A New Era?

The old Student Centre has finally been knocked down. Appointments with students have been interrupted when we both stopped to stare at the demolition process. We watched in fascination as roofing collapsed and stairs crumbled in a cloud of dust (inhalers out for those of us with asthma). So things change and we move on. Another academic year is over and students and staff catch a breath before the next rush. I have been using some extra time to attend a couple of conferences and read. Okay, I should have been filing but their is only so much filing I can cope with in one week.

The conference I attended yesterday was about psychological treatment in psychosis. There is a body of research that suggests that psychosis and schizophrenia are predominately the result of stressors in out life that we don't have the resilience or support to manage . If there is a shift from biological causes in these diagnosis, what does this mean for the future of psychiatry which has been based on a medical model and treatment through drugs? There are also concerns that the medical profession is swayed by the influence of drug companies. The companies fund research which benefits them and promotes drug treatment. I can see that medication is of benefit to some but until we all take a more holistic approach to mental distress then we will not be able to empower recovery.

What is loneliness

Check out the article on loneliness from the One in Four magazine and find out how this can affect your mental health.

http://www.oneinfourmag.org/loneliness.html