× Members

Paranoid Schizophrenia and ESA

  • Survivor
13 years 2 months ago #42083 by Survivor
Replied by Survivor on topic Re:Paranoid Schizophrenia and ESA
But don't they diagnose a much higher proportion of their population with schizophrenia in America to begin with?

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Survivor
13 years 2 months ago #42087 by Survivor
Replied by Survivor on topic Re:Paranoid Schizophrenia and ESA
I've just done a search of PubMed. I can't find anything to replicate the findings you cite in the UK. I'd be very interested, though.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • bitplayer
13 years 2 months ago #42212 by bitplayer
Replied by bitplayer on topic Re:Paranoid Schizophrenia and ESA
I don't know about 'much' higher, but your right to be suspicious of the hoary old '1% of population' axiom that elides out some of the international differences, trotted out by some
professionals, including by NICE here, (egap.evidence.nhs.uk/CG82/unnumbered_section_2).

A closer examination offers a wide variety of other 'drivers'eg. geographical, historical and economic factors, diagnostic criteria are applied to produce the WHO average
(see Murray R:
www.schizophreniaforum.org/for/int//Murray/murray.asp).

Throw your net wider than Pubmed, I suggest, as keeping up is now much harder, perhaps the

Schizophrenia Research Forum might make it easier,

(www.schizophreniaforum.org/whatweknow/default.asp).

As for preferring research from Blighty, beware of taking too parochial an attitude to social sciences, as UK academics have no such qualms, provided the research meets the standard.

If you really want the latest UK take, you have to get out the wallet, for something like this:

'Recovery and mental health: a review of the British Literature', here's the link,
(onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.13...007.01185.x/abstract).

The 'Vermont Longitudinal Study' (Harding et al 1987) is widely replicated and internationally
respected. There is more available from Harding herself (Harding 1988), considering other studies.

This review however, (bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/191/50/s1), should evince that.

The UK has been until recently an also-ran in terms of longitudinal outcome studies, yet is championing them as policy nonetheless. For someone who really 'drank the Koolade' see Mike Slade:

(http://www.youtube.comwatch?v=2AZ3OlmjXLs&feature=player_embedded).

You might find his book considering 'survivor' contributions useful for a background into current UK thinking: 'Evidence in Mental Health Care' Shepherd G, Boardman J, & Slade, M. page 156. Here's the horribly large link:

books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&id=4MPbDy...#v=onepage&q&f=false

His Co-author Geoff Shepherd, by the way, is instrumental in outlining 'Recovery as Policy'; see his view here,
(www.centreformentalhealth.org.uk/news/20...radical_changes.aspx).

My original point in highlighting Harding's work was twofold, first, that the picture is nowhere as bleak as was once perceived (www.patdeegan.com/pat-deegan/lectures/conspiracy-of-hope).

Second, that the 'survivor' perspective is being incorporated into policy as part of the reform agenda. The real problem is always the same, the 'lip-service' paid to the notion of support, coupled with the burden of short term approaches to finance.

I can only empathize with the original post, as the DWP are institutionally short on feeling for claimants. Is the economy prepared to take on this minority?

I hope everyone concerned, changes their view for the better.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Survivor
13 years 2 months ago #42217 by Survivor
Replied by Survivor on topic Re:Paranoid Schizophrenia and ESA
Thanks for that, it looks like positive reading material.

My reference to UK research as opposed to US research is that if they diagnose Sz where we wouldn't, then if they have a higher recovery rate, it may reflect more pople that we wouldn't have included in our original statistics.

However, as I've said, the materials you've referred to look positive. Thank you.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • mairit
  • Topic Author
13 years 2 months ago #42257 by mairit
Replied by mairit on topic Re:Paranoid Schizophrenia and ESA
I would like to thank you for your information. Over the past 10 years I have researched as much as possible (et al etc) and your links have given me a lot more leads to information. What I have determined over the years is that recovery is generally seen as a good response to medication and the other parts of the patient's life are given scant regard. Medication is not the sole ingredient in keeping a patient well. A visit from a social worker (Complete with patronising attitude) once a month, who repeats the same questions, month in, month out, instead of a pro-active attitude does no favours. A CPN who visits once a week when the symptoms are clearly increasing, and against the wishes of the patient, does not admit him to hospital also does not favour the patient. The psychiatrist ignoring the parent/carer who is aware of all surrounding factors down to the knowledge that the patient had not eaten food in a week nor had turned on the heating in sub zero conditions. Why is it that Psychiatry gives scant attention to the patient and especially the carer who is the most reliable source of information.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

  • Survivor
13 years 2 months ago #42327 by Survivor
Replied by Survivor on topic Re:Paranoid Schizophrenia and ESA
Leaving aside the issue of what proportion of people with schizophrenia recover, I find it irritating that in relation to mental health what recovery means to mental health professionals isn't what recovery means to the man in the street.

I think that to the man in the street, recovery would entail no longer having any symptoms, yet again and again, I come across recovery measured in terms of things like whether one gets back to work (with no indication of whether it is the same sort of work or paid as much) and whether one stays out of hospital.

I have bipolar disorder. We find the same thing with the use of the term recovery there. If you can wash and dress etc., no one is interested in whether you feel miserable or have hallucinations etc. This then ties in with the increasing passion in mental health circles for "social inclusion" which seems to be used as an excuse for closing day centres, sacking nurses and support workers and discharging patients from CMHTs.

I'm supposedly "stable" and don't have a psychiatrist. I still have great problems coping with everyday life and my GP picks up the pieces every time I have an episode of severe depression or mania but I'm sure I've been ticked off by my former psychiatrist as a recovered patient because I'm no longer on his books. One more statistic to keep the bosses happy.

If you told me it wasn't the same for people with schizophrenia in these times of cutbacks, I'd struggle to believe you.

Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation.

Moderators: GordonGaryBISCatherineWendyKellygreekqueenpeterKatherineSuper UserjimmckChris
We use cookies

We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.