Governments creating mood disorder? #bipolar

March 9, 2013 1 Comment

The UK government’s bedroom tax does not directly affect me. Indirectly it does, as many of the people I support are struggling financially and this tax on people who receive housing benefit is already hurting them and some are becoming suicidal.

Example:

A man I know who was ‘down on his luck’ (a victim of the mental illness system) ran out of places he could stay and applied to the local council for a one bedroom place. They did not have anywhere with just one bedroom. They had a two bedroom place he could afford through housing benefit. He settled in and got his moods under control. He could be described as in-recovery. Now things are taking a turn for the worse. The new tax, THE BEDROOM TAX, means that he will lose some of his housing benefit due to having an extra room. I suggested he brick up the room he does not use, or knock the two rooms into one. His tenancy does not allow him to do anything like. He is desperate as he will not be able to pay the rent and there are no one bedroom places for him or thousands of others in the same situation.

Bedroom Tax: It sounds like a joke. What has it got to do with Rethinking Bipolar? I just wanted to give this as an example of the stressors ordinary poor folk are under that the rich psychiatrists are not going to understand. They see disorder as a chemical thing. Yes, chemistry is important, but somewhere safe to live comes first.

Here is a link to the best article I have seen on bedroom tax if you are looking for a way of surviving it, or if you are wealthier (have good contacts) it gives idea for making money from the new tax. Yes, another tax that can benefit those who are already well off. Article: http://speye.wordpress.com/2013/03/07/bedroom-tax-and-lodgers-a-good-idea-yes-from-october/

 

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Causes of Emotional Distress – Richard Bentall’s work on-line

January 27, 2012 Leave a comment

The Social Origins of Psychosis

Many of the presentations from the Soteria Network Conference, Derby, UK are now available on-line.

I would like to draw your attention to these slide based on 763 research reports from around the world on the causes of psychosis: The Social Origins of Psychosis from Richard Bentall and his team at Liverpool University.

Click on the link and then click on Richard Bentall – Be aware that the slides can take a minute or so to load – it is well worth the wait.

http://www.soterianetwork.org.uk/articles/index.html

It appears that emotional distress and hence what is known as mental illness is due to what happens to us, and so far as anyone can tell there is no direct link to our genes.

This probably comes as no surprise if you have been bullied and abused.

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Now we know bipolar is not a genetic disorder…

November 14, 2011 4 Comments

The idea that mental illness was caused by bad genes was put forward by the Nazi party in 1936. Their propaganda, prior to World War II, altered opinions around the world and being such a simple concept it has stuck.

Science has not helped the situation by describing bipolar disorder as heritable, because it is influenced by the environment. It is now known that the Nazi idea was based on bad science. The heritable observations were entirely due to the environment, such as what was going on in the home that all family members were experiencing

All genetic studies to date:

1)      show no link to genetics

2)      environmental factors are the major cause of psychiatric problems

3)      fail to be repeatable

It turns out anyone can be diagnosed/labelled with bipolar disorder regardless of their genes. Genetics is not at all relevant to bipolar disorder. This has been proven by looking at all the published studies across the world.

On Friday 11th November 2011 Professor Richard Bentall presented a summary of evidence to date for the causes of psychotic illnesses. Major studies around the world have again and again shown that genetics are not significant.

Here is an example of how the myth been perpetuated: Four siblings were all diagnosed with schizophrenia and this was presented as evidence for a genetic link even after it was discovered that they had been repeatedly sexually abused by their father, with sexual abuse being known to be a major factor in developing psychosis regardless of a person’s genetic make-up.

Examination of 27,572 research papers has shown the following are all significant factors, sexual abuse, physical abuse, bullying, being of a very different skin color compared with the bulk of the population, being a homosexual, bisexual or trans-gender person in a place where people are not tolerant of such differences, diet, being from a poor family in a rich community, stigma of almost any kind, use of illegal drugs, use of legal drugs, living in a city. There will be other causes. This research did not show genetics to be a significant factor.

It has recently been found that the false teaching of genetics as a possible cause of mental disorder increases stigma and makes life more difficult for sufferers. This can be explained in the idea that, it is easier to live next door to a neighbor who seems to be struggling mentally due to stress, as most of us have experience of this, but it is difficult to relate to a neighbor who you believe has a faulty brain from birth. It will seem that they will always be different from you and you will not be able to help them.

There is no doubt at all that absolutely anyone can be diagnosed as having bipolar disorder regardless of race/genetics. Just look at the bipolar people we know – there is a complete spectrum.

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When a diagnosis rate doubles…

August 21, 2011 Leave a comment

When a diagnosis rate doubles, health professionals get concerned.

After a talk I gave on ‘recovery from mood disorders’ a psychiatrist asked my opinion on the bipolar diagnosis rate reaching a new alarming high for young women in their city .

I remembered this conversation when I read “…the number of disabled mentally ill in the United states tripled over the past two decades…”

No one knows for sure why rates for diagnosing bipolar are increasing in so many countries.

Could the answer to far higher diagnosis of young women than the young men (in that city in 2010) be linked to medication? The young men certainly had alcohol as their drug of choice while the young women were more likely to tell their doctor about their troubles and be given antidepressants. Both drugs can make bipolar diagnosis more likely just that the more powerful drugs may take people to this place quicker?

Controversial?

Have you read…

Whitaker, Robert, Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America. 2010, Crown (Random House). ISBN 978-0-307-45241-2.

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Diagnosis plus medication is not ideal

August 16, 2011 Leave a comment

Here is a second quote from Robert Whitaker’s book.

“…before medication, 15 to 20 percent of bipolar patients became chronically ill. Half remained symptom-free in long-term studies after a first hospitalization for mania or depression. Seventy-five to 90 percent worked, and showed no signs of cognitive decline.”

I would have been one of the 75-90% who stayed well without medication having no significant mood swings for 17 years and no talk of bipolar disorder until I was persuaded to take an antidepressant.

This is not about everyone giving up medication – some people need to stay on their meds. I am wondering how many others would have stayed relatively well if they had not taken that first tablet?

Whitaker, Robert, Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America. 2010, Crown (Random House). ISBN 978-0-307-45241-2.

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When bipolar follows on from antidepressant meds

August 15, 2011 3 Comments

“Today, one percent of all American children have it, and more than 65 percent of them developed bipolar after being treated with a stimulant or anti-depressant” Whitaker

Most people I know and work with who have a bipolar diagnosis say that they took an anti-depressant shortly before they were diagnosed.

Health professionals need to think carefully before giving antidepressants to people who show any signs of bipolar disorder.

Whitaker, Robert, Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America. 2010, Crown (Random House). ISBN 978-0-307-45241-2.

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