Author Archives: zarathustra

RMN working in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).

Site rules

July 21, 2008 – 10:04 pm

Okay, the tone of debates seems to have, shall we say, lowered a bit lately, so I’m going to make a little statement about rules of the site.
First off, I have made the decision that quotes from or links to BNP websites are not permitted on this site. I know that some of you object [...]

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Nurse biscuits

July 20, 2008 – 11:38 am

In today’s news, surgeons at Imperial College Healthcare Trust will get bonuses for not killing their patients.
My response to this is the same as my view of the compassion index and the Productive Ward scheme. Which is that by and large doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals don’t need an endless slew of top-down schemes [...]

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This Week in Mentalists (38)

July 19, 2008 – 3:07 pm

It seems The Shrink has been shouting since 2.10am for a round-up. Therefore I need to do two things.
1. Arrange some zopiclone for The Shrink
2. Put together This Week in Mentalists.

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One in Four Magazine

July 13, 2008 – 12:28 pm

I’ve just received a complimentary copy of the first issue of One in Four magazine, which describes itself as an “aspirational lifestyle magazine for people with mental health difficulties”. There’s a review of our website in there.
They’ve given us a very positive review, praising the “wide range of ideas and approaches” discussed, and the fact [...]

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This Week in Mentalists (37)

July 12, 2008 – 9:10 am

I think I’m now past my post-holiday blues. How I miss my week away in Scarborough. The twinkling lights of the uranium factory. The pretty colours of the pollution against the night sky. The screams of political dissidents being “re-educated” with clubs.
Anyway, on with This Week in Mentalists.

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No sympathy?

July 12, 2008 – 8:28 am

As regards nurses, this scenario is of course too silly for words. A house, car and family? What nurse at the start of her/his career expects to have a house, a car and a family to support? Nurses at this stage have none of that and frequently are helped out financially by parents or better-paid [...]

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Emos against suicide

July 11, 2008 – 8:30 pm

We’ve previously covered the subject of emo, and the various attempts to blame emo culture for adolescent self-harm and suicide. As I’ve said before, I think such criticism is entirely hysterical and wrong-headed.
And now I’m pleased to hear that an emo band has performed a gig in Bridgend in the wake of the suicides [...]

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This Week in Mentalists (36)

July 5, 2008 – 12:47 pm

I’m now back from my refreshing holiday in Scarborough. The views of the dog food cannery were excellent, and I recommend the boiled herring. My tour guide Olga, a champion weightlifter and former KGB agent, says I behaved with “satisfactory efficiency” and that I may wax her back hairs for her, should I wish to [...]

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Off on hols

June 23, 2008 – 9:37 pm

Sorry guys, but there’ll be no This Week in Mentalists this coming Saturday. I’m going away for a few days break until next Monday, and I won’t have any internet access during that time. So don’t bother shouting for a round-up on Saturday, cos you’ll be talking to yourselves (Shrink, Serotonin, I do mean you [...]

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This Week in Mentalists (34)

June 21, 2008 – 11:58 am

What day is it? It’s This Week in Mentalists Day!

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The Return of Check Shirt Man

June 16, 2008 – 5:57 pm

As we’ve commented upon before, the BBC News website regularly use the same photo to illustrate mental health issues. Every time, it’s the same guy in the check shirt.
Today, Check Shirt Man is back again.
Mental Nurse would like to wish our best regards to Check Shirt Man, and express our hope that one day he [...]

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Weekly Handover has a new home

June 15, 2008 – 11:25 am

The more observant among you may have noticed that I started doing a weekly round-up of nursing blogs called Weekly Handover, which then got quietly dropped.
The reason it disappeared is because it simply became too much for me doing two handovers a week instead of one. Also I came to the conclusion that most of [...]

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This Week in Mentalists (33)

June 14, 2008 – 8:38 pm

It’s Saturday, so let’s do our weekly round-up of the mental health blogosphere.

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Doctors cure, nurses care?

June 8, 2008 – 10:05 pm

Seaneen has written an interesting and very thoughtful piece giving her relative views on psychiatrists and mental health nurses. Seaneen prefers the nurses to the doctors, and feels more understood by them.
The debate that follows in the comments thread is also quite interesting. Some people agree with Seaneen. Others report the opposite - that they’ve [...]

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This Week in Mentalists (33)

June 7, 2008 – 8:06 pm

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a very silly movie, I have to say.
But that’s just by the way. It’s time for This Week in Mentalists.

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