Stop Telling Them They Are Victims For A Start

Jane Graham has been a school nurse for nearly 20 years – and during this time the nature of her work has completely changed.

I'd be surprised if that wasn't the case, frankly.... 

"When I started, the majority of the support we provided was for physical health, like asthma, allergic reactions and injuries," she says. "Now it's mental health." She has seen a surge in schoolchildren struggling.

"It really impacts pupils at secondary school, but some are as young as seven," she explains. "We're seeing children with depression, anxiety and stress – and that's leading to panic attacks, self-harm and eating disorders. They're not making it to school or are so anxious they cannot attend classes."

Why is this being tolerated? Is it bad parenting? 

What's less clear is why this is happening now.

Well, actually, there are some people for whom it's not such a mystery. 

Plenty of explanations have been offered by experts: the pandemic, the cost of living and the advent of social media have all placed additional pressures on the generation now starting out. But some experts in the field of mental health have raised another question: that is, is there really a mental health crisis or are young people simply not resilient enough?

This question is a polarising one. The word resilience could be interpreted by some as disparaging, or even toxic, in a similar vein as the term "snowflake generation". But one of the country's leading experts in child and adolescent psychiatry, Prof Andrea Danese, from King’s College London, believes that resilience needs to be taken seriously. While greater awareness of mental health "has generally been a positive thing", according to Prof Danese, who is general secretary for the European Society of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, he says that he is concerned that it may also have "inadvertently contributed to over-pathologising distress in young people".

I suspect this is spot on, as it's always been a truism that what you tolerate, you will get more of.  

Ms Graham, the school nurse, is also of the opinion that many children who she has seen struggling - particularly those with more low level mental health problems - would benefit from becoming more resilient. She believes that if they were equipped with better coping skills, young people would likely be better placed to deal with the challenges they may be facing before they develop into a full-blown crisis – and this in turn would help ease the pressure on services to focus on those who are at high risk of harm. "We need to do much better at teaching resilience in schools and how to stay mentally healthy," she says. "But the way we treat children, such as primary school sports days where everyone is declared a winner, doesn't help."

Who has been saying this for decades? Oh, right. Us!  

What You Were Getting Wasn't 'Healthcare'...

Transgender patients say they have been left "devastated" by a Nottinghamshire GP practice's decision to stop providing treatment enabling them to transition. Jubilee Park Medical Partnership, which runs practices in Carlton and Lowdham, announced it would stop prescribing transgender healthcare to patients, including those currently on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The move has prompted anger from transgender patients and the wider community, with dozens of people attending a protest organised by Nottingham Against Transphobia outside Park House Medical Centre in Carlton on Tuesday, December 31.

Dozens! Wow! I guess there was something better on TV that day. 

Among the crowd were patients who said the withdrawal of treatment would have "crippling" consequences. "I've been so stressed and upset about how I'm going to access healthcare," said Samathy Barratt, 29, who has been receiving oestrogen and testosterone blockers from the practice.

"If I weren't to receive testosterone blocking meds I would experience a reversal of the transitioning effects.

"That would be devastating for my mental health to be forced to detransition. I'm lucky I haven't had any surgery, if I had there would be significant health risks.

"I'm particularly worried about that for other patients."

Misery loves company. Of course you want more people like you around, or you'd feel like a freak, wouldn't you?

"Jubilee Park Medical Partnership continues to be very supportive of our transgender patients," said a spokesperson. "This work is more appropriately provided by a specialist as it is beyond the clinical expertise and knowledge of the GPs to provide this service in the way that it should be provided."

The only thing that needs to be provided is mental heath care. That's the real issue here.  

Isn't It Time They Faced Charges Of Aiding And Abetting?

A schizophrenic artist stabbed a dog walker to death after being allowed out of a mental hospital despite a warning that she had ‘discussed murdering people’, an inquest heard today. Emma Borowy, 32, was sectioned after stealing and slaughtering two goats in a ‘witchcraft’ ceremony. But doctors continued to grant the mother-of-one short spells of leave from the unit despite Borowy repeatedly absconding and twice being found armed with a knife.

Yes, it's this case.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Dilraj Sohi insisted that ward staff would have asked police for any ‘relevant’ information. He confirmed he hadn’t met Borowy before granting her leave on August 4, having just taken over as her doctor. Asked by senior coroner Tanyka Rawden if this was ‘acceptable’, Dr Sohi said ward notes assessed her as ‘settled’ in preceding days.

Then why are you collecting a salary for not doing your job and actually meeting the people you're supposed to be assessing? 

Coroner Ms Rawden asked the psychiatrist whether the speed of her deterioration made him ‘reflect’ on whether Borowy should have been granted leave. Dr Sohi replied that he had ‘reflected a lot’, but that he would probably have approved it even if he had assessed her face-to-face first.

WTAF? 

‘We do live in hope that people will improve when we try to work with them,’ he added.

And everyone else takes the risk caused by your hopeless naivety, of course. 

Mr Leadbeater was described by his family as a ‘good, hard-working and decent man’ whose job was to drive children with special needs to school.

Why should Sohi continue to be employed? Indeed, why should he not face charges of aiding and abetting Mt Leadbetter's murder? If they had to face genuine consequenses for their decisions, they'd make better ones. 

And There Will Be No Consequences For The NHS...

...all the consequences are borne by the victims, as usual.

In 2021 Williams was admitted to the Coniston ward at Whiston Hospital near St Helens. However Dr Higgins stated in court: 'Despite noting multiple bizarre behaviours, and concerns raised by the family, no diagnosis is made, other than the diagnosis of autism being taken as fact, and no treatment is offered, although a recommendation is made that he be followed up by the Early Intervention Team.'

She added: 'They (the family) were mocked for trying to get him help. It was very poor clinical care indeed.'

Not content with incompetence, they threw in the usual lying too:

It was after that he spent a week in Whiston hospital but while staff assured the family that he was sleeping well, they knew he was posting on Facebook all through the night.

How did they know? Probably because that's what they were doing themselves... 

Imposing an indefinite hospital order Judge Andrew Menary, KC, the Recorder of Liverpool said that Williams was described as 'a delightful, loving, caring young man who in normal circumstances would never have done anything like this.'

He told the defendant, who appeared via video link: 'Whether the events of this night of May 10, 2022 could have been avoided by much earlier diagnosis and intervention he will never know for sure.

'But the views of the consultant psychiatrists in this case - that there has been a wholesale failure of mental health provision and numerous missed opportunities to identify and attempt to treat your serious and enduring chronic condition of paranoid schizophrenia.

'This includes what is described by Dr Higgins as a catastrophic misdiagnosis that you suffered from a neurological-diverse condition when it is her very firm view that you are not autistic.'

It doesn't matter what the judge says, the NHS will avoid any serious consequence for what, in any orther industry, would have the HSE crawling all over them... 

He continued: 'The previous responses of clinicians appear to have been pathetically inadequate and might be a reflection of the gaps in mental health provision currently available or might be the result of overworked or under-resourced practitioners.

'Sadly it is the experience of this court that this situation is not a rare occurrence and the consequence is utter devastation of yet another family.'

It's not a case of 'underresourcing', it's a failure to do the basic job they are paid to do because they know full well they are in no danger of facing consequences for failure. Until that stops, this will continue.

Oh Look, A New Disorder…

The number of people in the UK who have a previously little-known eating disorder, in which those afflicted avoid many foods, has risen sevenfold in five years, figures show. The eating disorders charity Beat received 295 calls about avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (Arfid) in 2018 – comprising 2% of its 20,535 inquiries that year. However, it received 2,054 calls last year, which accounted for one in 10 of its 20,535 requests for help. Many were from children and young people or their parents.

Hardly surprising, mental illness appears to be Britain's sole growth industry these days. 

Arfid is much less well-known than anorexia or bulimia. It is “an eating disorder that rarely gets the attention it deserves”.

I can't help but feel that 'getting attention' is critical here, though maybe not as the experts would have it. 

The disorder can be especially challenging to diagnose because it has such a wide range of symptoms that include:

• Feeling full after eating only a few mouthfuls and struggling to consume more.
• Taking a long time over mealtimes or finding eating a chore.
• Sensitivity to the texture, smell or temperature of foods.
• Eating the same meals repeatedly or eating food only of the same colour, such as beige.

Coincidentally, another 'Guardian' article on the same day has this: 

Young people are more likely to be out of work because of ill health than people in their early 40s, a report calling for action on Britain’s mental wellbeing crisis has found. People in their early 20s with mental health problems may have not had access to a steady education and can end up out of work or in low-paid jobs, the Resolution Foundation research revealed.According to official data, 34% of people aged 18 to 24 reported symptoms of mental disorder, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder in 2021-22. It is a significant increase on the 2000 figure of 24%, with young women one-and-a-half times more likely to be negatively affected.

Shocker, eh? 

Who'd Be A Cop These Days?

Mouayed Bashir, 29, who had mental health issues, died after being restrained with his hands cuffed behind his back and his legs bound together at his family’s house in Newport, south Wales.

ABD, which presents with symptoms such as extreme agitation, paranoia, rapid breathing and sweating, is a state that can be exacerbated by restraint and can lead to cardiac arrest.

So he died of acute behavioural disturbance (ABD)? Not so, Reader, not so... 

In a narrative conclusion, the jury said Bashir had taken an unknown quantity of cocaine that resulted in him developing symptoms “in keeping” with ABD. They gave the medical cause of death as “intoxication with cocaine and the effects of cocaine, following a period of restraint”. They said he was restrained “for his safety and the safety of others”.

What else could the police do with someone who was not open to reason for two distinct causes - mental illness and illegal drugs? Of course he had to be restrained! Syill, at least this jury saw sense. 

Not so the coroner: 

Caroline Saunders, the senior coroner for Gwent (Ed: Yes, Reader, she has form...), said she would write to the police to ask about ABD training, in particular a package from the College of Policing that instructs officers to “speak up, speak out” if they observe that a restrained person is in distress.

Outside court, Bashir’s brother Mohannad Bashir said: “We want ABD to be recognised and taken seriously. The family believe police training needs to be modernised, overhauled and updated.”

But he didn't die from ABD! He died as a result of taking illegal drugs! And you yourselves called the police... 

On 17 February 2021, Bashir’s parents became concerned about his behaviour. He had barricaded himself in his room and was smashing furniture and shouting. They dialled 999 and pleaded for help.

And the police came and immediately helped by restraining him from smashing up the family house. How is it their fault that he died? Even with the threat of ABD death or extreme cocaine intoxication, they had no other choice.

In their submissions to the inquest, Bashir’s family said that when police decided to restrain Bashir, they did not consider they could be putting his life at risk.

Of course not; the immediate threat had to be dealt with to stop other lives - yours, theirs - being put at risk. They did their job the best they could under the circumstances, and are you grateful? No.

Headlines For Our Times...

Melissa Mathieson was strangled by Jason Conroy at Alexandra House, which provides residential care for adults with autism and Asperger's syndrome, in Bristol in 2014.

Yes, Reader, that's right. Nine years ago... 

Conroy, now aged 27, was jailed for life and ordered to serve a minimum term of 19 years for the killing. Bristol Crown Court heard that Alexandra Homes (Bristol) Ltd was charged with an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 last year following a lengthy investigation.

They aren't kidding with that 'lengthy'... 

Hours before her death, Miss Mathieson had complained to staff that Conroy was stalking her. Mr Sapiecha told the court that the company had failed in its duty to keep residents safe after being given information about the danger Conroy posed, including a report from psychiatrist Dr Hilary Grant. 'It cannot be said there was no warning at all,' he said.

In almost all of these cases, that's the case. There's plenty of warning, it hardly ever comes out of the blue. And yet, these supposed 'professionals' fail time after time.  

Andrew Langdon KC, defending, said the company had been trading for nearly 20 years and had an enviable reputation in the industry.

Yes, the key there is 'had'. 

A Locked Room, This Time..?

Ahsan Zia, 33, was suffering from delusions and hallucinations involving the late Queen and that there was a plot to rape and kill him, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

He launched a 28-second attack on Michael Matthews, 55, in his victim's room on the acute Fellside Wing of Newcastle's Hadrian Clinic in April last year.

If the races were reversed we'd be seeing this a bit further up the webpage, I suspect... 

Mr Dry said Zia had used cannabis the day before the attack, but there was no evidence that this had any influence on his behaviour when he lashed out.

No, just a stunning coincidence. Like all the other cases.  

Consultant forensic psychiatrist Dr Pablo Vandenabeele, via videolink, told the court Zia suffered from a treatment-resistant form of paranoid schizophrenia.

We put down rabid dogs. We don't send them to an animal shelter.  

Zia will be treated at the maximum security Rampton Hospital, the judge said.

Another triumph for the mental health advocates, no doubt.  

Wait, Isn't This A Good Thing..?

Britain is returning to the era of asylums, a top doctor has warned, after figures obtained by The Mail on Sunday show the number of mental health patients locked up in psychiatric hospitals against their will has spiralled over the past four decades.

Why is this considered a 'warning'..? We should be celebrating!

Experts say the situation is at least in part a symptom of a wider problem in the NHS: the practice of defensive medicine. This is when doctors offer treatment or an intervention that may not be warranted, simply in order to avoid the possibility of a complaint or legal action should something go wrong.

I'm not sure why they should be so worried, since they are hardly ever face any consequences... 

Retired consultant psychiatrist and Care Quality Commission reviewer Dr Duncan Double said: ‘When I started working on an acute psychiatric ward in 1984, we used to pride ourselves on having an open-door policy.

‘In the 1960s and 1970s there was a drive to close old psychiatric institutions in favour of supporting mental health patients in the community, but, if anything, things have become more bureaucratic and more restrictive.

‘Doctors have become more fearful of public safety or being blamed, so may be more likely to section patients inappropriately. We’ve returned to the worst aspects of the asylums era.’

No, we've returned to the best aspects of them - they kept people safe from the mentally ill and the mentally ill safe from themselves. 

Of particular concern to doctors are people with personality disorders, who make up almost half of mental health patients detained in out-of-area placements. These include borderline personality disorder and antisocial personality disorder, in which patients are unable to control their emotions and behave impulsively and irrationally. They can also harm themselves or others, meaning doctors might feel sectioning them is the safest option.

But Dr Jorge Zimbron, consultant psychiatrist at Fulbourn Hospital in Cambridge, says this can have disastrous consequences.

‘The majority of patients with a personality disorder have a history of abuse, so restraining them is traumatic and won’t be beneficial.’

It'll be very beneficial to those members of the public who'd otherwise be assaulted or murdered by them, though, wouldn't it?