Mental Illness

Little or nothing has been done in the last fifty years to improve mental health in the UK. There are new labels for mental problems some we never heard of years ago and an incredible increase in forms of depression, addiction, and personality disorders. New drugs maybe helpful to some patients and electric shock treatment is still available. Anyone who has had electric shock treatment knows it is not pleasant and has side effects which include short loss of memory and headache, sometimes severe. Although this may well have proved to have good results in some cases surely there has to be less barbaric treatments in this day and age for successful results. Expediency is not the answer and even if cut backs and under funding maybe responsible the person suffering is most important and should have the attention and correct treatment and medication that is best for them.
There are very often those who would benefit greatly from group therapy and more provision should be made available both for the patient and those who care for them. Waiting lists for treatment should be cut to the minimum as no one should have to beg for help as I personally know some have had to. Meanwhile many people with mental problems, plus addiction are living with their family, or worse still on their own. There are those being cared for at home by families, or a family carer who are inexperienced, they are not psychiatrists, trained psychologists, or mental nurses and have a great responsibility with little or no outside help. While more patients are now allowed to live at home or in outside accommodation it is important that more help is given to carers of the patient and to the patient themselves now or the consequences of having more mentally ill people in the community can only be of further concern in the future.
The carers at home are coping with an unstable situation because of some patient’s unpredictability and find it difficult to always get the help at the time when it is needed; this should not be ignored till it is too late. This is yet another priority that should be top of the list for the health of the nation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3625009.stm

http://www.carers-healingspur.co.uk/

Email Pam-create@hotmail.co.uk