What is Mental Health?
It was bad enough for sufferers when mental illness wasn't talked about at all. So my great-aunt, who had a nervous breakdown in her 50s and spent well over a year in hospital, was never mentioned in the family, except when little clusters of concerned relatives got together at family gatherings for a quick, whispered report on how she was doing.
It's good it's all beginning to be out in the open and we can have rational discussions about all the issues around mental illness, particularly the lack of professionals able to treat people and the ignorance of large sections of the press and the public in general.
Following recent developments is really upsetting, so as a total amateur, but one was has suffered from mental illness a couple of times, I want to help clear up some misunderstandings, particularly after the publication of a study today on the state of happiness among young girls and women:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/sep/19/uk-survey-finds-sharp-decline-in-happiness-of-young-women-and-girls
This isn't a medical study. It's not even an academic study. It's a survey and involves self-assessment that is purely subjective and not in any way evaluated.
Mental illness is not confined to other people. It can happen to any of us.
Exam stress in young people isn't a mental illness. It's normal - unless the young people involved can't handle the stress, in which case professional help is needed.
Adolescence is not a mental illness. It's a normal stage of life. Some young people and their families sail through it with little or no trouble, while others need support. That's what grown-ups are for: in the family or at school or as medical professionals.
Mental ill-health isn't treated by the patient. It should be treated by a GP or a specialist in mental health issues. That's why our local pharmacist, approached by a young girl asking for sleep medication, took her into the wee room they have in the chemist's these days and spent quite a long time listening to her. She probably referred her to her GP but didn't give her the medication she wanted.
Self-medication isn't a solution. Sufferers need a diagnosis and you can only get that from the professionals.
However, it is quite wrong to dismiss medication for mental health as a bad idea for young people. Every case is different and only a professional should be allowed to say what treatment is best.
The professional support for mental illness among children and young people is appalling and has been for a long time. Waiting lists are enormous and have been for decades.
Here's a quote from a Scottish Government report:
During the quarter ending June 2018, 4,664 children and young people started treatment at CAMHS in Scotland and 67.8% were seen within 18 weeks.
That means that 2/3 of the young people referred for treatment to CAMHS had to wait over 4 months for help.
It also means that just under a third of young people referred were still waiting after more than 4 months.
That's a lot of children and young people. Imagine you were parents watching your child being ill. You know if it was a physical illness, pediatric services would swing into action at once. If your local hospital couldn't handle the physical condition, your child would be transferred to a larger hospital. Immediately.
Not in the case of mental illness. We need to ask why.
Our children are our investment in the future. We need to get our priorities right. More cash for specialist professionals is needed. This is one time when throwing money at the problem really is the answer. Let's try it.
As I said at the beginning of this piece, I'm an amateur in this field. Nobody has ever asked me what I thought of the mental health treatment I received. Maybe we need to change that too.
It's good it's all beginning to be out in the open and we can have rational discussions about all the issues around mental illness, particularly the lack of professionals able to treat people and the ignorance of large sections of the press and the public in general.
Following recent developments is really upsetting, so as a total amateur, but one was has suffered from mental illness a couple of times, I want to help clear up some misunderstandings, particularly after the publication of a study today on the state of happiness among young girls and women:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/sep/19/uk-survey-finds-sharp-decline-in-happiness-of-young-women-and-girls
This isn't a medical study. It's not even an academic study. It's a survey and involves self-assessment that is purely subjective and not in any way evaluated.
Mental illness is not confined to other people. It can happen to any of us.
Exam stress in young people isn't a mental illness. It's normal - unless the young people involved can't handle the stress, in which case professional help is needed.
Adolescence is not a mental illness. It's a normal stage of life. Some young people and their families sail through it with little or no trouble, while others need support. That's what grown-ups are for: in the family or at school or as medical professionals.
Mental ill-health isn't treated by the patient. It should be treated by a GP or a specialist in mental health issues. That's why our local pharmacist, approached by a young girl asking for sleep medication, took her into the wee room they have in the chemist's these days and spent quite a long time listening to her. She probably referred her to her GP but didn't give her the medication she wanted.
Self-medication isn't a solution. Sufferers need a diagnosis and you can only get that from the professionals.
However, it is quite wrong to dismiss medication for mental health as a bad idea for young people. Every case is different and only a professional should be allowed to say what treatment is best.
The professional support for mental illness among children and young people is appalling and has been for a long time. Waiting lists are enormous and have been for decades.
Here's a quote from a Scottish Government report:
During the quarter ending June 2018, 4,664 children and young people started treatment at CAMHS in Scotland and 67.8% were seen within 18 weeks.
That means that 2/3 of the young people referred for treatment to CAMHS had to wait over 4 months for help.
It also means that just under a third of young people referred were still waiting after more than 4 months.
That's a lot of children and young people. Imagine you were parents watching your child being ill. You know if it was a physical illness, pediatric services would swing into action at once. If your local hospital couldn't handle the physical condition, your child would be transferred to a larger hospital. Immediately.
Not in the case of mental illness. We need to ask why.
Our children are our investment in the future. We need to get our priorities right. More cash for specialist professionals is needed. This is one time when throwing money at the problem really is the answer. Let's try it.
As I said at the beginning of this piece, I'm an amateur in this field. Nobody has ever asked me what I thought of the mental health treatment I received. Maybe we need to change that too.
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