Critical Voices in Mental Health

This is a sister organisation to the CVN:
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/256546797755443/
They have a closed Facebook group.
They like the CVN are completely against the medical model(i.e. drugs) as a way to deal with mental illnesses.

Interesting article in last Saturday's Irish Times in which two people tell of their experiences on psychiatric drugs in a not very positive light:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2012/0414/1224314721651.html

dissed doc wrote: »

. Countries that went down the path of "alternative" mental health are usually ones trying to save money by avoiding mental health altogether like Hungary and France (i.e., the third world of western psychiatric services).

That sounds interesting, any good references which would well articulate this perspective or provide analysis of such countries' choices?

The Irish Times ran another very interesting article last Monday highlighting the links between pharmaceutical companies and psychiatrists. These issues need to be debated in my opinion.
The article can be seen here:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0416/1224314763175.html

Is psychiarty in Ireland beginning to cop itself on, in that the solution for many people may not be contained in a pill. A letter in last week's Irish Times (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0419/1224314924044.html) got a reaction from the College of Psychiatry who not only printed a reply on their website but also responded in the Irish Times as well (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/letters/2012/0421/1224315009676.html).


Mental illness and medication

Sir, – Well done to Carl O’Brien and The Irish Times for the articles “Bitter pills to swallow” and “When conflicts of interest arise in medicine” (Weekend Review April 14th and Home News, April 16th).

In my opinion the majority, if not all, psychiatric illnesses have their roots in emotional problems. In my own case I was diagnosed as suffering from manic depression after two spells in psychiatric hospital at the age of 20. No effort was made to look at any other difficulties I was experiencing at the time – and there were many.

In the psychiatrist’s viewpoint, I suffered from depression, there was a chemical imbalance in my mind and I needed medication to correct this chemical imbalance. In my late 20s, after moving to a new area of the country when my depression got out of control and the medication wasn’t helping, I made contact with a psychiatrist who felt, as I did, that there was a reason for my depression; and I commenced psychotherapy.

It’s nearly 19 years since I came off the lithium which I was told at the age of 20 I would be on for the rest of my life. In my view the medical model of treating mental illnesses is a fallacy. It may alleviate some of the symptoms. In some people like me it doesn’t and can even make certain conditions worse. It deadens the person and numbs their feelings. It’s only in the process of psychotherapy I regained a sense of myself and was able to deal with the issues that were behind my depression. Thank you again for printing these articles. – Yours, etc,

THOMAS RODDY,
Lower Salthill, Galway.


Treatment of mental illness

Sir, – Thomas Roddy (April 19th) identifies two areas that need to be highlighted when it comes to recovery from mental illness.

Mr Roddy identifies the importance of choice within our mental health services. Having the choice of psychotherapy was important for him.

Today less than a quarter of adult mental health teams have access to psychologists or psychotherapists. The College of Psychiatry of Ireland has called many times for the full implementation of A Vision for Change (the national policy for how a mental health service should be organised) with fully staffed multidisciplinary community mental health teams which include mental health professionals with expertise in psychotherapy.

Along with choice, our society, our government and our services need to develop tolerance and acceptance around mental illness. Most people who have had experience of mental illness live fulfilling and satisfying lives. Some do so without medication. For others, medication plays a key role in ensuring they reach this level of recovery. This is the case even when psychotherapy is available.

We need to ensure our services are funded to ensure all individuals can receive the most appropriate treatment with a multidisciplinary approach and we need to ensure a tolerance and understanding that for some people the most appropriate treatment is medication. – Yours, etc,

Dr ANNE JEFFERS,
Director, External Affairs Policy,
College of Psychiatry of Ireland,
Herbert Street,
Dublin 2.


What do people think of this?

Anne Jeffers who wrote one of the letters above will be on TV3 tomorrow morning (Wednesday 25th) at 11am with Electroshock survivor Colette Ni Dhuinneacha(MindFreedom Ireland). Should be an interesting debate

excellence wrote: »

What do people think of this?

I think we could do with a system around psychotherapy like the UK, where you even have consulant psychotherpists. From what I see psychotherapy is held in a better light over there. That does not mean that they are problem free, but we need more psychotherapists on MDT, not just a team member being trained in it; we need decicated psychotherapists.

Odysseus wrote: »

I think we could do with a system around psychotherapy like the UK, where you even have consulant psychotherpists. From what I see psychotherapy is held in a better light over there. That does not mean that they are problem free, but we need more psychotherapists on MDT, not just a team member being trained in it; we need decicated psychotherapists.

Was in a private psychiatric hospital earlier in the earlier. i was given hours out to see my psychotherapist. The Clinical Nurse Manager actually asked me what was the difference between counselling and psychotherapy. She also asked what sort of things my therapist and I "chatted" about. I was in no fit state to start educating her on something she should know in the first place

Psychiatry has a long way to go

The Critical Voices Network will be discussed on Martin King's programme tomorrow morning at 11am on TV3.