David Cameron: 'We need to end stigma of mental health'

Soldato
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David Cameron has called for the nation to focus on mental health after a review revealed inadequate, underfunded care, leading to "thousands of tragic and unnecessary deaths".
The report - by a taskforce set up by NHS England - said around three-quarters of people with mental health problems received no help at all.
David Cameron admitted not enough had been done to end the stigma of mental health

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35582745

Personally I feel that when mental illness is mentioned, there is stigma because a lot people simply do not understand it. Everyone's experience is different whether it be, depression, bi-polar, personality disorders... the list goes on.
The problem stems from people trying to get on with it, in the fear that if they mention it, then they are 'defeated' in some form. That simply isn't true, and those who think it does need to read into it more.
If less stigma was associated with mental illness, then more individuals will seek help.

What are your thoughts on this?
 
Soldato
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Yeah sure, great.
Lets raise taxes about ten percent to pay for adequate health care.
Or even better get the guy whose name has a rhyme (HUNT) to introduce a nice new contract that sorts everything without the provision of any more services.

Saying it is on thing.
Achieving results is a very different matter. Often conditions are for life, have no cure, and go through periods that are hard if not impossible to treat.
Like certain othr areas in our healthcare system, it has been neglected for so long, it would take a generation to fix.

They hope to bring it into line with other healthcare, where you don't have to wait more than 18 weeks to start treatment.
Not much help to the person with the rope around their neck.
 
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Probably more for speakers corner than gd. I think the system does not even being to deal with mental health. I don't think it is possible to treat it through a tax payer funded system because it is too common and too ambiguous and unprovable. I think a lot of it comes down to pressures from modern society, to achieve and all that. I don't think the school system does a good job at building up people to develop these types of basic life skills. I think as well at some level there has always been people that fail to look after themselves it is just more pronounced now because of our level of technology and communication and so on.
 
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You really couldn't make it up!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35559629

Funding levels for NHS mental health care in England have fallen in recent years, the BBC has learned.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request showed the budgets for mental health trusts fell by 2% from 2013/14 to 2014/15.

This compares to a rise of 2.6% in hospital trusts' operating budgets, according to analysis by the Health Foundation think-tank.

The Department of Health said mental health care funding overall was rising.
In the year to April 2016 the budget for mental health trusts was projected to rise just 0.3%.

Of the 53 out of 59 mental health trusts in England which responded to the FOI request, 29 said their budget would be lower this year than last.
 

GAC

GAC

Soldato
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if they where really bothered about mental health they would ban all legal highs first up and then sort out legalising marijuana so people arnt smoking stuff laced with all sorts of gubbins to make it more potent. watching teens literally melt their still forming minds while they tell you their fine and you dont know enough is such a rewarding part of my job, honest.
 

GAC

GAC

Soldato
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fine, banning a "legal" substance, how about making said legal substances illegal like thay have done with many already ? that better.
 
Soldato
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fine, banning a "legal" substance, how about making said legal substances illegal like thay have done with many already ? that better.

Because it's a game of cat and mouse. Laws regarding banning substances have to be very specific, you can ban substance X but then they just come up with X.5 instead.

As said though, I agree with you generally that legalising (and controlling) the 'real thing' would prevent the above game being played in the first place.
 
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I feel quite strongly about this subject. I have a couple of friends that have severe mental illness and while one of them has managed to somewhat get their life back on track the other one is still suffering. It really does ruin lives and even if you don't have depression when you have another mental illness the effects that that has on you often lead to depression on top of what you already have which makes it twice as hard to get over your problems.

There is a huge amount of stigma and misunderstanding when it comes to severe mental health issues. The vast majority of people don't even know what the effects of these illnesses actually are. They often think that schizophrenia means a split personality for instance when it means nothing of the sort or they think that people with schizophrenia are dangerous when the statistics show that they are more likely to be the victim of crime more than anything else.

I'm not sure how we can combat these things without a huge shack up of the entire system. Educating kids when they are young on mental health would help remove some of the stigma although it would take years for that to have any effect and treating mental health the same as any other physical problem in the NHS would also help.

Also according to statistics I have read 1 in 4 people suffer from a mental health problem at some point in their lives so you would have thought that more people would understand the problems but unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case when it comes to severe mental health problems.
 
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Soldato
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IIRC, the stat is 1 in 4 per year, not in their life.

edit: a quick google...

http://www.mind.org.uk/information-...health/how-common-are-mental-health-problems/

Thanks.

Well that is even worse then. Either way it is a huge problem and something needs to be done about it and the stigma just doesn't help anyone. Why is it that someone with a severe mental health problem who is on benefits gets looked down upon when someone who is missing their legs or they have cancer and everyone is fine with it?

Some mental illnesses have a stupid high suicide rate. Higher than the death rate of some cancers.
 
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Because it's a game of cat and mouse. Laws regarding banning substances have to be very specific, you can ban substance X but then they just come up with X.5 instead.

As said though, I agree with you generally that legalising (and controlling) the 'real thing' would prevent the above game being played in the first place.

The blanket ban for all legal highs commences april 6th this year fyi

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2016/02/psychoactive-substances-legal-highs-uk-law-approved
 
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Because it's a game of cat and mouse. Laws regarding banning substances have to be very specific, you can ban substance X but then they just come up with X.5 instead.

As said though, I agree with you generally that legalising (and controlling) the 'real thing' would prevent the above game being played in the first place.


Thats what the new law they're pushing through changes its no longer specific and it cuts out all the "reaearch chemical" or plant food loop holes.

Theyre trying to make it so that if a substance as a psychoactive effect on humans then the only way you can sell it (for any purpose) is if its aproved.

Basicaly cutting off all legal highs at source unless they can prove theyre useful for something else but then theyd have to find a way to make them unconsumable too, like adding bitrex or meths is sone to non consumeable alchohol
 
Soldato
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Thats what the new law they're pushing through changes its no longer specific and it cuts out all the "reaearch chemical" or plant food loop holes.

Theyre trying to make it so that if a substance as a psychoactive effect on humans then the only way you can sell it (for any purpose) is if its aproved.

Basicaly cutting off all legal highs at source unless they can prove theyre useful for something else but then theyd have to find a way to make them unconsumable too, like adding bitrex or meths is sone to non consumeable alchohol

Great, so kids'll be going back to glue-sniffing and drinking turps like the 80s again.
 
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