A Day in the Life

In a new book by the journalist Jon Ronson, entitled "The Psychopath Test", the author goes on an odyssey through the "madness industry". Through various leads, he discovers a psychiatrist who believes that many leading CEOs and politicians may be psychopaths. So, he then goes on a journey through the corridors of power, seeking proof for this thesis. Psychopathy, also referred to as anti-social personality disorder, is perhaps the most derided and feared of mental health diagnoses. In this case, though, it has to be said, perhaps with good reason. People who have this condition are said to lack conscience over their actions, are emotionally shallow and glib, have a tendency to lie, and can be violent. The thought, then, that such people might actually be governing our world in some capacity is a scary one. However, is it really that surprising? To my mind, "our world", as it were, particularly in the West of advanced capitalism, is perhaps entirely suit

" Is it that an organic brain condition known as schizophrenia exists? Personally, I doubt it." Paul Hammersley. On Thursday, we at the Pathways Group were visited by CBT counsellor and leading light of the CASL (Campaign for the Abolition of the Schizophrenia Label) campaign, Paul Hammersley. Throughout his talk, Paul shared his views on the causes of psychosis, particularly how it is linked to the experiences of trauma and dissociation. Paul explained that, in his view, one cannot speak of psychosis without understanding "dissociation". So, what exactly is "dissociation"? Well, as far as I understood it, dissociation occurs when one is trapped in some sort of traumatic situation. When we are caught in a dangerous or stressful predicament from which we cannot escape, the body's in-built defense mechanism is to literally just shut down. The brain will stop working as normal when there is no possibility of the body's usual response of fight or flig

" Don't hate nothing at all except hatred." Bob Dylan In a recent article in "The Observer" newspaper, it was claimed that disabled people are facing greater levels of hostility from strangers, largely since David Cameron's government launched its controversial benefits reforms. Victims of this increased hostility are tending to blame the notion that people with disabilities who are unable to work because of them are, basically, scroungers. A notion which has been veritably fed and created by our present oh so caring incumbents. The statistics which back up the paper's claims come from a survey done by the the charity for the disabled, Scope, which suggested that "a majority" of disabled people were facing hostility, discrimination and even physical attacks from strangers every week. One man, who suffers from cerebral palsy, said that he was accosted by a woman when trying to park in a disabled parking bay. She demanded to know what was wrong

And so it came. The big day. May 14th, 2011. There were two teams. There was one football. But was there, ladies and gentlemen, a level playing field? I am, of course, talking about yesterday's F.A. Cup final between Stoke City and Manchester City. Pre-match hype in Stoke reached such a fever pitch yesterday that the entire day's airtime on our local radio station was dedicated to coverage of the game. And, when the game began, Stoke itself seemed to transform into a ghost town. Only the pubs and bars which showed the game on television were filled with ardent supporters. The rest of the town was deserted, with people either being actually at Wembley to watch the game or at home watching on their TVs. The night before, most of our local news coverage (TV, radio and print media) had been about the match, with many local luminaries turning up to extol the virtues of both the football team and our city. "How great this will be not just for football in Stoke but for Stoke its

Recently, at the Media Action Group for Mental Health, where I do my voluntary work, we have been trying to define exactly what the purpose of our organization is and what it should be doing to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. As a small, local charity, perhaps we sometimes feel overwhelmed by how big the problem of stigma is and are, therefore, concerned that we tackle areas in which we feel that we can actually bring about some change. We have started this process, then, by asking ourselves three questions- what is stigma? what impact does stigma have on people with mental illness? and finally, if stigma were removed, what would the benefits be? So, as I wrote my own little piece on these questions, I began to wonder about another, related subject. And that is the question of just why the movement to reduce the stigma around mental ill health seems to lack any significant political, social, economic or cultural power. Perhaps it does have some momentum and weight, but h