The Magnificant Mad? - Mental Health in Today's Society

Recently, BBC Three has been showing programmes as part of its mental health season titled "It's a Mad World". This title in itself has sparked controversy amongst critics, with people saying that it only adds to the dramatisation of mental health. However, the season as a whole has had many eye opening and thought provoking programmes, challenging people's views and stereotypes surrounding mental health.

1 in 4 of the UK population will suffer from a mental health condition at some point within their life time. Yet, is enough being done to prevent such issues and limit the impact they have on both their own, and other people's lives? Recent statistics state that more ex- soldiers die of suicide related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) than the number of soldiers that actually die in battle. Personally, this made me feel sick to my stomach. Unfortinately, the attitude of just brushing it under the carpet has been around for so long meaning the help that is desperately needed does not reach these men and women in time.

I'm writing about this because I suffer from depression. The lows I experience can be so debilitating that a normal existence is simply impossible. I am a prisoner to my bedroom and trapped inside my own head. I refuse to be just another statistic, so I am determined to take a stand and better my life. People with mental illness are not incapable, dead weights in society. Far from it. Stephen Fry for example, he is exceptionally successful and mentally ill. Frank Bruno is another example. These are role models for all people who suffer every single day.

If a quarter of the population are going to be mentally ill at some point, do you not think it is time that we are given a chance? Mental health isn't something that should be shied away from. It is something to embrace, discuss and accept. Just like cancer and heart disease, we should be mindful and informed about the steps we can take the better our mind. The brain is a part of the human body just like the heart or the lungs. Therefore, should we not be looking after it just as we would them? And you wouldn’t say that someone couldn’t work for you just because they had a chest infection a few years ago, so why is it different if someone who once had a mental health issue recovers and wants a better life?

If you suffer from a mental health condition or you know someone that does and would like more support, please click on one of the following links:
http://www.mind.org.uk/
http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/

On Facebook, if you would like further support please join Supportive Mental Health Buddies which is a group of like-minded, mental health sufferers here to support you through your troubles. https://www.facebook.com/groups/169074613272851/

Is Human Life the Earth's Downfall?

In a controversial interview with nature superstar David Attenborough, he is reported to have described humanity as a "plague"on Earth. Furthermore, he later went on to say:  "As I see it, humanity needs to reduce its impact on the earth urgently and there are three ways to achieve this: we can stop consuming so many resources, we can change our technology and we can reduce the growth of our population.”
“All our environmental problems become easier to solve with fewer people and harder — and ultimately impossible to solve — with ever more people.”

Although many people may be outraged at such comments, I can't help thinking exactly the same. From an ecological perspective, population control no longer exists within our species as advancements in medicine mean that individuals that would have died from their conditions only one hundred years ago are living to reproductive age and having viable offspring. While at a humanitarian level this is fantastic news, if we were to look at the wider picture and consider the planet as an entity, there are only so many resources available for humans to take before we completely run out. Furthermore, the actions of humans are wiping out many of this planets species, primarily to sustain our ever expanding population. What gives us the right to annihilate other animals to expand our own species? Whether you see if from a religious or atheist perspective, we share this planet with many other creatures besides ourselves.

People need to wake up and smell the coffee. Our planet is changing in more ways than one. If we don't recognise this and act now, one day it may be too late to reverse the damage.

For more information: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/22/david-attenborough-radio-times-interview-population_n_2524315.html

The Anatomy of Anxiety

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A Disturbing Scientific Fantasy to Become a Reality?

Imagine waking up everyday and a part of you is different? How would you feel if that part of you happened to be your head? The one part of the body majorly associated with our identity within society has been changed and you have assumed the identity of someone else. Although this may seem abstract and very far from reality, research has been taking place to explore the future capabilities of such a procedure.

Although this has yet to be carried out on any humans, dogs have been the target of this incredibly unnatural feat of science. The images of a double headed dog may be striking, but could the decapitation of a human cadaver ever have potential benefits for the living? Of course, it isn't a simple matter of just cutting a head off of one person and sticking it onto another. There are many nerves and blood vessels that supply the brain in addition to other features of the head such as the mouth and eyes.

Such research is very shocking  but may in the future it provide us with knowledge that we can later apply to treat human sickness and prevent loved ones from passing away too soon. The idea, although attempted in animals, is still only an idea and very far from becoming a reality, not only for practical reasons but the many ethical implications that would arise. As is stands, it is still a fantasy, a very disturbing fantasy, but a fantasy nonetheless.

More information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1263758.stm

Changes to the DSM - Helpful or Labelling?

In May of this year (2013), a new version of the American mental health diagnostic bible, the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, is due to be published and with this a whole new meaning to the word controversy has arisen. In this 5th edition, there will be new recognised mental health conditions in addition to changes to the diagnostic definitions of other mental health issues, including Major Depressive Disorder.  

Many people argue that with the introduction of certain new mental health conditions, people will be labelled unnecessary. One of the least understood conditions, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, has been in the firing line with the criteria being relaxed to the point that everyday anxieties can class as a 'disorder'. Everyone has the odd worry and some people more so than other, but where does such a subjective feeling become something considered to be pathological? Another of the controversial changes concerns the diagnosis of depression. Under the old guidelines, an individual cannot be diagnosed with major depression if a serious life event, such as bereavement, has occurred that would explain such melancholic feelings. But now if you are seriously affected by the death of a loved one, it may be the case that you are 'depressed'.

With these new guidelines, many professionals and the public alike fear that the amount of people medicated for suffering from a mental health condition will dramatically rise. Even under the current guidelines, doctors are all too quick to prescribe drugs in many cases and waiting lists for popular therapies like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) are already choked to the max. While recognition for people who are suffering can only be a good thing, with an already stretched mental health service in the UK and US, these recommendations may do more harm than good.

 

For more information -

BBC News.

'Grief and anxiety are not mental illnesses' 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-20986796

Stepping into the Realm of Blogging.

Well, I'm rather new to this whole blogging business. I have a lot to learn but hopefully I will get to grips with it soon enough. Hopefully I will be bringing all the latest news and stories from the world of Medical science, and perhaps giving my opinion every now and again.

Please bare with me while I sort this whole thing out, but it is something I'm very passionate about so I will strive to make it awesome.