Breaking the silence

Perceptions of mental illness have changed, haven't they?

YESTERDAY as we watched the Royal wedding, I said what a shame it was that Alexander McQueen wasn't around to see his inspiration brought to life by Kate Middleton's stunning wedding gown.

An elderly neighbour watching the historic event with me frowned.

My daughter asked: "Why isn't he there, Mum?"

And I told her he'd been very ill and that while he was ill, he had taken his own life. He'd lost his mum not long before.

"These creative types are highly strung," said our neighbour.

I winced.

"He was very ill and sadly couldn't see any other way out," I told my daughter.

Again, my neighbour was quick to interject.

"Suicide is so selfish," he said.

I said I didn't think it was selfish and we left it at that.

I know it was only a quick-fire exchange, over in an instant, but it did make me a little sad.

 

 

Mental health and the internet, a report from The Mind Sanctuary

SINCE I started blogging about stuff to do with mental illness, the connection between the internet and our state of mind has remained of interest.

This is not least because on the one hand, the web can be a place to find understanding and support, while on the other a cloak of anonymity makes it easier to say hurtful things, which can cause a lot of emotional pain at a time when you are feeling low.

Sometimes the people behind those cruel words may be ill themselves.

An insight into mental health provision, what resources would you add?

HAVE you read many accounts from people who have experienced mental health services first hand? I haven't.

My impressions of mental health provision were based for a long time almost entirely on ignorance.  As a fan of so many TV detectives I sometimes whimsically imagined that mental health treatment only happened at fresh-lawned stately homes with personal trainers jogging merrily about and affable academics and psychiatrists at every turn.

Then there's the other images of psychiatric hospitals portrayed so often in our media, from the desperation of olden days asylums on Who do you think you are? to the bullying oppression of Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

So never mind these oudated cliches, what of the reality?

The reality is this:

Mark talked about one man who had walked out of the ward at the end of his stay to nothing, with no contacts, not introductions.  He said he wasn’t surprised to hear how the man had got himself back by standing in the middle of the road, directing traffic.

One in four suffer mental health problems - where does that figure come from?

HOW many times have you read that one in four people in Britain are affected by a mental health condition? 

Just over a week ago, as the coalition government's No Health Without Mental Health strategy was launched, care services minister Paul Burstow said one in four people will suffer a mental health problem during their lives, while one in six do so at any one time, with an  estimated yearly cost to society of up to £105 billion.

Back in 2001, The World Health Organisation reported that one in four people will suffer mental health problems at some point their lives.  It said 450 million people worldwide were suffering from mental or neurological illnesses and were being failed by their communities.

Blogging at NHS Local for the West Midlands

THANK you very much to Jo Ind at NHS Local for asking me to blog about mental health.

Jo has given me a very warm welcome.

My first post is entitled Why depression isn't a designer illness.

I'll be posting regularly when time allows so I hope to see you there.

Concerns raised over new government strategy on mental health

THE government's new strategy No Health Without Mental Health was announced on Wednesday, with £400m being pledged over four years to extend the IAPT scheme (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) so that talking therapies, including counselling, will be more widely available - especially to children and young people.

Read what counsellor Frances Weston has blogged about the plans.

Research reveals negative newspaper coverage of mental illness has risen

Photo by GiantsFanatic on Flickr

OKAY tell us something we didn't know...

We recently discussed media coverage of the Cumbria killings on this blog.

Guardian writer Mary O Hara reported that some people with mental health problems felt stigmatised by association in the wake of headlines and stories about the murders.

TV drama's unhelpful and misleading portrayal of mental illness

By Frances Weston

I was interested to see a piece in Therapy Today, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy's professional journal, yesterday complaining about the way fictional characters with mental health problems are portrayed on television.  Having just seen the second part of BBC's Silent Witness a couple of nights before, I was already fuming about this very topic!

See the full post here:

TV drama's unhelpful and misleading portrayal of mental illness

Picture from BBC press office via Image.net.

What should you do in a mental health crisis? By a psychiatric nurse

MENTAL health services in this country are not perfect.

On the whole they are run by well meaning people trying to do the best they can with the resources they've got.

However, like it or not, the system is what we have to deal with. And so it's useful to know where you stand within it.

I thought it might be useful to outline how the system deals with people in a crisis, and how you can use that system to ensure you get the most effective service.

Christmas and mental health

 
Introduced by Linda Jones

CHRISTMAS is supposed to be a time of joy, of love, togetherness and celebration. Of course to point out it isn't for everyone may be stating the obvious but I wanted to help this anon mum speak up because her story is important. It's very easy to feel under pressure to play the part of a perfect parent more than any other time of the year. And if you are alone,  feelings of isolation can be at their worst.

 If you are feeling down this festive season, please be kind to yourself and don't think you are to blame, perhaps you are ill, why not seek some help? And if you have friends or family affected by depression, social anxiety, or any other form of illness, please be there for them and try to understand.

Thanks.

THIS year, like every other I have been invited to countless parties. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't.

This year, I haven't been to any.

Two people who invited me said I had to go because I would be the life and soul.

This scared the hell out of me.

It may not sound that serious to you but it's painful for me. Facing up to the fact I can suffer from social anxiety is a bit of a shock. Nobody would ever have thought it.