It's still okay to insult those with learning difficulties. Hey, it's funny to compare them to chimps! Right? Right? Right...
Well, this guy thinks so anyway. He's been in the news before for offensive comments against homosexuality, and now he's on record as joking (using the term loosely there) about 'cripples' and 'retards'. Lovely. What a charming man.
Anyway, now seems like a pretty good time to point you towards The R Word, which is a campaign to stop use of 'retard'. I'm all for this- totally for this. That people like Tracey Morgan are still celebrities is one of the many reasons why.
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Friday, 17 June 2011
On the 29th July 10-4 we're going to be in the Town Hall Square, Bishop Street, Leicester, doing a Sofa Event. Basically, us guys are gonna talk to you guys about mental health. And this was inspired by Time To Change-check out their website, there's some great stuff on there.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Murder and mental health
Heard this story? It's really, really horrible. I don't know what to say, really, except that I'm sorry for the murdered woman and her family and I hope something is done to make sure this doesn't happen again. What could be done I don't know. The man who did this was a schizophrenic and had been living on the streets- I don't know what the mental health care system is like in Tenerife, but I'm sure this could have been prevented. I don't want to feel too much sympathy for the murderer, because...well, there's a point where free will comes into it, no matter what's in your head. I think.
The comments on this story will probably just annoy or depress you. People have outright said that mental health service users are like dogs- yeah. That'll help. THANKS.
The comments on this story will probably just annoy or depress you. People have outright said that mental health service users are like dogs- yeah. That'll help. THANKS.
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
A small personal one
I haven't taken my antidepressants in a few days thanks to my own stupidity. (ie I suddenly don't actually have any). I have not felt brilliant. I'm crying at everything. I cried over old photos, over chicklit books, I came bizarrely close to crying on learning that Bin Laden, being such a very brave guy, apparently used his wife as a human shield. (Poor woman.) So it's been an...interesting few days. If by interesting you mean rubbish.
Friday, 15 April 2011
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Surveys on mental health attitudes
Recently was sent this -a survey on attitudes to mental health issues. Some excerpts:
Since 1994, the proportion of respondents voicing more tolerant opinions on several of these statements has decreased – for example, agreement that ‘We need to adopt a more tolerant attitude towards people with mental illness’ fell from 92% in 1994 to 87% in 2010.
Over two-thirds of respondents said they would be comfortable talking to a friend or family member about their mental health, for example, telling them they had a mental health diagnosis and how it affects them.
An interesting read. RECOVERY has plans to survey its members too- we'll collect some data and tell you how mental health in Leicestershire is looking.
Since 1994, the proportion of respondents voicing more tolerant opinions on several of these statements has decreased – for example, agreement that ‘We need to adopt a more tolerant attitude towards people with mental illness’ fell from 92% in 1994 to 87% in 2010.
Over two-thirds of respondents said they would be comfortable talking to a friend or family member about their mental health, for example, telling them they had a mental health diagnosis and how it affects them.
An interesting read. RECOVERY has plans to survey its members too- we'll collect some data and tell you how mental health in Leicestershire is looking.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
People who have had mental health issues #2: Marian Keyes
But, she's still going through a lot and at the beginning of last year she suffered a breakdown. It was covered by a few newspapers, although if you want to keep your temper then for love of God don't read the comments in the Daily Mail article. Her most recent update on her newsletter says:
"I don’t exactly know what to say because I still don’t really know what happened to me. The medical profession call it ‘a major depressive episode’ but I’ve been knocked sideways by a multitude of feelings, not just depression but agitation, anxiety, terror, panic, grief, desperation, despair and an almost irresistible desire to be dead and it’s gone on for a very long time. Every day for six solid months I’ve had to try really hard to stay alive. I’ve literally got through each day hour by hour, trying to hang on until the sun set and it was time to close the shutters on the windows and then I’d feel, Okay I’ve survived another day."
I figure a lot of people will relate to that? I can, a little. It worries me a bit that that last update was back in May 2010...I hope she's better now.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
People who have had mental health issues #1: Catherine Tate
Okay, chances are high that if you're British, you've heard of her:
She's the genius behind the Catherine Tate Show, she was Donna on Doctor Who, she's done plays and movies and is generally awesome. And she's had OCD- a specialised form of it that reminds me of, well, me. Hers centered on word association while mine tends to focus on number association. She couldn't leave a jumper on the floor because 'jumper' began with J and so did her mother's name. Now that makes no sense, but that's OCD for you.
She also suffers from panic attacks (me too) and depression. Interviewes describe her as 'shy'. It feels rather odd to be writing these things about a person I know is real, by the way. I can't put my finger on it, it seems like I'm pointing the finger at somebody and shouting YOU! YOU HAD MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS! But no-one would say a similar thing if I was writing about a celebrity's battle with cancer, so it just...makes me wonder.
Catherine Tate is really truly awesome, anyways.
She's the genius behind the Catherine Tate Show, she was Donna on Doctor Who, she's done plays and movies and is generally awesome. And she's had OCD- a specialised form of it that reminds me of, well, me. Hers centered on word association while mine tends to focus on number association. She couldn't leave a jumper on the floor because 'jumper' began with J and so did her mother's name. Now that makes no sense, but that's OCD for you.
She also suffers from panic attacks (me too) and depression. Interviewes describe her as 'shy'. It feels rather odd to be writing these things about a person I know is real, by the way. I can't put my finger on it, it seems like I'm pointing the finger at somebody and shouting YOU! YOU HAD MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS! But no-one would say a similar thing if I was writing about a celebrity's battle with cancer, so it just...makes me wonder.
Catherine Tate is really truly awesome, anyways.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
RECOVERY latest news
Hey, check it out, we won awards! The Leicester STAR Awards handed some over to some of our volunteers, and The Beatitiude Youth Project won Runner-Up in 'Most Innovative Youth Project'. So, very nice work, everyone! Read about it in the Leicester Mercury.
There's soon to be an exhibition at Pedestrian Arts with RECOVERY being donated some of the money- more on this later!
Some other things mental health folks might well be interested in: Truth And Reconciliation In Psychiatry
Mentalnurse.org, a brilliant blog
And don't forget, Comic Relief! Red Nose Day is on Friday- one of the many wonderful things they do is help children with mental health problems. So dig out your wallets!
There's soon to be an exhibition at Pedestrian Arts with RECOVERY being donated some of the money- more on this later!
Some other things mental health folks might well be interested in: Truth And Reconciliation In Psychiatry
Mentalnurse.org, a brilliant blog
And don't forget, Comic Relief! Red Nose Day is on Friday- one of the many wonderful things they do is help children with mental health problems. So dig out your wallets!
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
Fictional characters with mental health problems #1: Monk
Of all the fictional characters with obsessive-complusive disorder, this man is probably the most famous-
Adrian Monk, of the television show Monk- the tagline being 'Obsessive Complusive Detective'. Which he is- obessive complusive and a detective. The series takes him all over the place solving mysterious crimes (some of the ones I've seen recently involved voodoo and aliens) but his obsessive nature tends to help him solve the case. It does, however, ruin everything else...
OCD is...not unfamiliar to me. And I'm glad I never had it as bad as Adrian- his fears include water, elevators, public loos, things being out of place, dirt (he REALLY HATES dirt) and many, many others. Sometimes it's played for laughs- but often it isn't. Adrian's whole life is bloody difficult. He has friends and he's well respected, but he sometimes can barely walk down a road.
One of the episodes I saw recently has Monk critisise his friend Natalie for believing in superstitions. While he's doing that he's making sure to hit each parking meter he goes past, going back to hit one he missed. That's the thing about OCD, it makes no sense, no more sense then superstitions, but it's hard to get rid of.
However, not impossible...
OCD is...not unfamiliar to me. And I'm glad I never had it as bad as Adrian- his fears include water, elevators, public loos, things being out of place, dirt (he REALLY HATES dirt) and many, many others. Sometimes it's played for laughs- but often it isn't. Adrian's whole life is bloody difficult. He has friends and he's well respected, but he sometimes can barely walk down a road.
One of the episodes I saw recently has Monk critisise his friend Natalie for believing in superstitions. While he's doing that he's making sure to hit each parking meter he goes past, going back to hit one he missed. That's the thing about OCD, it makes no sense, no more sense then superstitions, but it's hard to get rid of.
However, not impossible...
Monday, 7 March 2011
Elizabeth
"Elizabeth Ellis, 67, of Moorhead, Minnesota is locked in a psychiatric institution, awaiting more involuntary electroshocks. She knows what these are like. Elizabeth experienced a dozen court-ordered involuntary electroshocks while in a psychiatric institution earlier this winter. On 5 January 2011 she was discharged to her home, to live with her husband Robert.
But the court ordered her to continue ongoing involuntary ongoing electroshocks on an outpatient basis. Electroshock is also known as involuntary electroconvulsive therapy or ECT.
On 12 January Elizabeth reported to the nearby clinic for her involuntary outpatient shock. After this she joined MindFreedom and asked for a campaign contacting officials to stop her forced electroshock.
On 27 January, Elizabeth and her husband took a stand. They stayed home instead of reporting for the procedure.
As she feared, the price of Elizabeth's "sit in," in her own home, was a return to a locked psychiatric ward on 18 February. Court documents reveal a psychiatrist has recommended "several months" of involuntary "maintenance" electroshock."
Read more here.
But the court ordered her to continue ongoing involuntary ongoing electroshocks on an outpatient basis. Electroshock is also known as involuntary electroconvulsive therapy or ECT.
On 12 January Elizabeth reported to the nearby clinic for her involuntary outpatient shock. After this she joined MindFreedom and asked for a campaign contacting officials to stop her forced electroshock.
On 27 January, Elizabeth and her husband took a stand. They stayed home instead of reporting for the procedure.
As she feared, the price of Elizabeth's "sit in," in her own home, was a return to a locked psychiatric ward on 18 February. Court documents reveal a psychiatrist has recommended "several months" of involuntary "maintenance" electroshock."
Read more here.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Mental health and bullying
Been reading about the link between teenage bullying and mental health problems. Have a look at this- it was published back in 2009, but the point still stands.
When I was growing up I didn't really know anyone who wasn't bullied. I've forgotten most of it now, but it tended to the psychological side. You know- whispering, exclusions, that kinda stuff. People refusing to sit next to you. It probably did have an effect on me, although not anymore, I'm glad to say. Kids can be horrible- William Golding knew it when he wrote Lord of the Flies, Stephen King knew it when he wrote Carrie, and adults look back and know it. Anyway.
Various organisations have done surveys, and discovered that adults who were bullied as children had more chance of developing depression, anger issues and other mental health problems. I think maybe people are starting to realise now how problematic it can be, and putting a stop to it in schools. It'll never be wiped out completely, though, so please, dudes and dudettes, think before you do it...or go watch Mean Girls or something.
When I was growing up I didn't really know anyone who wasn't bullied. I've forgotten most of it now, but it tended to the psychological side. You know- whispering, exclusions, that kinda stuff. People refusing to sit next to you. It probably did have an effect on me, although not anymore, I'm glad to say. Kids can be horrible- William Golding knew it when he wrote Lord of the Flies, Stephen King knew it when he wrote Carrie, and adults look back and know it. Anyway.
Various organisations have done surveys, and discovered that adults who were bullied as children had more chance of developing depression, anger issues and other mental health problems. I think maybe people are starting to realise now how problematic it can be, and putting a stop to it in schools. It'll never be wiped out completely, though, so please, dudes and dudettes, think before you do it...or go watch Mean Girls or something.
Tuesday, 15 February 2011
Black Swan
Playing in cinemas right this minute, and nominated for a whole lotta Oscars, this is a film about a ballet dancer who is pushed further and further into the world of the mentally ill. There's blood and sex and all sorts, as the sweet girl dancer, Nina (as played by Natalie Portman, who is amazing) slowly gives in to her darkest desires.
It's hinted that Nina has an eating disorder- she won't eat much and she's seen being sick. She also doesn't really understand people, she's utterly withdrawn and her fellow ballet dancers see her as an ice-queen bitch. She has no friends besides her mother, who rules her life with an iron fist. And all she really lives for, seemingly, is ballet. She's on the edge, and winning the role of the Swan Queen pushes her over it. To play the White Swan she needs only her talent, but to act the Black Swan she needs sensuality and lust. Her quest to utterly perfect this role sees her have sex with another woman, her rival, Lily (Mila Kunis). Or does she? Reality and fantasy start to blur.
It seems Nina may also have a history of self-harm, picking at her skin- dermatillomania. Throughout the film a rash on her back gets worse: by her final hallucination her whole skin is rash. Whatever mental health problems Nina has, her mother is unhelpful. "I thought you'd gotten over this silly habit,' she shouts at Nina before literally dragging her to the bathroom and trimming her nails.
Nina does get to dance the Black Swan, but her health (physical health, too) is left in tatters. And I won't reveal what happens at the end. But it's a brilliant exploration of an obsessed, battered mind. Only...you know, I felt so sorry for her, and any real-life Ninas. I wish she'd sought help instead of a starring role.
It's hinted that Nina has an eating disorder- she won't eat much and she's seen being sick. She also doesn't really understand people, she's utterly withdrawn and her fellow ballet dancers see her as an ice-queen bitch. She has no friends besides her mother, who rules her life with an iron fist. And all she really lives for, seemingly, is ballet. She's on the edge, and winning the role of the Swan Queen pushes her over it. To play the White Swan she needs only her talent, but to act the Black Swan she needs sensuality and lust. Her quest to utterly perfect this role sees her have sex with another woman, her rival, Lily (Mila Kunis). Or does she? Reality and fantasy start to blur.
It seems Nina may also have a history of self-harm, picking at her skin- dermatillomania. Throughout the film a rash on her back gets worse: by her final hallucination her whole skin is rash. Whatever mental health problems Nina has, her mother is unhelpful. "I thought you'd gotten over this silly habit,' she shouts at Nina before literally dragging her to the bathroom and trimming her nails.
Nina does get to dance the Black Swan, but her health (physical health, too) is left in tatters. And I won't reveal what happens at the end. But it's a brilliant exploration of an obsessed, battered mind. Only...you know, I felt so sorry for her, and any real-life Ninas. I wish she'd sought help instead of a starring role.
Thursday, 10 February 2011
Psychonauts
Meet Raz:
Ever played a game called Psychonauts? Probably not, it's tricky to get hold of now, so I hear. But it is magnificent. And about mental health. It makes learning about mental health awesome, in fact.
Raz is a Psychonaut, a boy who can go inside people's minds. Once in their minds, he can sort their emotional baggage (actual baggage- handbags and suitcases), collect the figments of their imagination, and fight off whatever nasty things are in their brain. They're all a mixture of memories, you see, of good things and bad things which happened to them. My favourite is the disco level, inside the mind of a sweet party girl with a dark secret: throughout the whole level there's laughter in the background until you listen harder and realise it's crying...
Anyway. This game is really, really good. Wanna play it? Turns out you can, because we're running a 'Gaming 4 Wellbeing' session on Friday now, where one can explore one's mental health through the great, glorious medium of GAMES. Wanna come? Just send an email to admin@recoveryresourcescharity.co.uk. And then get praticing your l33t skillz.
Ever played a game called Psychonauts? Probably not, it's tricky to get hold of now, so I hear. But it is magnificent. And about mental health. It makes learning about mental health awesome, in fact.
Raz is a Psychonaut, a boy who can go inside people's minds. Once in their minds, he can sort their emotional baggage (actual baggage- handbags and suitcases), collect the figments of their imagination, and fight off whatever nasty things are in their brain. They're all a mixture of memories, you see, of good things and bad things which happened to them. My favourite is the disco level, inside the mind of a sweet party girl with a dark secret: throughout the whole level there's laughter in the background until you listen harder and realise it's crying...
Anyway. This game is really, really good. Wanna play it? Turns out you can, because we're running a 'Gaming 4 Wellbeing' session on Friday now, where one can explore one's mental health through the great, glorious medium of GAMES. Wanna come? Just send an email to admin@recoveryresourcescharity.co.uk. And then get praticing your l33t skillz.
Friday, 28 January 2011
The Daily Mail: oh so very not a friend to the mentally ill
Beating depression is easy, you just have to get a grip. Or so says Angela Patmore, writing in (guess where) the Daily Mail. Which has done this before. Yeah, I got nothing. They've been criticised relentlessly for their depiction of mental health issues, but they don't give up on the stupidity, more's the pity.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
Anorexia
Over the Christmas holidays I read about the death of Isabelle Caro, a French model who suffered from anorexia and campaigned against it, allowing herself to be photographed naked for an advertising campaign.
While researching her and her condition I typed 'anorexia' into Google, and I was unsurprised to find 'anorexia tips' the second most popular search on that theme. There's a trend of 'pro-ana' websites I'm always stumbling across, they're everywhere. Girls share dieting tips, encourage each other to starve, and post pictures of Caro under the words 'Die young, stay pretty'.
And in a way it's easy to see where this came from, the media is insane when it comes to women's bodies. Walk into a newsagent and you'll see it on all the showbiz magazines, this obsession with weight. Every little curve is fair game, if you're a young pretty lady. Let me just grab some headlines from the Daily Mail website... (always a big offender when it comes to weight-tastic celebrity reporting. And everything else.)
6/1/11: Princess Beatrice unveils sleek new figure on romantic break with boyfriend Dave Clark (complete with before and after photos)
6/1/11: Snooki covers up as she poses for Jersey Shore...perhaps it's time for a diet? (Look! A pefectly normalsized woman!)
2/1/11: 'Sometimes I tell myself I'm too skinny,' says Ginnifer Goodwin, who began dieting aged nine
31/12/10: Determined Jennifer Ellison vows to lose even more weight in 2011 through rigorous diet and exercise regime
31/12/10: 'I love hearing how great I look,' says Jennifer Hudson as she flaunts her weight loss in new ad
Yeah.
I have no clue how anyone would fix this, but I hope someone does. And Isabelle Caro seemed to be doing a darn good job. RIP.
(P.S. My mother suffered from anorexia as a teen. She wrote a rom-com style book about it called A Thin Disguise, contact me if you want a copy.)
While researching her and her condition I typed 'anorexia' into Google, and I was unsurprised to find 'anorexia tips' the second most popular search on that theme. There's a trend of 'pro-ana' websites I'm always stumbling across, they're everywhere. Girls share dieting tips, encourage each other to starve, and post pictures of Caro under the words 'Die young, stay pretty'.
And in a way it's easy to see where this came from, the media is insane when it comes to women's bodies. Walk into a newsagent and you'll see it on all the showbiz magazines, this obsession with weight. Every little curve is fair game, if you're a young pretty lady. Let me just grab some headlines from the Daily Mail website... (always a big offender when it comes to weight-tastic celebrity reporting. And everything else.)
6/1/11: Princess Beatrice unveils sleek new figure on romantic break with boyfriend Dave Clark (complete with before and after photos)
6/1/11: Snooki covers up as she poses for Jersey Shore...perhaps it's time for a diet? (Look! A pefectly normalsized woman!)
2/1/11: 'Sometimes I tell myself I'm too skinny,' says Ginnifer Goodwin, who began dieting aged nine
31/12/10: Determined Jennifer Ellison vows to lose even more weight in 2011 through rigorous diet and exercise regime
31/12/10: 'I love hearing how great I look,' says Jennifer Hudson as she flaunts her weight loss in new ad
Yeah.
I have no clue how anyone would fix this, but I hope someone does. And Isabelle Caro seemed to be doing a darn good job. RIP.
(P.S. My mother suffered from anorexia as a teen. She wrote a rom-com style book about it called A Thin Disguise, contact me if you want a copy.)
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