personnel officer some years ago from a head of a large organisation.  Perhaps today these words wouldn't be used, but the actions would be taken.

Kevin Jones, Labour MP for North Durham said:

'This is not about preferential treatment. It’s about giving MPs the opportunity to find solutions here in Westminster and have access to the types of services available to their constituents.’

Does he know what types of services available to his own constituents?

Scotland doesn't fare too well where mental health services are concerned either. I have a friend (a retired PE teacher) who has had serious back problems for nearly two years.  She's finally attended the pain clinic after suffering for a year - after being told surgery wasn't an option - and has been told it will be a lengthy process before they can balance her medication.  She takes 32 pills daily, plus liquid morphine and some days she can't move off the floor.  From being a very active woman to what she calls a 'cripple' she has fought depression since this disability occurred. At times I've been exceptionally concerned and jumped into the car to visit her in the hope that I can elevate the feeling of hopelessness for a few minutes because I'm aware she's not just 'having a bad day', but ill. 

Her depression is caused by poor GP care, although she's changed recently, and constant intense pain.  Of course she's not alone and knows there must be thousands of others in worse situations, but that doesn't help lift her depression for long.  

Mental health can be a vicious circle.  Most people cause their own depression (as in my friend's case), although not many understand why.  Worrying about the hellish emotions depression can produce creates anxiety and the two emotions of despair and desperation to flee from the situation, can result in serious clinical illness. Such symptoms need immediate attention and MPs have now organised their own walk-in clinic.

I wouldn't be irate if the population were offered what MPs feel they themselves deserve, but this does show how detached our politicians are from their electorate and also how, whether consciously or unconsciously, they consider themselves deserving of better than they support for us, the hoi polloi.

Tweet

What Is Normal Anyway?

I would call myself 'normal'.  I would also call my friend who has the beginnings of dementia 'normal' even though she displays common symptoms of this distressing disease.

Since my 40s I've been a staunch supporter of the mental health charity MIND.  It provided the best support and advice for those suffering from poor mental health and it acknowledged the public ignorance of diseases of the mind.

Some of the he most common are anxiety and depression and most of us suffer one or other for a short time during out lifetimes.  Sadly there are people who suffer constant anxiety, depression or other issues and require the help of professionals who understand how the mind works; albeit their knowledge is limited.

Nowadays however, so many of our children are labelled as having a mental or behavioural disorders such as ADHD - something which never existed a few decades ago. Children are diagnosed at such a pace that within a few decades, if  the psychiatry isn't questioned, more children will be labelled with a disorder than not.

Of course finances enter into these diagnoses; schools receive extra funding for any child labelled as having a disorder and parents receive state funding for their child's 'disability'.

Over the years, in my spasmodic voluntary work, I've met adults with serious mental health problems and children who I would class as 'unruly' although they have been identified as mental health sufferers.  Their parents are always anxious to emphasise the 'symptoms' of their disability and usually while the child is present.  I've always been uncomfortable with that, but the children don't seem to mind their parent discussing their 'problem'.  If a child - or adult for that matter - is told often enough they have a medical problem, they'll believe it.

The industry of modern psychiatry has been accused of having 'officially gone insane'.  I agree. Today's psychiatrists are paid for diagnosing children and receive kick-backs from big Pharma, schools are happy to refer children to their services because they receive extra funding and parents want a name for their child's 'bad' behaviour.  No parent wants to think they're not doing a good job rearing their children.

An example of how insane the mental health industry has become is:

The DSM is now larger than ever, and it includes disorders such as "Obedience Defiance Disorder" (ODD), defined as refusing to lick boots and follow false authority. Rapists who feel sexual arousal during their raping activities are given the excuse that they have "Paraphilic coercive disorder" and therefore are not responsible for their actions. (But they will need medication, of course!)

My intention is not to knock all psychiatrists as some are dedicated to their profession, but to call for an end to identifying young children as having a mental disorder, without lengthy and detailed testing.  That is a cruel hoax, but as long as the state continues to pay the child's carers money and big Pharma is so involved, then little will be done about the number of children on mind-altering drugs.

The article calls for the abolition of psychiatry but it has its uses in society. I would call for the abolition of medicines prescribed by psychiatrists for children.

There's no doubt mental health disorders are being fabricated and until the finance element is removed from children's mental health, then nothing will be done. What is normal anyway?

source

Tweet

The Mental Health and Mood of the Nation

click to enlarge - Mental Health

The Uncovered magazine recently produced a survey on the mental health and mood of the nation.  Contributors were asked, on a scale of 1 to 5 - with 1 being low - how healthy they thought they were.  Scots didn't fair too badly but the Shetlands don't seem too happy at 2.  How the north east of England achieved 7 is bewildering. Only 46% of the population said they are mentally very healthy but Scotland had the lowest percentage with only 1% giving a 1 rating.

click to enlarge - Mood

The East Midlands are the happiest with nobody rating a 1. The South West came a close second with 79% of the population scoring a 4 or 5.

Northern Ireland, West Midlands and London fared worst with just a 3.8 mean average score.  Only 21% rated Northern Ireland a 5 (a very happy place to live), only 25% rated London a 5 and only 28% voted West Midlands a 5.

London had the most surprising results with only 44% of Londoners judging themselves as being 'very mentally healthy' and it had the highest national percentage of those who claim to be very mentally unhealthy.

What does this tell us?  Not a lot really except perhaps we should be more confident in ourselves and laugh a little more.

Tweet

Scotland's Hidden Judges

Joe Morrow

Do you know someone who has ever had mental health problems? I should think every one of us does or perhaps we've even had a time when our own wasn't in too great a shape.

It's not always necessary to commit a crime before you are compulsory detained against your will. If you are considered to be so mentally ill that you require to be kept in hospital, often for a long period, and to have drugs administered to you without your permission, then you may become the subject of a 'Compulsory Treatment Order' or as it is known you may be sectioned.

Until recently it was a sheriff who approved such orders. The name of the sheriff was public knowledge. There was a certain comfort in this knowledge.

In October 2005 Scotland introduced a 'pioneering approach' to mental illness. Instead of a sheriff sitting along, the tribunal came into being: a three-person panel consisting of a legal person, a medical person and a lay person. Such was the volume of cases, the weight of mental illness afflicting our society, many such panels were required.

A new publicly funded organisation, the Mental Health Tribunal for Scotland, with its own executive agency, was set up by the Scottish Government at a cost of almost £10m a year. The tribunal, in its onw words, 'makes decision, and issues orders, regarding the long-term compulsory care and treatment of people with mental disorders.' It has the status of a judicial body: it is regarded as a court.

Presumably in an attempt to appear less intimidating, the tribunal's website offers several definitions of mental illness. Under the heading 'Learning Disability', we are assured: 'In its milder form, an individual might have a bout of depression and be "fed up" but can manage to lift their spirits and go on with their day to day lives.' What being fed up has to do with learning disability only the tribunal can say.

the first president of the Tribunal resigned her post several years before the expiry date of her term of office. (Dr) Joe Morrow, another tribunal member, was appointed interim president, an appointment confirmed in October 2008.

Who is Dr Morrow? There is no biography for him on the tribunal's website. It was discovered at the time of his appointment Dr Morrow was a labour councillor in Dundee. He's a solicitor by profession and his appointment is part-time: the commitment expected by his employers is between 10 and 15 days a month.

How much is he paid? His daily rate is £620. If he works 10 days a month he earns £74,400. Ten days a month would make him the second highest-paid part-time chairman in Scottish public life; 15 days a month would make him easily the highest. No record can be found of how much he has actually received so far and in the public interest the Scottish Government should tell us.

The above is part of a comprehensive article written by Kenneth Royle for the Scottish Review. Please do read the rest of it as it is most concerning, not least these people could well take control of someone you love. Read how they handle their finances and administration. Be aware how certain cases have not been picked up by the MSM. Are we being robbed of our freedoms even more? Are those who are perhaps temporarily unable to speak for themselves being put under state control without proper and thorough investigation? I certainly think so and this tribunal needs to be investigated as it seems to work without any public accountability.

Tweet