Quote: sexy girl @ July 8 2009, 2:34 PM BSTIn theory a great idea. And this is more along the lines of what people should be thinking.
I've always thought the Government should build a McDonalds in Ethiopia. Where all the starving people can eat 4 free. It could be built using the money raised by the likes of Comic Relief etc.
Give a man a Big Mac, he'll eat for a day, give him a free McDonalds and he'll eat for life.
A major problem with mental health services is, frankly, that psychiatry hasn't actually managed to cure anything of seriousness successfully in the last century or so. It offers pharmacological treatments which, in the long term, have little or no supporting evidence as to their efficacy.
Take Prozac (or any other of the SSRIs). These "work" by apparently elevating levels of serotonin, leading to alleviation of depression. Unfortunately there is minimal evidence to suggest that low serotonin levels in the brain cause or are a major neurochemical feature of, depression.
Psychiatry is a dead-ended and (usually unintentionally) fraudulent speciality, which jumps off the fence occasionally every few years to advocate a route of treatment, only to jump back on the fence soon after.
Q: The most successful ever drug in psychiatry? A drug whose invention led to the insane asylum population of Europe being halved, after a course of treatment?
A: Penicillin. (It treated quaternary syphilis - curing the so-called "paralysis of the insane".)
I agree that mental health services are terrible (I have close members of my family who suffer from long-term illness), but the fundamental ideas of how to treat mental illness are so outdated and historically unsucessful that a new philosophy is needed even more than money.
Quote: Tim Walker @ July 8 2009, 2:47 PM BSTA major problem with mental health services is, frankly, that psychiatry hasn't actually managed to cure anything of seriousness successfully in the last century or so.
Thank you, Mr Scientologist!
Quote: Tim Walker @ July 8 2009, 2:47 PM BSTA major problem with mental health services is, frankly, that psychiatry hasn't actually managed to cure anything of seriousness successfully in the last century or so. It offers pharmacological treatments which, in the long term, have little or no supporting evidence as to their efficacy.
Take Prozac (or any other of the SSRIs). These "work" by apparently elevating levels of serotonin, leading to alleviation of depression. Unfortunately there is minimal evidence to suggest that low serotonin levels in the brain cause or are a major neurochemical feature of, depression.
Psychiatry is a dead-ended and (usually unintentionally) fraudlent speciality, which jumps off the fence occasionally every few years to advocate a route of treatment, only to jump back on the fence soon after.
Q: The most successful ever drug in psychiatry? A drug who's invention led to the insane asylum population of Europe halving after a course of treatment.
A: Penicillin. (It treated quaternary syphilis - curing the so-called "paralysis of the insane".)
I agree that mental health services are terrible (I have close members of my family who suffer from long-term illness), but the fundamental ideas of how to treat mental illness are so outdated and historically unsucessful that a new philosophy is needed even more than money.
Quote: sexy girl @ July 8 2009, 2:11 PM BSTBut we have spent billions on building an Olympic stadium which, in the grand scheme of things, isn't remotely important. So surely the Government could find the money from somewhere?
There's no grand scheme about it. It's just an unimportant waste of money.
And the idea that people should see all of the world before knowing that they don't want to be in it is just so idealistically barmy I don't know where to start.
Quote: sexy girl @ July 8 2009, 2:50 PM BST
Happy pills don't make you happy, sexy girl. It would be better to spend the money on free balloon rides to cheer people up. (This is the gist of it. 
)
Quote: Tim Walker @ July 8 2009, 2:52 PM BSTHappy pills don't make you happy, sexy girl. It would be better to spend the money on free balloon rides to cheer people up. (This is the gist of it.
Cool.
Quote: sexy girl @ July 8 2009, 2:24 PM BSTThe thing is, there are some really clever people on this thread. But all they are doing is saying things that have been said for years.
We need people to come up with new ideas.
New ideas that are bollocks? No. These things have been said for years because they're the right things to say, but the Governments have been too feckless and/or spineless to action them.
Quote: sexy girl @ July 8 2009, 2:34 PM BSTI've always thought the Government should build a McDonalds in Ethiopia. Where all the starving people can eat 4 free. It could be built using the money raised by the likes of Comic Relief etc.
Are you sure you're not don rushmore playing some very bizarre 'joke'?
Quote: Tim Walker @ July 8 2009, 2:47 PM BSTA major problem with mental health services is, frankly, that psychiatry hasn't actually managed to cure anything of seriousness successfully in the last century or so. It offers pharmacological treatments which, in the long term, have little or no supporting evidence as to their efficacy.
Take Prozac (or any other of the SSRIs). These "work" by apparently elevating levels of serotonin, leading to alleviation of depression. Unfortunately there is minimal evidence to suggest that low serotonin levels in the brain cause or are a major neurochemical feature of, depression.
Psychiatry is a dead-ended and (usually unintentionally) fraudlent speciality, which jumps off the fence occasionally every few years to advocate a route of treatment, only to jump back on the fence soon after.
Q: The most successful ever drug in psychiatry? A drug who's invention led to the insane asylum population of Europe being halved, after a course of treatment.
A: Penicillin. (It treated quaternary syphilis - curing the so-called "paralysis of the insane".)
I agree that mental health services are terrible (I have close members of my family who suffer from long-term illness), but the fundamental ideas of how to treat mental illness are so outdated and historically unsucessful that a new philosophy is needed even more than money.
True I studied psychology for a while and it's not even a proper science more of a hodge podge of philosophy and science. But many drugs if taken will alleviate symptons even if the reasoning is poorly understood. Creating hospitals where you're not likely to be raped, stabbed or driven to suicide is not the hardest thing in the world. Frankly they've done it elder and disabled care, or rather are doing it.
How many suicidal lives could be saved if there were more places of sanctuary?
Quote: Aaron @ July 8 2009, 2:55 PM BSTAre you sure you're not don rushmore playing some very bizarre 'joke'?
Then again, giving Comic Relief money to private enterprises, rather letting money and aid slip almost directly into the hands of despots (as did the Live Aid money, actually causing as many deaths by military conflict as it saved), can't be a worse alternative.
Quote: Aaron @ July 8 2009, 2:55 PM BSTAre you sure you're not don rushmore playing some very bizarre 'joke'?
No, I'm really not.
And I think that some people on this website are finally realising that.
Quote: Tim Walker @ July 8 2009, 2:57 PM BSTThen again, giving Comic Relief money to private enterprises, rather letting money and aid slip almost directly into the hands of despots (as did the Live Aid money, actually causing as many deaths by military conflict as it saved), can't be a worse alternative.
Good point McDonald's do run a very organised operation.
Don't worry, sexy girl, people used to accuse me of being a nubile teenage girl pretending to be a 30-something divorcee with a drink problem.
Quote: Tim Walker @ July 8 2009, 2:57 PM BSTThen again, giving Comic Relief money to private enterprises, rather letting money and aid slip almost directly into the hands of despots (as did the Live Aid money, actually causing as many deaths by military conflict as it saved), can't be a worse alternative.
And all the charities are bleating at the idea, as they wouldn't get their mucky commission-stealing hands all over it.
Look if you wear highheels and hang around in the Blue Oyster what do you expect?