Category Archives: Mental Illness

Does mental illness exist (4)

July 18, 2008 – 4:31 pm

As some of you may have guessed by now I am currently reading a book on “Social construction” or social constructivism or constructionism by Ian Hacking called the “Social Construction of What?”. At the risk of boring certain members of the audience even further (audience what audience?). I want to give a resume [...]

By E | Also posted in Vague Link To Mental Health | Tagged , | Comments (18)

A lack of insight questioned

July 16, 2008 – 9:22 pm

The symptom of ‘lack of insight’ is often a component of major mental illness. Technically referred to as anosognosia, it is the lack of insight that often results in the need for compulsory detention; supervision orders; enforceable medication and the ever-present psychiatric coercion.
Now there’s a whole heap of debate on coercion and understanding the difference [...]

By Mr Ian | Also posted in Treatment | Tagged , | Comments (18)

HR is leading the way. Oh dear.

July 3, 2008 – 5:12 pm

I’ve been following the John Spencer/Virgin Healthcare saga as raised by Doc C.
However, during my surfing I also stumbled across this Personnel Today HR website and was [expletives deleted] to read this insightful article. I make no apologies for posting in full - it has to be read to be believed. Incidentally, the site welcomes [...]

By Mr Ian | Tagged | Comments (14)

I Hate You So Much Right Now

July 2, 2008 – 5:35 pm

I recently did a post on my site about a bipolar guy who, while drunk and detained in a psychiatric hospital in the USA, threatened to kill the president. The staff reported this to the secret service and the guy was subsequently sentenced to almost five years in jail.
Timothy Pinkston was detained in a psychiatric [...]

By Mo | Also posted in Help Wanted, Passing Connection To Work | Tagged , | Comments (7)

Jed’s home set to get a DIY SOS ….

July 1, 2008 – 8:41 am

And for those who haven’t met Jed.. he’s here. He is the Patron(ised) Saint of Madness and mascot of the Acute Mental Health Unit, apparently.
And on who’s authority is he getting a DIY SOS makeover?
Well for a start, I think Nick Knowles might be happy to be involved. He’s just condemned Reality TV shows for [...]

By Mr Ian | Also posted in Treatment | Tagged , , | Comments (3)

Does mental Illness exists ? (3)

June 27, 2008 – 9:02 am

Take a look at the following two articles both from the USA. The first is about three mentally ill people who were all involved in serious incidents after stopping their medication. David Tarloff a schizophrenic hacked to death a psychologist, Lee Coleman slashed two while on a rampage and Khiel Coppin a “disturbed” [...]

By E | Tagged | Comments (4)

Does Mental illness exist (2)

June 4, 2008 – 9:07 am

Following on from the first post titled “Does mental illness exist” after which Ted argued passionately, if unconvincingly, that coercive psychiatry was contrary to the principles of Natural law and was morally wrong. It occurred to me that if Psychiatry, coercive or otherwise, is to have any validity at all then it must be [...]

By E | Also posted in Passing Connection To Work | Tagged , | Comments (5)

Don’t tell Ted… but here’s another theory on mental illness

May 23, 2008 – 5:03 am

Surfing the net; an interesting article on yet another theory on the aetiology of mental disorder.
This one suggests that the culprit may be nothing more than the common ‘flu’.
Doctors have known for many years that microbes such as syphilis and Streptococcus can, if left untreated, lead to serious psychiatric problems. Now a growing number of [...]

By Mr Ian | Also posted in Schizophrenia | Tagged , , , | Comments (12)

Does sex addiction exist

May 2, 2008 – 10:05 am

I found this the other day.
“Lord Laidlaw of Rothiemay has admitted to receiving treatment for “sex addiction” at a private clinic, likening it to alcohol dependency. But is it really?
It’s a term that first came to widespread attention when actor Michael Douglas was admitted to rehab in 1990 and it was reported, inaccurately he later [...]

By E | Tagged , , | Comments (7)

The will to do no wrong (part 2)

April 12, 2008 – 8:42 pm

So, if positive symptoms cause violence, why aren’t there as many violent incidents to reflect this linearly?
As pointed out by beakie, not all hallucinatory experiences are bad ones. But is it the bad ones that cause violence in mental illness?

By Mr Ian | Also posted in Passing Connection To Work, Schizophrenia, Treatment | Tagged , , | Comments (2)

New Schizophrenia drugs no better.

April 1, 2008 – 3:11 pm

Following on from the myth of the antipsychotic and the research apparently showing that antidepressants don’t work either, here, comes this.
“New schizophrenia drugs no better, Dutch team find”
The research apparently shows that the new generation of atypical antipsychotic drugs are no more effective than the older first generation of antipsychotic medication. Seroquel, Zyprexia, Geodon [...]

By E | Also posted in Schizophrenia | Tagged , | Comments (9)

This is shocking, beyond belief..

March 3, 2008 – 4:21 pm

I make no apology for the pun, because quite frankly, this has got to be a joke, right?
Two special education students at the controversial Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton were wrongfully delivered dozens of punishing electrical shocks in August based on a prank phone call from a former student posing as a supervisor, a [...]

By Mr Ian | Also posted in Passing Connection To Work, Stupidness, Treatment | Tagged , , , | Comments (3)

Out of the frying pan…

February 26, 2008 – 2:17 pm

Pigeons and cats are amongst each other. The BBC Have You Say is going all guns. In the first 3 hours of this article being posted on their website, the current stats are polling at:
Total comments: 905
Published comments: 281
Rejected comments: 1
Moderation queue: 622
Not bad for 3 hours. Wonder if mentalnurse.org.uk can create that sort of [...]

By Mr Ian | Also posted in Depression, Treatment | Tagged , , , | Comments (23)

The Philosophy of Psychiatry (part 2)

February 13, 2008 – 7:30 pm

Cognitive Therapy was first devolved by Ellis in the early 1950’s when it was called rational emotive therapy (REMT). It was developed as a reaction against the popular psychoanalytic methods in use at the time. Later developed independently by Aaron T Beck in the 1960’ Cognitive Therapy was further developed into its current [...]

By E | Also posted in Treatment | Tagged , , | Comments (9)

Who’s health is it anyway?

February 5, 2008 – 2:30 am

A recent scenario gives me cause to vent. But also to raise for discussion the ethically debatable issue of ‘where to draw the line?’ when it comes to detained mental health treatment. The Shrink raises similar issues in his blog on issues of capacity and Advanced Directives.
My scenario revolves around Pt X who has a [...]

By Mr Ian | Also posted in Treatment | Tagged , , , , | Comments (45)