Mental Health. Why does the epidemic continue to grow bigger, why is more and more money needed to treat it?

"You can judge your health by your happiness". 

Dr Edward Bach. 

I wrote this some years ago, and unfortunately it is a relevant now as it was then. Mental health is another epidemic of chronic illness that we have been facing for many years, conventional medicine has been next to useless in treating it successfully, doctors us dangerous drugs with serious side effects to treat it, so we find the situation gets progressively worse. And so there are more demands for more money to be ploughed into the same old, failed medicine. Here it is, so how the situation has (not!) changed over the intervening years.

"Diseases that affect the brain, and reduce our mental capacity to cope with life, are becoming increasingly prevalent. Depression, for instance, is a problem that appears to be on the increase - not only in terms of numbers of people affected, but also the age at which people are now becoming affected.

The Mental Health Foundation provided these statistics about the problem.

• 1 in 4 British adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year and 1 in 6 experiences this at any given time (The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity Report 2001).
• It is estimated that approximately 450 million people worldwide have a mental health problem (World Health Organisation 2001)
• Mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain, with almost 9% of people meeting criteria for diagnosis (The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity Report 2001). 
• One in ten children between the ages of one and 15 has a mental health disorder (The Office for National Statistics Mental Health in Children and Young People in Great Britain 2005).
• Rates of mental health problems among children increase as they reach adolescence. Disorders affect 10.4% of boys aged 5-10, rising to 12.8% of boys aged 11-15, and 5.9% of girls aged 5-10, rising to 9.65% of girls aged 11-15 (Mental Disorders more common in boys, National Statistics on Line, 2004)
• Depression affects 1 in 5 older people living in the community and 2 in 5 living in care homes (Adults in later life with mental health problems, Mental Health Foundation, quoting Psychiatry in the Elderly (3rd Edition), OUP 2002.

Another UK web site (the link no longer works) described the situation like this.

• Major (or clinical) depression is a huge and growing problem. "(It is) the No.1 psychological disorder in the western world, it is growing in all communities, in all age groups, with the greatest growth being seen in the young, especially teens".
• Major depression is the 4th most disabling condition in the world, and 2nd in the developed world (the biggest consumers of ConMed drugs).
• The escalation in the problem, and the recurring episodes of depression show that "while the first line treatment of depression by antidepressants may sometimes control the symptoms, it usually does little to give sufferers depression-free lives".
• Clinical or major depression is growing at an incredible rate.

The website went on to make two important points about the reasons for the depression epidemic.

               First it claimed that there is 10 times more major depression in people born after 1945 than in those born before.

               Second, it said that this increase is not due to more people telling their doctor, and that misdiagnosis and undiagnosed cases would indicate the problem is much bigger than the statistic showed.

• Depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year (including major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder).
• Everyone, at some time in their life, will be affected by depression - their own or someone else's, according to Australian Government statistics (its states that depression statistics in Australia are comparable to those in the US and the UK)
• Pre-schoolers (children under 5?) are the fastest-growing market for anti-depressants, with at least 4% - over a million children being clinically depressed.
• The rate of increase of depression among children is an astounding 23% per year.
• In developed countries 15% of the population suffers severe depression.
• 30% of women are depressed. Men's figures were previously thought to be half that of women, but new estimates are higher.
• 15% of depressed people will commit suicide.

So is this evidence of yet another ‘epidemic’ of illness that has occurred over recent decades? Or is there something else that needs to be understood about this increase in mental illness? Whilst the statistics found on these two websites demonstrates the size of this epidemic, another important question needs to be asked.

               Is it a real epidemic of real disease?
               Or is it an epidemic that has been constructed by a health industry that has come to see Mental Health as a source of income and wealth?

Mental Illness has become a big money earner for the pharmaceutical industry, and in recent decades there has been a rapidly increasing supply of suitably diagnosed patients who are said to have a ‘Mental Illness’ of some kind. Indeed, where individuals show no sign of disease the conventional medical establishment appears to be willing to invent new mental disorders (for more on how conventional medicine regularly comes up with new diseases, see "The Creation of Illness".

Conventional medicine has developed, and relies upon the theory that mental health problems are caused by a ‘chemical imbalance’ in the brain, and that mental illness arises when someone has low levels of serotonin in their body. And as should be expected the pharmaceutical industry just happen to have the drugs to correct this imbalance. The theory is unproven and unsound, and the drugs that interfere with our serotonin levels, antidepressants and antipsychotics, may be dangerous, but never mind it is a good business opportunity!

The sale of both antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs have been, and continue to be, a major source of revenue for the the pharmaceutical industry for many decades. (And of course this has continued right up to today)!

The ability to persuade us that we are ill, and that, as a result, we need conventional medical treatment, especially pharmaceutical drugs, has been one of the main reason for the rise of our drug-dominated NHS. It is more difficult to persuade someone they have the physical symptoms of illness, but it is not so hard to persuade them that they are not thinking properly.

And the ability of conventional medicine to persuade so many people that they are ‘mad’ or ‘sad’ or ‘bad’ has certainly proven to be a lucrative ploy. Who was it that said, with amazing insight, that you have to be mad to be able to live in the modern world! It is certainly true that traditional communities are less susceptible to depression. And major depressive illnesses are apparently almost unknown in the Amish society in the USA.

Perhaps it also needs to be noted that one feature of traditional communities, including the Amish, is that pharmaceutical drugs are not used or approved there.

Indeed, it can also be argued, very strongly, that pharmaceutical drugs can contribute to to the mental health epidemic. (Postscript, 10 years + on, it is quite obvious now that drugs DO contribute to mental health problems).The link between mental health and suicide is often sited, on the basis that depression leads to people taking their own life. For instance, it has been estimated that 80% of suicide victims suffer from major depression. But it is equally true that most people who suffer from ‘major depression’ are taking antidepressant drugs. The question arises, therefore, about whether it is the depression, or the antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs that is causing the massive increase in suicide rates.

It certainly means that antidepressants are not stopping people from taking their lives!

So now, 10 years on from writing this piece, it would appear that nothing ever changes in the world of conventional medical treatment, other than that we pour more and more money into useless and harmful treatments, and the epidemic of mental health continues to grow.

The Epidemic Of Mental Illness

"You can judge your health by your happiness". 

Dr Edward Bach. 

Diseases that affect the brain, and reduce our mental capacity to cope with life, are becoming increasingly prevalent. Depression, for instance, is a problem that appears to be on the increase - not only in terms of numbers of people affected, but also the age at which people are now becoming affected. 

The Mental Health Foundation provides these statistics about the problem.

     * 1 in 4 British adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year and 1 in 6 experiences this at any given time (The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity Report 2001).

     * It is estimated that approximately 450 million people worldwide have a mental health problem (World Health Organisation 2001).

     * Mixed anxiety and depression is the most common mental disorder in Britain, with almost 9% of people meeting criteria for diagnosis (The Office for National Statistics Psychiatric Morbidity Report 2001).

     * One in ten children between the ages of one and 15 has a mental health disorder (The Office for National Statistics Mental Health in Children and Young People in Great Britain 2005).

     * Rates of mental health problems among children increase as they reach adolescence. Disorders affect 10.4% of boys aged 5-10, rising to 12.8% of boys aged 11-15, and 5.9% of girls aged 5-10, rising to 9.65% of girls aged 11-15 (Mental Disorders more common in boys, National Statistics on Line, 2004)

     * Depression affects 1 in 5 older people living in the community and 2 in 5 living in care homes (Adults in later life with mental health problems, Mental Health Foundation, quoting Psychiatry in the Elderly (3^rd Edition), OUP 2002.

Another UK web site describes the situation like this

     * Major (or clinical) depression is a huge and growing problem. "(It is) the No.1 psychological disorder in the western world, it is growing in all communities, in all age groups, with the greatest growth being seen in the young, especially teens".

     * Major depression is the 4^th most disabling condition in the world, and 2^nd in the developed world (the biggest consumers of ConMed drugs).

     * The escalation in the problem, and the recurring episodes of depression show that "while the first line treatment of depression by antidepressants may sometimes control the symptoms, it usually does little to give sufferers depression-free lives".

     * Clinical or major depression is growing at an incredible rate.

This website makes two important points about the reasons for the depression epidemic. First, it claims that there is 10 times more major depression in people born after 1945 than in those born before. Second, it says that this increase is not due to more people telling their doctor, and that misdiagnosis and undiagnosed cases would indicate the problem is much bigger. 

     * Depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year (including major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder).

     * Everyone, at some time in their life, will be affected by depression - their own or someone else's, according to Australian Government statistics (its states that depression statistics in Australia are comparable to those in the US and the UK).

     * Pre-schoolers (children under 5?) are the fastest-growing market for anti-depressants, with at least 4% - over a million children being clinically depressed.

     * The rate of increase of depression among children is an astounding 23% per year.

     * In the developed countries 15% of the population suffers severe depression.

     * 30% of women are depressed. Men's figures were previously thought to be half that of women, but new estimates are higher.

     * 5% of depressed people will commit suicide.

So is this evidence of yet another ‘epidemic’ of illness that has occurred over recent decades? Or is there something else that needs to be understood about this increase in mental illness? Whilst the statistics found on these two websites demonstrates the size of this epidemic, an important question needs to be asked. Is it a real epidemic of real disease? Or is it an epidemic that has been constructed by a health industry that has come to see Mental Health as a source of income and wealth?

Mental Illness has become a big money earner for the Big Pharma drug companies, and in recent decades there has been a rapidly increasing supply of suitably diagnosed patients who are said to have a ‘Mental Illness’ of some kind. Indeed, where individuals show no sign of disease the ConMed Establishment appears to be willing to invent new mental disorders - see ‘Invented Diseases’!

The Conventional Medical  Establishment has developed, and relies upon the theory that Mental Health problems are caused by a ‘chemical imbalance’ in the brain, and that mental illness arises when someone has low levels of Serotonin in their body (see ‘Depression’). Naturally, the Big Pharma companies have just the drugs to correct this imbalance - unproven, and unsound, as the theory might be!

The sale of Antidepressant and Antipsychotic drugs have been, and continue to be, a major source of revenue for the Big Pharma drug companies for many decades.

The ability to persuade us that we are ill, and that, as a result, we need ConMed treatment, especially Big Pharma drugs, has been one of the main reason for the rise of our drug-dominated NHS. It is more difficult to persuade someone that they have the physical symptoms of illness, but not so hard to persuade them that they are not thinking properly. 

And it has been the ability of ConMed to persuade so many people that they are ‘mad’ or ‘sad’ or ‘bad’ has certainly proven to be a lucrative ploy. Who was it who said, with amazing insight, you have to be mad to be able to live in the modern world! It is certainly true that traditional communities are less susceptible to depressive. And major depression is apparently almost unknown in the Amish society in the USA. Perhaps it also needs to be noted here that one feature of such groups, including the Amish, is that ConMed drugs are not used or approved there.

Indeed, it can also be argued, very strongly, that Big Pharma drugs can contribute to to genuine Mental Health problems. The link between mental health and suicide is often sited, on the basis that depression leads to people taking their own life. For instance, it has been estimated that 80% of suicide victims suffer from major depression. But it is equally true that most people who suffer from ‘major depression’ are taking antidepressant drugs. The question arises, therefore, about whether it is the depression, or the drugs that is causing the massive increase in suicide. It certainly means that antidepressants are not stopping people from taking their lives!

This article was originally published in "The Failure of Conventional Medicine".

Homeopathy and Mental Health

People suffering from mental health conditions should consider using homeopathy. The rise and rise of mental health problems has been astronomical in recent decades, and represents one of that long list of chronic illness that has increased alongside pharmaceutical drug taking. If anyone doubts that statement, they only have to look at the known (and accepted) adverse reactions to most pharmaceutical drugs, where 'depression' routinely occurs.

The use of homeopathy has been highlighted in two new articles appearing in the e-magazine Hpathy.

The first discusses the amazing prevalence of Mental Health issues, particularly in the USA and the UK, but throughout the developed world. A real epidemic. And it goes on to outline the research that has gone into how homeopathy helps with two conditions, ADHD, and Drug Abuse.
http://hpathy.com/homeopathy-papers/exploring-the-role-of-homeopathy-in-reducing-the-global-mental-health-burden/

The second article deals with some of the most frequently used homeopathy remedies, and some of their main indications. This article was written by Robert Medhurst, who has considerable experience working with people with mental health problems.
http://hpathy.com/homeopathy-papers/is-there-a-role-for-homoeopathy-in-depression/

Again, what we see here is a medical condition which is in large measure caused by convention medicine; and which can be treated successfully with homeopathy.

Mental Health and Pharmaceutical Drugs

Pharmaceutical treatment for mental illness has been, and continues to be a disaster. The BBC 4 programme 'Mental. A history of the madhouse' relayed on 11th January 2011 outlines how mental health treatment has 'developed' from the 1940's to 1990's. So how did ConMed, or 'scientific' or 'evidence-based medicine' set about the task.

* Electro-convulsive Therapy (ECT), or passing an electric current through the brain to cause a seizure. Was there any evidence for it? Did it work? Was it humane? Answer to all three questions - No.

* Insulin Therapy, or giving insulin injections until the patient went into coma. Any evidence for it? Did it work? Was it humane? No. The treatment led to several deaths, and was described as 'a harmful medical failure'.

* Lobotomy. This produced some of the most dreadful images in the programme. Was there any evidence for it? Did it work? Was it humane? Again, no, it was none of those things. There were, apparently, 15,000 operations, and the comment was made in the film - "they did not  know what they were doing - it was a disaster".

* New drugs, Chlorpromazine (Lagactil), Lithium; considered to be 'miracle' drugs at the time, that would 'solve the riddle of mental illness'; but 'worked' solely by drugging, sedating or tranquillising the patient, and used for containment rather than treatment. There was contemporary footage of people who suffered from this sedation, as well as personal testimony about the impact on the drugs of their lives at the time.

This is a dreadful history, and the programme showed visually just how hopeless and bad conventional medical treatment has been over the years. The only positive development outlined by the programme was the work of a group of psychiatrists in the 1960's and 1970's, led by RD Laing, who realised that mental health had something to do with the society we live in, and how some struggled to cope with the circumstances in which they were living. They realised it had little to do with the chemistry of the brain. Sadly, that strand of psychiatry did not prevail. They did not want to use drugs, so presumably they did not receive the support of the conventional medical establishment, monopolised as it is by Big Pharma interests.

No doubt, some conventional medical apologists would want to argue that drug treatment for mental health has improved, and indeed, there is a new generation of drugs now in use. However, they too have similar effects on those people given them (often, now, legally enforced).

All pharmaceutical drugs seek to interfere with natural brain chemistry, and for this reason, their side effects or DIEs (disease-inducing effects) are quite horrendous.

What this BBC film demonstrates, so well and so visually, is how hopeless conventional medicine has been over the years dealing with mental health issues. It has been the same for most physical illnesses too. From the days of leeches, blood-letting, right up to the present, and the disasters of today's toxic drugs, conventional medicine has few answers for our mental health.

Homeopathy can be more successful, and of course it is always safer. As a homeopathy student, I came across Catherine R Coulter's books, Portraits of Homeopathic Medicines; and Philip M Bailey's book, Homeopathic Psychology. Both outlined the personality profiles of some of homeopathy's major remedies, and those books are how always at my side. The homeopathic Materia Medica is full of remedies that have a beneficial impact on depression, and other mental health issues. And the Homeopathic Repertories describe those 'mental health' issues sometimes in great detail.

And linking the symptoms of the patient, with the symptoms of a remedy, can lead to some remarkable outcomes.

The Drugging of Children

Natural News has published two shocking articles in 2010 that showed just how far Big Pharma companies will go to sell drugs, to anyone, for any reason, and just how willing ConMed practitioners appear willing to go along with it - regardless of the cost to human health.

The huge financial power of the pharmacology industry dominates the way we look at health and medicine. Governments, national health services, the mainstream media, and large parts of the medical profession, seem determined to make us take ConMed drugs for any reason, at whatever cost, for any illness, and at any age.

These articles focus on infants and children, and so-called 'psychiatric' illness. Much the same can be written about any disease, any age-group, and is certainly not restricted to ConMed practice in the USA.... 

So please read these two recent Natural News features.

http://www.naturalnews.com/028640_psychiatry_infants.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/028639_psychiatric_drugs_children.html

It is time to call a halt to this dangerous nonsense, and more, to challenge the conspiracy of silence in the mainstream media on these matters. There appears to be nothing that will prevent drug companies inventing ‘diseases’, exaggerating disease, and then selling dangerous drugs to an unsuspecting public, who are told virtually nothing by the mainstream media.

There are alternative ways to treating young children, who may (or may not) have mental health problems, which are both more effective, less expensive, and certainly much safer. Indeed, most homeopaths find it easier to deal with children, who generally have not be subjected to so many ConMed drugs, despite the increasing number of ‘routine’ vaccinations they are subjected to. For a consultation with a homeopath, go to www.a-r-h.org/findmembers/find. 

Mental Health and Homeopathy

Homeopathy is able to treat all forms of mental illness, safely, gently and effectively. So if you suffer from any of the following conditions you should consider a homeopathic consultation.

• Anxiety and panic attacks
• Fears and phobias
• Issues arising from sexual or physical abuse
• OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)
• ADHD (attention deficit hyperactive disorder)
• Eating disorders, Bulimia, Anorexia, etc.
• Mood swings and bipolar disorder (once called manic depression)
• SAD (seasonal affective disorder)
• Suicidal feelings
• Schizophrenia
• Confusion or Dementia

Homeopathy and Depression
Homeopathy is very effective with depression, which seems to be so common now. It is not necessary either to suffer from, or to resort to taking conventional drugs, such as the Benzodiazepams (eg, Valium and Librium), or even the newer drugs, like Prosac, that are known to have dangerous side-effects.

Conventional drugs can give you a temporary lift from feelings of depression, but the ‘lift’ lasts only as long as the drug remains active within the body. In the longer term, nothing changes – the underlying social and emotional causes of your depression remain unchanged. Research on antidepressant drugs indicates that 40% of people who have tried them either do not respond to them, or they cannot tolerate the side effects. Moreover, many conventional drugs cannot be prescribed for too long as they have serious adverse reactions and addictive qualities.

Homeopathic remedies are not addictive, and they do not have the unpleasant side effects of conventional drugs. They are safe and harmless – but at the same time they are very effective. They can also be augmented with Bach Flower remedies, which developed in the early 20th Century - a closely related off-shoot of homeopathy.

So Why Choose Homeopathy?
1. It can provide deep, long-lasting change - without drugs
Homeopathy can produce positive results in people with psychiatric and mental health problems. A well-matched homeopathic remedy stimulates emotional healing and can transform a person’s life. Even those people who have been depressed for a long time can find renewed hope, develop brighter spirits, more energy, and improved physical health.

Homeopathy can help you to cope with the subconscious as well as the conscious mind. Old hurts, grief, anxieties, injustices, jealousies, and obsessions can be put in their proper perspective and released. Anxious people can find themselves calmer and less worried, their panic relieved.

2. It is safe and effective
Homeopathic medicine is one of the safest forms of medicine. It is natural, non-toxic, and non-addictive. Conventional drugs are chemical substances that have direct physiological and psychological effects, and these cause adverse reactions. Homeopathy is an ‘energy’ medicine. Remedies work by stimulating the body's own natural powers of recovery, and enabling it to restore balance and health.

Homeopathic remedies are made from substances that have been highly diluted. So even remedies made from poisonous substances are not harmful because the extreme dilution means that none of the original substance is left. What is left is the gentle energy of the substance that can cure – safely, gently and effectively.

Homeopathic prescribing matches a patient's detailed symptom profile with a remedy that has a similar profile. Therefore, the key to the homeopathic approach to mental health is to find the remedy that corresponds most closely to the individual’s mental and physical symptoms.

When this is achieved, homeopathy can lift depression and mental illnesses quickly and effectively. But an accurate matching with a remedy is required, so an appointment with a registered homeopath is recommended.

More serious, longer-term mental illness can also be treated, but again, it is best to consult with a registered homeopath who is prepared to work closely with the conventional medical authorities.

For more information on the homeopathic treatment of mental illness, go to this website.