Mental Health – Part 1

WHY are we not interested in the state of our Mental Health?

WHY are we not aware of the real impact of Mental Health?

WHY is Mental Health not as important as physical health?

WHY is Mental Health not taken seriously by everyone?

WHY do we know so little about the facts of Mental Health?

WHY do we not want to know the cost of Mental Health to society?

WHY do we need a wake up call about our World’s Mental Health?

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. (1)

It was first celebrated in 1992 at the initiative of the World Federation for Mental Health, who have members and contacts in more than 150 countries. (2)

The day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide. (1)

This is what is posted on the World Health Organization website about this important day.

If we want more there is the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013- 2020. (3)

This action plan calls for changes in attitudes.

There are four major objectives of the action plan:

  • Strengthen effective leadership and governance for mental health.
  • Provide comprehensive, integrated and responsive mental health and social care services in community-based settings.
  • Implement strategies for promotion and prevention in mental health.
  • Strengthen information systems, evidence and research for mental health.

Each of the four objectives is accompanied by one or two specific targets, which provide the basis for measurable collective action and achievement by Member States towards global goals. A set of core indicators relating to these targets as well as other actions have been developed and are being collected via the Mental Health Atlas project on a periodic basis. (3)

Is this making sense to us or are these words that sound great but not sure they work in real life across the globe?

What does core indicators mean to someone who is in prison and has mental health problems?

Why is mental health getting worse if this plan has been going 3 years?
What is leadership and governance for mental health?
What does that mean to us the general public who don’t know the lingo?
Who writes all this stuff and posts it on our international website?
What if our governments are not funding to ‘provide comprehensive, integrated and responsive mental health and social care services in community-based settings’?

Currently investments in mental health services are much lower than is needed. The World Health Organizations “Mental Health Atlas 2014” survey showed that government spend on average 3% of their health budgets on mental health. (4)

Despite hundreds of millions of people around the world living with mental disorders, mental health has remained in the shadows. This is not just a public health issue – it’s a development issue. We need to act now because the lost productivity is something the global economy simply cannot afford.
Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group (4)

Mental health needs to be a global humanitarian and developmental priority – and a priority in every country. We need to provide treatment, now, to those who need it most, and in the communities where they live. Until we do, mental illness will continue to eclipse the potential of people and economies.
Arthur Kleinman, Expert on Global Mental Health and Professor of Medical Anthropology and Psychiatry at Harvard University (4)

What is measurable collective action to a person who is about to take their life and there are no appointments available for them to see someone who is qualified to help?

25% cuts in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in England since 2011.

15 weeks – waiting time increase for CAMHS since 2011.

40% of CAMHS included in National Benchmarking said they were able to provide crisis access to services for young people.

Service providers report an increase in complexity and severity in the problems among children and young people seeking services since 2011. (5)

Have we bothered to check in with service providers who are struggling on limited budgets and lack of funding for mental health?

Councils in England are finding it difficult to replace more than 200 Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHP) over the last 3 years due to them quitting or retiring because of growing pressures on teams, staff shortages and problems finding beds for patients.
This is increasing the strain on staff.

AMHP are social workers qualified to carry out Mental Health Act assessments.

Councils are concerned about the “significant threat” and “high risk” that the shortage is posing.

2012 – 4 in 10 AMHP were experiencing depression and anxiety disorders.

Some AMHP are saying that the resource problems they face, day to day, like finding beds and sometimes being left to work late into the night, without support, is making the job so stressful it is not worth it.

We hear from members that some AMHPs are handing in their warrants because they’ve had enough of the risks around lack of access to beds and lack of effective prevention and crisis services.
Ruth Allen, Chief Executive of the British Association of Social Workers

The AMHP role is one of the most important, complex and challenging of all social work roles.
Ray James, Immediate Past President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (6)
 

HELLO – Can we just stop and re-read this?

If 40% of our approved mental health professionals were experiencing depression and anxiety disorders in 2012, what is the real figure today in 2016?

WHY are our qualified staff suffering?

What on earth is going on for them?

Have we got effective leadership and governance in the first place?

Who are our leaders in the field of mental health and how are they living?

Have we gone to our streets and seen the homeless situation first hand and joined the dots to mental health?

Have we interviewed our support workers who are crying out for resources?

Have we felt the overburden on our social care systems across the globe when it comes to mental health problems?

Have our strategies got us anywhere when mental health issues are increasing by the day?

Have our solutions been a band aid for mental health problems worldwide?

Have our research and more research got us to the root cause of ill mental health?

How much more evidence do we need about a growing problem that is now out of control?

Are we trying to catch up with answers after the issue and this leaves us two steps behind?

We all know that mental health is a big problem that is not going away.
We all know that there is a stigma attached to mental health.
We can all feel there is some discrimination when it comes to mental health.

In USA they have a Mental Health Awareness month.
Each year they ‘fight stigma, provide support, educate the public and advocate on equal care’. (7)

Here are some statistics and a reminder to add to that – ALL those who are under the radar.

GLOBAL

30% of global non-fatal diseases account for Mental disorders . (4)

50% of all lifetime mental disorders start by the time people are in their mid-teens.
75% start by mid-twenties. (World Health Organization) (5)

 USA

43.6 million adults (18.1%) aged 18 and over had any mental illness. (2014) (8)

20% of children have had a seriously debilitating mental disorder. (9)

46.3% of 13 – 18 year olds have had a mental disorder. (9)

ENGLAND

On 29th September 2016 the results from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014 were released. The survey has been carried out every seven years since 1993 and looks at poor mental health in people aged 16 years and over.

The survey found (10) –
1 adult in 6 had a common mental disorder.

There has been an increase in women being diagnosed.

1993 – 2014 – Increase in severe common mental disorders.

Most mental disorders were common in people living alone, in poor physical health and unemployed.

2007 – Self-harm doubled in both men and women across all age groups.

16 – 24  year old young women now classed as a high risk group with high rates of common mental disorder, self-harm, post-traumatic stress disorder and bi-polar.

1 in 4 young women aged 16 – 24 had self-harmed at some point in their lives.

Most of the young people that reported self-harming did not seek support from a professional.

The more people self-harm the more likely this is to lead in time, to a higher suicide rate.

Bullying on social media has been identified as one reason for the increase in young people self-harming (Daine et al, 2013).

We know that there are things like violence and abuse that are strongly associated with mental illness.
This is also the age of social media ubiquity. This is the context that [young women] are coming into and it warrants further research.
Sally McManus – Lead Researcher in the Survey (11)

More research is needed to full understand the rise in post-traumatic stress disorder.
Rape or other sexual abuse were possible triggers.
The rise in chronic mental illness among 16 – 24 year old women was clearly worrying, with social media a likely key contributor.
“This is the first age group that we have had coming to age in the social media age …”
Kate Lovett, Dean of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (11)

Non-consensual intercourse before the age of 16 increases the likelihood of psychosis developing in adulthood by 10-fold. (5)

People who have experienced extensive physical and sexual abuse both as children and as adults are 15 times more likely to have multiple mental disorders, compared to those that have not had that experience. (5)

The Annual Report from the Chief Medical Officer 2013, UK says on the
Availability of Data for Children and Young People’s Mental Health

‘We lack nationally collated current data on the present extent of mental health problems and service provision. The last national community survey is a decade old, and both national surveys excluded children under 5 years old.’ (5)

SCOTLAND (12)

200,000 sick days off work for Police officers and staff over the last 3 years due to poor mental health. (2016)

GLOBAL

Depression and Anxiety cost the global economy $1 trillion US dollars per year. (4)

50% increase from 416 million to 615 million in number of people with depression and/or anxiety.
Approx. 10% of world population. (4)

12 billion working days, equivalent to 50 million years of work are lost each year as a result. (13)

Depression is one of the main causes of disability globally.

Approx. 350 million people are affected by depression.
More women are affected than men. (14)

Bipolar Affective Disorder affects 60 million people globally. (14)

Schizophrenia affects 21 million people globally. (14)

Dementia affects 47.5 million people globally. (14)

How many never make it to statistics?
How many people are not recorded, as mental health is not on their government agenda?
How many children are not taken seriously when it comes to mental health?
How many adults live a polished ‘normal’ life so ill mental health is not on the surface?
How many in our community are suffering in silence and not on the global statistics?
How many will not come forward as they feel ashamed or scared?
How many just learn to cope and live with ill mental health and it goes undiagnosed?

Dear World,

Could it be possible that skydiving, having raffles, competitions or running a marathon in the name of Mental Health is simply REDUCING the huge problem we have?

Is this form of REDUCTIONISM helping us to get to the root cause of WHY we have such a huge increase in mental health?

Is this form of REDUCTIONISM helping those who are desperate for help?

Do each of us have a Personal RESPONSIBILITY here?

Could it be possible that taking Responsibility for how we choose to live will make a difference to the state of our mental health?

As the author of this blog, I am no Professor of Mental Health.
However, I have studied the following which all relate to our mental health –

Mental Health & Psychiatry – Level 4
Drug, Alcohol & Solvent Abuse Counselling – Level 4
Advanced Psychotherapy
Depression Management
Advanced Psychology
Corporate and Professional Stress Consultant

We could say that all these hours of studying and memory recall in some way gives me the authority to speak about this subject.

Yes, I have learned a lot about mental health in theory.

BUT the real life stuff that I engage in with support workers, services users and the actual people suffering with mental health problems is where I learn and continue to learn the most.

This learning comes from people in all walks of life including prisoners and the homeless.

We cannot stick our mental health patients in a lab and double blind test them with controlled conditions. Science based evidence is not the only way, when each and every one of us are a true living science that does not require testing and double checking.

We as individual people are what they call anecdotal evidence – the thing our world seems to dismiss in favour of other types of evidence.

Our world wants ‘quantitative’ research and this ‘qualitative’ research does not seem to be taken as seriously. 

The following is taken from the Simple Living Global documents used for work purposes –

When a person is met and not judged they feel in that moment that there is some form of true connection and understanding. If the service provider, support worker or any person in authority are truly consistent in the way they choose to live, then this will over time build trust.

When the person giving support or guidance in any role is living in a responsible way every day and then offering the same, the person with mental health can feel an order and this no longer disturbs them.

To develop a deep level of consistency and to remain steady so that another can and will trust again, which then allows for true change to occur.

To address any mental health issue, it is important to not just focus on solutions for the mind but to introduce the person to a new way of living everyday by making the body the most important marker where connection is to be made first.

Placing attention, focus and detail to the body by instructing the mind to be with the body at the same time as carrying out the task so there is little or no room left for outer distractions in that moment. This means the mind is aligned to the body and the person is engaged and fully present.

If this is repeated it becomes a pattern of behaviour and these repeated actions become their foundation. This means that ‘self-care’ is at the core of their everyday life. This new focus develops self-responsibility and this has meaning and purpose, something that may not have been there before the Simple Living Global Back to Basics Program.

Our body is very responsive to basic simple and practical ways of living that are repeated daily.
However, the mind is not and it requires more and more stimulation and these distractions move us away from our body and this is the start of checking out.

There is no doubt the Simple Living Global Back to Basics Program works across the board for anyone, including those with mental health problems where we have seen reductions in medication. Common sense stuff that is our natural way of living and repeating it daily, is the foundation we all need if we are truly asking for change that no longer harms us.

‘When you are de-spirited because life is not what you desire it to be, in reaction, you wake up in the morning without being able to claim your body as something you want to live your life with – the spirit wants out.
You then either go into abuse and or shut-down and become purely if at times merely functional in a very self-abandoned manner.

This is the start of all ill mental health issues.’
Serge Benhayon, Esoteric Teachings & Revelations. p.607

Is this making any sense?

Could it be possible that this is telling us that we want it ‘our way’?

Could it be possible that if things are not how we want them, then we want out?

Could it be possible we have a strong reaction when our desired life is not real life?

Could it be possible we can relate to this or know others who behave in this way?

Is Serge Benhayon giving us a revelation here in a few simple words?

Could it be possible that a part of us ‘wants out’ – in other words not wanting that ‘part’ of life so we find our own solution?

Could it then be possible that our solution is to ‘shut-down’ or go into some form of abuse?

Could it be possible that to ‘shut-down’ actually harms our body?

Could it be possible that anything which is not deeply caring and respectful to our body is actually abuse?

Could it be possible that our self-neglect and dis-regarding ways are causing us mental health problems?

Could it be possible that making a choice to not connect to our body when things don’t go our way is the start of ill mental health?

The above maybe worth considering and joining the dots.   

Or is this just too simple for our complicated mind?

Putting plasma screens in our prison cells is not the answer to mental health in prison.

Attending a meeting in prison with a team of healthcare professionals did not deal with the mental health care plan as the prisoner was not present due to the state of his mental health.

Locking up our prisoners when they should be in mental health care institutes is not going to get us anywhere.

Locking up our inmates for more than 22 hours each day is not going to resolve our mental health crisis inside prison.

USA (15)

50% of prisoners in jails, state and federal prisons have some kind of mental illness. 21% most common mental illness is depression, followed by manic-depression, bi-polar disorder and mania. (2015)
This was based on the most reliable survey data of national scope available to the public which was collected in 2004 for state and federal prisons and 2002 for jails.

49% inmates in state prisons with mental health problems had violence as their most serious offence.
20% property crime
19% drug offences 

UK (16)

10% of men and 30% of women have had a previous psychiatric admission before entering prison.

25% of women and 15% of men in prison had symptoms indicative of psychosis. The general public rate is approx. 4%.

26% of women and 16% of men said that they had treatment for a mental health problem in the year before going into custody.

57% of women sentenced prisoners and 62% of men have a personality disorder.

49% of women and 23% of men in prison had anxiety and depression (Ministry of Justice study).

46% of women in prison have reported attempting suicide at some point. This is twice the rate of male prisoners.

Not addressing our staff welfare issues is clearly not helping our mental health population.

Not enough awareness training programmes for our police to deal with mental health issues is affecting them and their job.

Limited resources and not enough funding is not going to change our escalating mental health.

Charities that may lose funding after a year will not bring consistency to our youth who are self-harming and suffering mental health problems.

Lack of funding throughout when it comes to mental health is not resolving anything really.

Heaps and heaps of paperwork are keeping our support workers in the office and not with the people with mental health issues.

One service provider for homeless young people said: “We are frequently giving money to young people with no expectations.”

“Young people are given the responsibility of money, without properly being taught the value of money and the importance of budgeting.”

“Many young people in social services’ care struggle when they go on benefits because for years they have been handed out bulk payments of cash with little intervention if they decide to spend it all on cannabis.”

Who makes the decisions to hand over money that can be used for anything including drugs as a way of dealing with our homeless issue?

Are the public aware of this going on?

Where is the Responsibility?

Could it be possible that our lifestyle choices play a part in our mental health?
Could it be possible that we have not applied good old fashion common sense?
Could it be possible that if we went Back to Basics the tides would turn?
Could it be possible that Simple Living can make a difference to our mental health?

Could we be honest and say that mental health problems are weaving through all areas of our lives and are responsible for why most things are happening?

Something is missing?
Something is not right?

Could there be another way?

Is it worth giving the Simple Living Global Back to Basics Program a go or do we need to justify that mental health problems are more complicated?

We each have a responsibility for the choices we make consistently that can support our own well-being. This would lead to true health and well-being and our communities would benefit and equally in the long term our society, as the burden would be reduced on our currently exhausted health and social care systems. Bina Pattel

References

(1) (2016). World Mental Health Day – 10 October. World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/en

(2) (2016). World Mental Health Day. Timeanddate.com
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/un/world-mental-health-day

(3) (2013). Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013 – 2020. World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/mental_health/action_plan_2013/en

(4) (2016, April 13). Investing in Treatment for Depression and Anxiety Leads to Four Fold Return.  World Health Organization and World Bank
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2016/depression-anxiety-treatment/en

(5) (2013). Public Mental Health Priorities: Investing in the Evidence. Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2013. (p.100, p.116, p.117)

(6) McNicoll, A. (2016, September 7). Warning Over ‘Severe’ AMHP Shortages as Hundreds Leave
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/2016/09/07/warning-severe-amhp-shortages-hundreds-bow

(7) National Alliance on Mental Illness
http://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Raise-Awareness/Awareness-Events/Mental-Health-Month

(8) (2014). Any Mental Illness (AMI) Among U.S. Adults. National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/any-mental-illness-ami-among-us-adults.shtml

(9) (2010). Any Disorder Among Children. National Institute of Mental Health
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/any-disorder-among-children.shtml

(10) McManus, S., Bebbington, P., Jenkins, R., Brugha, T. (eds.) (2016) Mental health and wellbeing in England: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2014. Leeds: NHS Digital (p.8, p.11, p. 12, p.14, p.317)
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/adult-psychiatric-morbidity-survey-mental-health-and-wellbeing-england-2014 

(11) Campbell, D., & Siddique, H. (2016, September 29). Mental Illness Soars Among Young Women in England – Survey
http://bit.ly/2dwxNOE

(12) (2016, October 2). Police Officers and Staff Take 200,000 Sick Days Over Mental Health
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-37530914

(13) Chisolm, D., Sweeny, K., Sheehan, P., Rasmussen, B., Smit, F., Cuijpers, P. & Saxena, S. (2016, April 12). Scaling-Up Treatment of Depression and Anxiety: A Global Return on Investment Analysis. Lancet Psychiatry 2016; 3: 419
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(16)30024-4/abstract

(14) (2016, April). Mental Disorders – Fact Sheet. World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs396/en

(15) Becker-Cohen, M., Kim, K., & Serakos, M. (2015, April 7). The Processing and Treatment of Mentally Ill Persons in the Criminal Justice System. A Scan of Practice and Background Analysis. (pp. 8-9)
http://www.urban.org/research/publication/processing-and-treatment-mentally-ill-persons-criminal-justice-system/view/full_report

(16) (2016). Mental Health Care in Prisons. Prison Reform Trust
http://www.prisonreformtrust.org.uk/projectsresearch/mentalhealth

 

 

 

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Comments 120

  1. Mental health is one of those things that people do not like to talk about. I feel this is because they do not understand what mental health is.
    This blog explains what mental health is all about, the effect it is having on our our world, what is not working and a different way of approaching the problem that has had amazing results.

    I would not have been considered mentally ill, yet my quality of life was poor. Physically I was considered in great shape too. So what was going on?
    Then I found Simple-Living Global.
    By doing consistent, basic self care, I have been supporting my body to do the healing that it needed to do. (Our bodies know what to do).

    This has allowed me –
    To be less reactive to the world
    Feel a sense of ok-ness that I have never felt before
    Able to be in a real relationships with people
    Sleep better
    Physically feel great

    Thank you Simple-Living Global for supporting me in this process.

    If I had not done this work, I know I would at this time be very sick and probably would be considered mentality ill by our current definition.

    1. You are right Ken Elmer. We don’t want to talk about mental health and avoiding and ignoring it has made this global problem worse. Just take a look at the statistics presented in this blog. How many more are there and what are the real current figures today?

      You are confirming that the Simple Living Back to Basics Program works and it does not matter who you are, where you live, what you subscribe to, who you think you are or what educational background you have. In truth we all need to get a way of living that is easy, simple and practical. Basic stuff is the way we can have a strong sound foundation that supports us to deal with whatever life brings.

      It is time to question how on earth we are living on a daily basis and get honest for starters if we are ever going to see and feel real change.

      Mental Health can no longer be swept under the carpet. It is not going away.

  2. Thank you once again Simple Living Global as this is such an important topic to be talking about, as is EVERY topic that you write on. Interestingly I have just discovered that 10th October is also World Homelessness Day. It’s brilliant that you speak about homelessness here as mental health problems and homelessness are linked. For example people may lose their homes due to mental health problems as they have been unable to pay their rent or mortgage, they may lose their job, their relationships breakdown or their behaviour is in such a way that they are evicted for what is called ‘anti-social’ behaviour. I work in the homelessness sector and have done for the past 8 years. I can say first hand that we are seeing an increase in the number of cases with people having problems with their mental health and this includes young people (aged 16 – 25 year olds). Today I was told that in New York there are approx. 60,000 homeless people. The issue has been compounded, as with mental health, by a cut in funding and a lack of early intervention work. What has happened that we are allowing things to build up to a crisis and now we are unable to even deal adequately with crisis intervention? Something is not right and I feel that this blog and this website have the answer.

    1. You make some great points here Shevon. Keep on commenting as our world needs to read this and I agree this blog and this website do have answers for those who are open and ready to another way of living that is simple, basic and works.

      Interesting that World Homelessness Day is on the same day as World Mental Health Day and great that this blog has mentioned the correlation between mental health and homelessness.

      It is quite ‘normal’ for many people to live for each month and have no savings to cover rent or mortgage if they lost their job. Those who share and then separate or divorce can end up homeless and this is the start of a downward spiral for mental health in our communities everywhere.

      The ‘cut in funding and a lack of early intervention work’ you mention in New York can be echoed in other countries and UK for sure has this going on. Crisis intervention is not the answer as you say here and this blog certainly is presenting more and maybe it is time to look at WHY we have so many of our youth who will one day be our adults suffering with mental health problems.

  3. On Sunday 9th October the Guardian reported on this news article:
    Police Say They Are Becoming Emergency Mental Health Services
    https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/oct/09/police-forces-mental-health-section-136

    Here are some extracts and summaries from the article –

    “There is a real risk the high number of cases that frontline police deal with is because the police are stepping in where other agencies would have provided the support.”

    Police suspect a dramatic increase in their use of emergency powers to deal with people suffering a mental health crisis is because of cuts to community psychiatric care.

    There has been a large increase in the number of times section 136 of the Mental Health Act powers have been used by the police between 2005/6 – 2015. The numbers increased from approx. 17,417 in 2005/6 – 28,271 in 2015.

    The lead on mental health issues for the College of Policing, Inspector Michael Brown, told the Guardian:
    “Police are relied on as an emergency crisis service more now than previously. The police are using the power more. This may be attributable to some areas not having enough availability to care for people in the community, as opposed to in mental health hospitals and units.”

    As well as government funding, police have put greater effort towards reducing the number of mentally ill people being held in cells because health services do not have beds for them.

    ‘Police will get a minimum of two days of training on mental health issues, with some officers getting more.’

    This situation is really serious and as society and one humanity we really do need to take note as mental health problems are not going away but increasing.

    Each time that Simple Living Global releases a blog on here about mental health whether it be your Youth blog https://simplelivingglobal.com/international-youth-day/
    One on Suicide https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-suicide-prevention-day-10-september/

    or this one on World Mental Health Day

    I find that I will read something in the news that is related or conversations with others will bring this topic up.

    There is something very powerful about one person speaking up.

    Somehow it provides room for what is ordinarily taboo in society to be discussed.

    As one reader of your blogs I really respect and appreciate the increased awareness reading these blogs has brought to my life and the increased understanding and compassion for others.

    1. Thank you for adding great value to this blog Shevon Simon by sharing what the Police in the UK are expected to do due to government cutbacks on mental health funding in the community.
      I have first hand experience having attended a Police Mental Health Awareness Training. Those I connected with shared that they are not equipped to deal with mental health and this is not what they ‘signed up for’ – in other words, not part of their normal job.

      Next – this is interesting what you say about Simple Living Global blogs.
      Once they are released there is something soon after on the news about that actual topic.
      For example a few days after our Truth about Amphetamines blog was posted, there was news about a meth explosion in the UK.

      We could call it a co-incidence or dismiss it but what if, like you say, one person speaking up is ‘very powerful’.

      Just your last sentence is inspiring and confirming that keep on writing and bringing awareness to humanity which is exactly what this website is all about.

    2. Shevon this is exactly my experience too – that these blogs are opening up a depth of true conversation with others, raising up the level of discussion and awareness time after time. It makes you realise how much of a difference these blogs can make. Imagine if thousands of people had the same experience as you and me: soon the whole world would be shining a light on these subjects and perhaps we would see some real and much needed change.

  4. Since being shown another way by Simple Living Global, I have been developing a way of living which fosters ‘presence’.

    This is a very different way to be and I don’t need any scientist to prove to me that it is the antidote to mental illness; I know it is as I am living it.

    It is obvious that ‘checking out’ or ‘not dealing’ with things we don’t like is total irresponsibility… and yet, it is very common…

    Can we all take a moment to consider the particular (socially accepted or not) activities we use to avoid taking responsibility?

    I am much more aware, now, of the harm I can cause by living in levels of reacting to life and checking out.

    As a person who had mastered checking out but now lives in a closer, more loving relationship with my body, others and with life, I know that using more ‘distraction solutions’ for ourselves and/or our children is not the answer, nor is leaving the government or mental health organizations to deal with this problem of which we are all a part of.

    I feel that, in time, what this author presents will be revealed as total Responsibility and common sense.

    If we start taking true responsibility I know it will be obvious what is missing and what to do about it.

    The understandings presented in this blog make clear sense to me. We cant begin to reverse the growth in mental conditions until we stop and take a deeper more honest look at what is going on for us all in the area of mental health. I feel it will become more obvious as our ongoing real life experiments become more extreme, unfolding to show us the kinds of struggles people have who have not ‘been met’ in presence. One example of this “more extreme” lack of presence or “being met” is the many children under 5 I know who are ‘plugging in’ many hours per day in place of interacting with others and then literally going to bed using their kindles full of games.

    Are we not conducting an experiment in early childhood development on our children? I am sure we all know that nothing can replace quality time with another human being and so I am asking ‘can’t we look into the possibility that offering technology to young children in place of opportunities to relate with them, at a time when we are all already short on connecting with each other, is asking for more mental illness?’ A personal question for many parents and for all of us as role models, but isn’t it one worth considering?

    1. ‘I don’t need any scientist to prove to me that it is the antidote to mental illness; I know it is as I am living it’.
      This is a great claim you make in your comment here Jo Elmer.
      We seem to think and value that science based evidence is the only way to measure real change and yet you are confirming that by Living another way you have the antidote to mental illness.
      We can continue to dismiss anecdotal evidence which is real life people like you and me who lets not forget are a living science. Surely the best feedback is those who live and can confirm and claim their truth.

      Interesting what you say about how you was a person who had ‘mastered checking out’ and how you currently live.

      Great you talk about the RESPONSIBILITY factor here and the ‘irresponsibility’ that we choose to live.

      Your comment is a blog in itself as you are asking questions that the world needs to consider now as things are getting worse and our young children with their screen time may be affected with their mental health at earlier ages because there is less human connection and contact.

  5. Simply brilliant, well researched blog Simple Living Global. I love what you say here “Despite hundreds of millions of people around the world living with mental disorders, mental health has remained in the shadows.” You raise so many pertinent questions and start a much needed conversation about what is actually going on here.

    1. Thank You Jane Keep for confirming this is a well researched blog which indeed it is.
      There is of course more that could be added but this website is simply to get some much needed points across for the general public which we call humanity. It is not aimed at any individual or group. It is simply for the whole world – everyone.

      As our Questions Questions blog 7 in March quotes
      “The important thing is to NOT stop questioning”
      Albert Einstein

      As you say Jane raising questions, as this blog does, starts the ‘much needed conversation about what is actually going on here’.
      Mental Health is not going away and whilst we cannot make big government policy changes, we can at least do our bit and start talking about it so there is more awareness.

      No questions and no conversations guarantees no changes.

  6. Thank you Simple Living Global for laying out the bare facts on mental health so a true perspective on this growing global problem is here for all to read. Where you say when aligning the mind with the body so the person is engaged and fully present done conssitantly builds a foundation of self care leading to trust, it makes so much sense the effect this has on wellbeing and mental health and the fact that you have had mental health patients reduce their medication from this speaks for itself. The Back to Basics Program offers techniques for this for everyone, a simple way to bring stability and trust into our lives.

    1. Thank You Ruth for confirming the techniques presented from the Back to Basics Program does offer a simple way to bring stability as it offers a foundation. What builds a rock solid sound foundation is outlined in our Foundation blog on this website posted in April.
      Consistency is a key word here as this repeated way of living that truly supports us is needed if we are to feel steady and equipped to deal with whatever life brings.
      The living proof is in our anecdotal testimonials. These are real life, real people from all walks of life saying this Back to Basics stuff works. Why it works is because the person actually lives what is being presented. In other words it is coming from their living body.
      So in my experience I have found that others are inspired as they feel something different. These are not just words or a theory being presented but real life stuff that works and the magic is there is no individual or group it is designed for. It is for ALL of us EQUALLY.

  7. As a health professional I know first hand the extent of the mental health crisis we are currently facing. It is huge as the stats in this blog rightly show. There is not enough emphasis placed on the importance of connection, connection with ourselves, our bodies and each other. I love this author’s focus on going Back to Basics. As kids all we want is to be connected with. The fact of the matter is that it is same when we become adults.

    1. “As kids, all we want is to be connected with” – I KNOW this to be true. You see it in young kids with their ‘look at me’ demands. They want connection for sure. We all do. And yet how many of us are truly getting it? How many of us are giving it to ourselves, never mind our children?
      It is shocking but makes sense to read that 1/2 of all lifetime mental disorders start by the time people are in their mid-teens and 3/4 start by mid-twenties. We really need to be looking at this: why is it and now we know it, what needs to change, what does each of us need to be doing differently to turn this tide? And when you join those statistics with the crazy statistics on social media consumption and the impact it has on mental health, isn’t there something here to see also? And when you join that with the rise in cyber abuse, aren’t we also in OH-OH territory? Time for a step change me thinks.

      1. Great point JS about how many of us are actually giving it to ourself, let alone our kids. We have to start with connecting first to our inner most before we can truly support another, including our children.
        You are right – we need to look into WHY our teenagers and youth are suffering with mental health. It is time to join the dots and get real and at least start with being honest about what is not working.
        Could it be possible that our young people are not truly connecting because of social media. We cannot blame all these platforms because they supply what we demand. That is the basic simple economics of business and how it works.

    2. Great point you make here Elizabeth Dolan as a health professional that we as adults are no different to kids – we need connection. It is true to say we do not put emphasis on the importance of connection to ourself, our bodies and each other.
      WHY is this?
      WHY do we not value connection above anything else?

  8. 1 in 6 of us has a mental disorder? I did not know mental health was so out of control. It sounds like mental health issues are becoming the norm, which is surely cause for a massive wake up call. Something is going on here and it’s weird we are not all rallying on it. The corporate ‘speak’ from the authorities is incomprehensible and does not even sound human, yet the statistics show it is surely time for some basic humanity and a simple, powerful action plan. What I’m reading in this blog is that maybe mental health issues are actually more simple to address than we might realise and we have been looking in the wrong place for the answers: running down rabbit holes of complexity.
    How about a research project to extend the experience of the author and test whether Back to Basics could work on a large scale?
    It makes perfect sense that connecting to our bodies and working on staying ‘present’ would build an enduring foundation for life and would represent a seismic shift in self care; caring enough to be ‘with ourselves’ even when times are tough and building from there. From what I can see, very few people are teaching this and we’re all checking out on this or that distraction, so we don’t have to look at or feel what’s really going on. Imagine if this WAS taught, even if only first to a control group of those at risk or suffering from mental health issues.
    Wouldn’t the results be interesting?
    What if that could turn around the crazy statistics above?
    As a race of people clearly suffering, aren’t we worth it?

    1. The statistics are spelling out to us that mental health is ‘out of control’ as you say JS.
      What we know is it continues to rise and ‘running down rabbit holes of complexity’ is not the answer. Our world is relying on scientific based evidence but try telling those locked up inside prison with mental health issues that science is working on answers but in the meantime, take your pills and get on with it.
      That is one group in society and add to that our youth and all the other stats mentioned and it would be fair to say, we have a huge problem on planet earth.
      Funding seems to be a big issue and yet Simple Living Global are proposing Back to Basics which is super cost effective and hands back the Responsibility to the person. Time to get real and its high time we talk about this so we can get to the Truth.

      What if something so basic and simple can actually work?
      What if there are others who have applied this and it has worked?

      1. I read about the Rikers Island prison in New York.

        It holds 10,000 inmates. 77,000 people cycle through it each year. 85% have not yet been convicted of a crime e.g. those who are pre-trial.

        At least 40% of inmates have been diagnosed with a mental health issue. And that’s just those actually diagnosed.

        In 2016, the New York Mayor announced a $25million+ investment to build intensive care mental health units on the Island, with the primary goal of reducing intense violence and improving safety for inmates, which had reached an all time low.

        So many people cycling through a very scary place. 10,000 people at any one time – the size of a small town. So many people suffering mental health issues.

        What if, as this blog presents, there is another way?

        The folks in charge in New York would do well to read this blog.

        Here is one woman’s account of treating patients from Rikers Island:
        http://time.com/4286829/mental-health-care-prisons/

        And here is a report on the financial investment:
        http://www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/394-16/mayor-de-blasio-triple-intensive-care-mental-health-units-rikers-island

        And proposals to close the jail or reducing the number of inmates:
        https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/02/nyregion/rikers-island-jail-closure-plan.html

  9. The statistics on the relationship between mental illness and offending are mind blowing. If almost half of prisoners in U.S. jails have some kind of mental illness and nearly half of those committed violent offences, what sort of impact is mental health having on the prison system, let alone the planet? And it isn’t a stretch to consider those to be just the tip of the statistics iceberg. It makes absolute sense that those crying out for help would take extreme measures and it’s clear from this blog our infrastructure is simply not set up to support them. It’s no surprise, then, to hear of our doctors, police officers, social services and support workers struggling under the strain. And it seems we are far from valuing the work of these workers. Why do we pay people who are out there on the front line caring for our mentally ill less than we pay office workers.

  10. Dear World,
    We feel to share this newspaper article from a few months ago –
    Mental Health costs the NHS £77,000,000,000 a year – more than heart disease and cancer combined says Delia McCabe, Clinical Psychologist.
    p.46 Daily Mail – 29 October 2016

    What is going on – this is one small country and this is for ONE YEAR.
    £77 billion pounds is mega bucks and where is this money coming from?
    Something is clearly not right and what are we all doing about it?

    We are in serious trouble and it is time to get real and honest – pumping more money and resources is not bringing any significant change.

    Do we have a revelation in that quote from Serge Benhayon on this blog?
    Here it is again –
    ‘When you are de-spirited because life is not what you desire it to be, in reaction, you wake up in the morning without being able to claim your body as something you want to live your life with – the spirit wants out.
    You then either go into abuse and or shut-down and become purely if at times merely functional in a very self-abandoned manner.
    This is the start of all ill mental health issues.’
    Serge Benhayon, Esoteric Teachings & Revelations. p.607

    Is he saying something different?
    Is this making any sense to us?
    Could there be a clue here for us all?
    Could it be that simple?
    Could this be the possible answer?
    Lets break it down into simple steps.

    We wake up, life sucks. Things are boring.
    We don’t like what life is dishing out to us.
    We want excitement.
    We want another persons life.
    We get up reacting as we can feel our body and all the ill choices we have made and keep making.
    So we have a solution.
    We have something we can do to ‘fix’ this feeling.
    We make a choice.
    We check out of life – in other words we no longer commit to life.
    WHY? – because we don’t like our choices.
    Check out can be hiding, avoiding, day dream, la la land fantasies or keep away from connecting with others.
    Check out can also be doing things that numb us, distract us and move us away from dealing with daily life – the stuff we all need to get on with which is part of life.
    What we call RESPONSIBILITY.
    So we make the choice to bop along existing and functioning but there is no real care of regard for our body that we drag around day in and day out.
    So ADD all this up and could this be the START of ‘ill mental health issues’ that Serge Benhayon is talking about?

    Could it be possible that if we made a choice to COMMIT TO LIFE and take RESPONSIBILITY for all our choices we may just see mental health figures decreasing?
    Possible?

  11. HOT NEWS –

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-38548567

    Theresa May announces today Plans to “transform” attitudes to mental health, with a focus on children and young people.

    Check out the link for more details but here are a few important points –

    The UK Government says, at any time, one in four people have a mental disorder, with an annual cost of £105,000,000,000.

    Figures show young people are affected disproportionately with over 50% of mental health problems starting by the age of 14 and 75% by 18.

    Care for children and young people needs urgent attention as pressures of social media, cyber bullying and a big increase in self-harming was a “massive worry for parents”.
    Jeremy Hunt – Health Secretary

    There is no new Treasury money for the plans. Funding for care is still challenging.
    Ministers will argue money isn’t everything but it remains an unresolved part of the mental health agenda.
    Hugh Pym – BBC Health Editor

    We have a long way to go before mental health services are on an equal footing with those for physical disorders.
    Professor Sir Simon Wessely – President of Royal College of Psychiatrists

    Is this the big wake up call or do we need more?
    1 in 4 is telling us something is very serious and we have not addressed it?
    One country spending £105 billion a year on mental health?
    What is the global figure based on this?
    With all our advanced intelligence WHY have we not worked out the root cause of mental health?
    We are seeking solutions to get this problem under control but WHY are we not finding out how our kids and adults get mental health issues in the first place?
    How are we living that gives rise to mental health?

    Does this blog present something simple that makes sense?
    Could the answer be in the previous comment?
    Could the answer be in what Serge Benhayon is saying?

    Nothing else is working so is it time to make things simple, stick our common sense hat on, get real and honest about our life and the daily choices we are making?

  12. In the UK Mental Health costs the NHS £77,000,000,000 a year.
    This is more than heart disease and cancer combined…

    (statistic from: Delia McCabe, Clinical Psychologist. p.46 Daily Mail – 29 October 2016)

    Never mind the money, this statistic represents a lot of suffering a whole lot of people are in and they don’t know where to turn…

    Is it possible that the answer is right in front of us (inside us) but we continue avoiding it because it is all about taking responsibility to a deeper level than we have wanted to take it?

    I know, for me, that facing my great avoidance of taking true responsibility has reversed my mental illness where nothing else had budged it. I have been off of antidepressants for 6 years and I don’t even need coffee or tea to ‘pick-me-up’.

    We have examples of many many people now who have truly overcome mental illness by taking self-accountability to another level…

    …so is it worth considering the lived experience being shared here on this web site?

  13. Thank you for sharing the HOT NEWS Simple Living Global in your
    comment on 9th January 2017, of Theresa May’s announcement of plans to transform attitudes to mental health.

    In response BBC News asked people to share their experiences of mental health services.

    Here is a comment from the BBC News website from a mental health nurse. It further highlights the poignancy of the situation and the reality of how much staff are struggling.

    ‘Mental health services have been in crisis for the last five years.
    [In my job as a community psychiatric nurse,] we have no beds or resources.
    My team has over 90 people on its caseload.
    We struggle to cope with 45.
    The system is broken.
    We take people on to avoid admission, but we have no beds to admit to.
    This year, [after 40 years,] I have had enough, it’s time for me to go, I cannot cope with the strain and pressure anymore…’

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38561016

  14. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/wellbeing/mood-and-mind/mental-health-crisis-among-children-selfie-culture-sees-cases/

    Hot News just out – The Telegraph 22 January 2017

    Mental Health Crisis among children as selfie culture sees cases of anxiety rise.

    This news article is saying soaring numbers of children are being admitted to hospital suffering from anxiety. NHS data shows the number of young patients being treated on hospital wards has risen by 42% in one year, with thousands of pre-teen children receiving such a diagnosis.

    Children and young people face a huge range of pressures, including stress at school, body image issues, bullying on and offline, around-the-clock social media and uncertain job prospects.
    These problems are often impacted by a need to keep up with friends and to have the perfect life; and the 24/7 nature of technology means that young people can never escape this pressure.
    Dr. Marc Bush – Chief policy advisor at Young Minds.

    One in four young women aged between 18 and 24 have self-harmed.

    Latest statistics are showing girls treated as hospital inpatients after cutting themselves has almost quadrupled in a decade and the number of cases among boys has close to tripled.

    In 2015/16, new figures show more than 10,000 under the age of 18 and 200 cases involving children aged four and five and 92 diagnoses of children aged three or less were admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of anxiety.

    Our kids are calling Childline about their anxiety, with a 35% rise in calls about anxiety in the year 2015/16.

    Something is seriously wrong and we all thought mental health was just affecting adults.
    Why are our youth seeking the perfect life? https://simplelivingglobal.com/perfect-life/
    WHY are they feeling so much pressure to keep up with friends?
    WHY are we not stepping up and supporting our children to be real and honest?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/get-real-get-honest-and-get-to-truth/

    What is going on and how come these figures are escalating?
    WHY do we allow cyber-abuse when we have the power to stop it?
    WHY are we not policing the Internet with a RESPONSIBILITY to eradicate the harm?
    What is missing when experts say figures are reflecting a generation under pressure?
    What is the pressure of around the clock social media and cyber bullying doing to the mental health of our future adult generation?
    How can we stop this?
    What are we doing about this?
    Where is our Responsibility if our young children and teenagers are ending up in hospital with anxiety?
    Are we doing our job and taking full Responsibility as parents and guardians?
    Is there more we could be doing?
    Are we aware of what is really going on for our kids today?
    Could it be possible that our kids don’t want another phone or gadget to keep them addicted to social media?
    Could it be possible that our children are needing real connection, real conversations, real discipline, real boundaries and real open discussions where they feel met and heard?
    How bad are things going to get before we dig deeper for some real answers?
    Is it time we stopped blaming everyone including the governments and started looking at how we are choosing to live that may have a hand in why our kids are suffering with anxiety?

  15. The other dummy is now a “Digital dummy” and having observed this in real life situation it works.
    A two year old engaging with a screen and it keeps them quiet.
    It is quite normal now so we could say it is the modern day parenting for some.

    Old fashion common sense stuff is not even on the radar and we wonder why as you say we have a rise in statistics like this.

    The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health – 2016
    Page 4 – Introduction
    66.7 million individuals in the United States aged 12 or older admitted to binge drinking.
    27.1 million people aged 12 or older used an illicit drug

    So here we have one nation with staggering statistics.
    What if we stopped to just pause and read this blog and then join the dots.
    Could it be possible that our 12 year olds would not be binge drinking or taking drugs if our parenting had the word RESPONSIBILITY in it?
    Is this what is missing?

    Is it our Responsibility, our duty to ensure we meet our young children for who they truly are and bring true communication to the dinner table every day?
    Is this the answer?
    Is this what will eventually turn the tides?
    Is this more true than finding solutions to address a global issue which is escalating so fast we don’t really have the true statistics today?

  16. Thank you for sharing this link and well worth our reader listening to the audio
    http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-13/south-korean-children-seek-help-at-digital-detox-boot-camp/6769766

    This is one country – a microcosm of the real big issue we have on our watch.
    It tells us that 1 in 10 kids are addicts and whilst the bootcamp is offering social interaction and communication – is this enough?
    A bit like rehab – we tend to have the environment and setting that allows the space to heal but is it true healing?
    If it is then WHY do the majority not abstain long term?
    Is it that simple? Is taking away the toys that they need the real answer or do we as parents need to look at our hand in all of this?
    It is easy to point the finger, but when a child who is top in their class gets hooked into internet addiction where they have no friends other than on-line, should we all be asking more questions like What on earth is going on?

    How serious is it when a Professor tells us that there is no front lobe activity in the brain when we play internet games?
    How is this going to play out long term?
    Are these our future adult generations who will have mental health issues?
    Are these our future adults running our nations?
    Are these our future people who have no true real human relationships?
    Are these youth checking out now from life and responsibility?
    Are these youth in need of real role models in their life?
    Are these young people simply using the internet as a means of connection to fill a void in their life?
    Are we ready to dig deeper and find out what is missing OR is there a simple answer that this blog is presenting?

  17. Evening Standard – 26 January 2017
    Students are to have their social media feeds monitored under a radical plan to improve mental health and wellbeing and prevent suicide.
    WHY do we need this initiative?
    Is it simple and obvious that something is clearly not right here?
    What is social media doing to our students, our kids and in fact all of us who use it?
    Would it be true to say that there is a direct correlation with social media and mental health?
    What is social media screen time giving us?
    What does this allow us to do and not do?
    Could it be possible that engaging in this way dis-connects us from people?
    Could it be possible that not having real life communication affects us?
    Could it be possible that this type of excess is not a natural way of living?
    Could it be possible that this is what gives rise to ill mental health?
    Possible?

    1. What is it about social media?

      I was on Facebook for a while when it started and I found the whole thing tedious. Yes, you could reconnect with people and catch up with what they are doing and share ideas, but there were other aspects I just didn’t want in my life. The sense of a filtered reality for a start. It felt like people were putting stuff on there to present the picture of their lives to the world they wanted to be true: airburshed pictures and thoughts and experiences. I found myself judging people and comparing myself and I didn’t like it. I also felt a pressure to post: 1 more thing on the to do list. I decided the whole thing was a waste of my time and came off it.

      I can see how easy it would be to get hooked in and for it to affect your self worth and for that to result in mental health issues. And much has been written about this. There are people – children as well as adults – who have to take selfies constantly to keep reconfirming their existence and value. Hundreds of selfies a day. And we’re apparently checking our phones a crazy amount now, something like 85 times a day: online a third of our waking time.

      A few months back, I tried for a week to limit the number of times I check my phone. Bearing in mind I’m not on Facebook or too active on Twitter, I thought this would be easy. How wrong I was. Checking my phone was habitual: an addiction. Noticing when I went to check it was particularly interesting. Times in between things, meaning there was constant activity – no space to just be and to breathe. Times when I was doing something else and should have been concentrating, e.g. in a meeting with someone who should have had my full attention. I also saw that I went to my phone rather than the person sitting next to me – on the bus, for example.

      Isn’t that sad – that we would go to our phone for some sort of buzz up, hit or connection and completely miss connecting with the human right by our side? And that our phone addiction would keep us from taking even a moment to check in with ourselves and take a breath. How are we living like this?

      What is written here about this generation of kids being the next generation of adults really hits home. They will be our teachers and doctors and politicians and bus drivers. It’s convenient to ignore that as we hurry around in our own little worlds, but it’s serious. How will they be if we don’t arrest these issues? How will the world be? And what are we doing about it? And if most of us have the same additions and issues, WHO is helping them?

      I made a promise to myself I would do an ‘only check your phone 5 times a day’ experiment regularly. Writing this, I reckon it’s time for me to do it again. Perhaps we should all have a go. Maybe a national #leaveyourphoneathome day? That even has a name, by the way: ‘nomophobia’.

  18. https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/dec/14/majority-of-students-experience-mental-health-issues-says-nus-survey

    National Union of Students survey – 78% of students say they experience mental health issues in the last year. This news story is December 2015 so what is the real figure today?
    A third of the respondents said they had suicidal thoughts.

    More than half who reported having experienced mental health problems said they did not seek support.
    A third said they would not know where to get mental health support form at their college or university if they needed it.
    40% reported being nervous about the support they would receive from their institution.

    This article also has students talking about ‘fitting the student stereotype” and that university would be ‘the best years of your life’ and there is an anxiety among young people to live up to that expectation.
    University environment can be highly isolating after leaving home and the securities of that environment.

    These findings are serious.
    It is 2017 so these statistics are out of date.
    WHY are our students suffering in silence should be the number one question?

    This is our future working population and if this is going on whilst they are studying then what is life going to be like being in employment and adult life?
    Are we asking or demanding that more research is done to find out what actually goes on for these guys who maybe struggling?
    Those who make it to college and university are classed as ‘educated and academic’, which means they have an Intelligence that we recognise in our temporal world.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/what-is-intelligence-part-1/

    WHY is this type of intelligence giving our students mental health issues?
    WHY are our students not working things out and using their intelligence?
    WHY does this intelligence not allow for any common sense?
    WHY does this intelligence endorse student life with alcohol, which is a scientific proven poison?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-alcohol/
    WHY does this intelligence not make simple sense?

    Could it be possible that how our students are choosing to live is what gives rise to the ill mental health that is now becoming more prevalent in society today?

  19. Guatemala had a civil war between 1960 – 1996. This has resulted in significant mental health problems.

    People that had experienced violence were more than 4 times likely to have alcohol related disorders and post traumatic stress disorder, during the civil war.

    In 2015, 40% Guatemalians had no access to mental health services.

    Puac-Polanco, lead author of the study which has revealed the above statistics has said ‘The linkage between violence and mental health problems remains significant in Guatemala and our study will hopefully raise awareness of this linkage and the need for greater investments in mental health resources in Guatemala and other nations affected by persistent violence.’

    http://www.news-medical.net/news/20150226/Study-finds-link-between-violence-during-Guatemala-civil-war-and-mental-health-problems.aspx

    The average civil war lasts 5 years and whilst the findings were that during the post-war period mental ill health has been on the decline, what have been the true effects that are not measurable?

    Even though a civil war ends, have we stopped to consider whether the war inside us ends and whether this also has something to do with mental ill health?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-war-inside-us/

  20. https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2014/mar/06/mental-health-academics-growing-problem-pressure-university

    This news story which is 3 years old was saying back then about Why mental illness is on the rise in academia. Research indicating that nearly half of academics show symptoms of psychological distress. There is heaps to read on this link if anyone is interested.

    An article that highlighted a “culture of acceptance” in universities around mental health issues reported instances of depression, sleep issues, eating disorders, alcoholism, self-harming and even suicide attempts among PhD students.

    What sticks out in this news report is this one sentence –
    “But while anecdotal accounts multiply, mental health issues in academia are little-researched and hard data is thin on the ground.”

    So here we have it – real life personal facts that are not seen as absolute and accurate because it lacks all that science type testing with research and research. Yet this type of evidence is multiplying and things have got worse three years later.

    We should all be asking –
    WHY are mental health issues in academia little-researched?
    WHY is hard data thin on the ground?

    “..doctoral and early-career scholars are seldom trained in how to firmly draw that line and value themselves beyond their work.” Nadine Muller of Liverpool University
    WHY are our academics not able to work out with their intelligence the value and importance of a work life balance and not wait for training to give them the common sense stuff?

    Bit strange that many of our academics – those who do all this research are suffering with some form of ill mental health but there has been no real change.
    Are we ready to question the intelligence that we think is the real intelligence?
    If it is the real intelligence then how come some of these people have mental health issues?
    Is it that we cannot challenge this intelligence and this is why there is not hard evidence?
    Is it because we have all subscribed to this intelligence as the be all and end all of education?

    Our Intelligence blog part 1 is presenting another Intelligence and more to come in part 2 – May 2017. https://simplelivingglobal.com/what-is-intelligence-part-1/

    It may be worth considering – is there another way as common sense tells us, if things were great with our current intelligence then those teaching us this intelligence would not be suffering with all the mental health issues mentioned in the news article.

    1. Thank you Simple Living Global for opening up the conversation here about mental health problems in academia.

      There is an enormous amount of pressure in academia and the question arises – is it worth it?

      What is the benefit of gaining a PhD for example, at the expense of one’s health, if we are then left to live an empty and dissatisfied life as we push to get the prize of a qualification?

      I am not saying that we should not have qualifications, but something in the way that we go about it and they way we harm ourselves in the process, by not eating for example, not sleeping, disengaging from others, to get the work done, is part of the problem.

      The author of this Guardian article below, speaks of the affects on their own mental health and others whilst studying for a PhD and the culture of acceptance around it.

      https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/blog/2014/mar/01/mental-health-issue-phd-research-university

      You will see that the article has been written anonymously.

      It reports on real situations as you have mentioned in your comment, including students experiencing

      Depression
      Sleep Issues
      Eating Disorders
      Alcoholism
      Self-Harming
      Suicide Attempts
      Physical Health Problems

      The writer is saying and I agree that this is not acceptable and the fact that we are accepting all of the above as normal, is part of the problem.

  21. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/07/prison-doctor-jails-inmates-addicts-sentences

    So here we have a news article from a prison doctor saying that the UK jails are in crisis and we need to stop locking up addicts and people who are mentally ill.

    “Instead of spending millions on “super prisons”, the state would be better employed building additional psychiatric hospitals and homes to accommodate the hundreds, if not thousands, of them languishing in jail. Instead of helping them to overcome their mental impairment, society is punishing them on a par with those who commit armed robbery, rape and murder is antiquated at best and nonsensical at worst.

    So this is what is going on with some of our mentally ill patients and who are we pointing the finger at and where does the blame stop?

    WHY are we not opting for a non custodial sentence for those who need mental health support?
    WHY are we locking up a woman with young children for failing to pay a bill?
    The same woman had to be prescribed sleeping tablets on arrival at the prison.
    What state of mind will this woman be living in and what impact will it have on her mental health?

    Can we join the dots and agree something is seriously wrong.
    We all know that drug taking can lead to all types of mental health problems.
    Are we going about it the right way and if yes, then why are things getting worse?

    Is it high time we started asking questions and talking about mental health as it is not going away with our current solutions.

  22. If I ignore what my beliefs are around what mental illness is, I get that it is something about thinking that makes you ill.
    I have never been diagnosed with any kind of mental illness and nobody would consider me mentally ill, but I know that my thoughts have made feel terrible.
    I woke up one night and felt like I was going to die. I guess it was a panic attack. I was able to focus on my breathing and not think about all the things that might happen, and this allowed me to calm down. A very powerful experience.
    So my thoughts made me feel like I was going to die. What I think is extremly powerful, it can control my reality. So if I can choose what to think, is that all it takes to take contol of my life? Maybe how I live has a big influence on what I choose to think.

    I feel it is time to start questioning what we have created on our earth. Is it really working? Is it time to be open to another way to live that is really different?

    Simple Living Global and Universal Medicine, have presented another way look at life that is worth considering. It has transformed my life and many other lives. It allows us to access all the amazing wisdom that we all have to heal ouselves and our world.

  23. http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/14/health/climate-change-mental-health-eprise/index.html

    Hot news from CNN – 14 March 2017

    Depression, anxiety, PTSD: The mental impact of climate change

    The highlights of this news story is telling us that studies show higher levels of depression, anxiety and PTSD among flood victims.
    Heat waves are linked to greater potential for aggression.
    Droughts have led to some farmers committing suicide after suffering losses.

    Natural disasters as we call it are happening more often and we are told the rise in frequency is due to climate change.

    A study to find out the extent of the psychological burden among direct flood victims –
    20% diagnosed with depression
    28.3% diagnosed with anxiety
    36% with post-traumatic stress disorder

    “The worse the damage, the more likely a person is to have a mental health problem.”
    Dr. James Rubin – Psychologist, Kings College, London

    “Slower changes such as increasing global temperature come consequences such as aggression and violent behaviour.
    If people are depressed, they are not going to be able to work effectively.”
    Susan Clayton – Professor of Psychology, Wooster University, UK.

    Both Rubin and Clayton believe it is crucial to look further into this field of research and make it a priority, as the repercussions will go far beyond individual families and communities.

    This is confirming that we have even more people suffering with mental health because of the rise in climate disasters.

    How are we going to cope with the limited resources, funding and budgets that most countries have allocated for mental health?

    If we just stop and read the bit on this blog that says –
    40% of our approved mental health professionals were experiencing depression and anxiety disorders in 2012, what is the real figure today in 2017 five years later?

    This is where things become serious and we all need to wake up.

    Something is clearly not right if our mental health qualified staff are experiencing mental health problems themselves.

    Could it be possible that this figure may not be accurate as many may not come forward as there is a stigma if you go saying you have mental health problems?
    Could it be possible that our mental health professionals who do suffer with depression and anxiety disorders have a blind spot?
    That means they cannot really help another if they have that issue living inside their body.
    A bit like a doctor telling you to give up alcohol but they drink wine every night.

  24. This is an interesting article https://knowridge.com/2017/02/your-quality-of-life-hinges-on-well-being-not-diseases/

    The findings bring a very different result to what we are used to reading and give much to consider around health, mental health and the causes of lack of wellbeing.

    Two findings from this study –

    ‘Poor mental health, which afflicts one in eight older adults, undermines health in ways not previously recognised’.

    ‘Sensory function and social participation play critical roles in sustaining or undermining health’.

    Rather than rely on a checklist of infirmities—heart disease, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, and cholesterol levels—perhaps it’s time to consider a new “comprehensive model” that looks at factors such as psychological well-being, sensory function, and mobility.

    This makes so much sense to me with amount of stress, anxiety, pressured and rushed lifestyle we have, the withdrawing because of how we feel inside and not feeling we can cope, turning to what props us up. I can see how these factors and many others would greatly impact wellbeing and general health.

    The above article confirms to me what Simple Living Global says in this blog, if changing our focus from the illness and ailments we have to taking small basic steps to care for ourselves in a quality way, not only would we be improving our quality of life and so our health but we could then take this to others needing help and share from our own experience.. our lived way, which can be heard and felt, like with the author of this blog.

    Would going Back To Basics, connecting back to our body, setting a regular sleep pattern, doing some gentle exercise be a way to start?

    If quality of life depends upon wellbeing is it time for us to take Responsibility for ourselves?
    Could this be the answer to changing the quality of our life?… and so our health?

  25. Thank you Simple Living Global for highlighting a very important subject. The statistics shown here show just how important the issue of mental health is and yet, these figures are several years old

    As this blog states, because of the shame and guilt around admittance of a mental health disorder, what are the true figures?

    It is clear that the systems that are in place at the moment are not working as the incidence of mental health is increasing and the staff that are trained to deal with these issues are leaving due to the increased pressures on them.

    The quote below (taken from this blog) from Serge Benhayon, brings it down to a simple explanation: we haven’t got our life the way we want it so we basically give up on life.

    ‘When you are de-spirited because life is not what you desire it to be, in reaction, you wake up in the morning without being able to claim your body as something you want to live your life with – the spirit wants out.
 You then either go into abuse and or shut-down and become purely if at times merely functional in a very self-abandoned manner.
 This is the start of all ill mental health issues.’

    Serge Benhayon, Esoteric Teachings & Revelations. p.607

    Is this saying that ALL mental health issues are avoidable by simply changing the way we live?

    Is this saying ALL mental health issues are avoidable by taking RESPONSIBILITY for our everyday choices?

    I feel the answer to these questions is – YES – and as the Simple Living Back to Basics Program says, when these choices are repeated it becomes a pattern and then this pattern leads to a new foundation, a new foundation of self-care and self-respect.

  26. 28th March 2017

    News headline in CityAM Newspaper reads –

    Staff Need More Help on Mental Health Problems

    The paper reports on the discrepancy between how well managers in the U.K. feel that they support their staff as opposed to how supported staff ACTUALLY feel.

    A study by Mind revealed that only 54% of staff felt that their line manager supported their mental health however 73% of line managers said they felt confident in supporting staff with mental health difficulties.

    Where staff had difficulties with their mental health they said that work was a contributory factor.

    Only 26% said that they were likely to seek support from their line manager, if they were having mental health problems.

    From personal experience, there is a lot of stigma, especially at work at not being able to cope, so instead we very often try to overcompensate rather than be honest about how we’re feeling and what we can do. With the overcompensating comes burnout and eventually ill health as we drive our bodies to do more and meet those deadlines and targets.

    As a result managers may not truly know how they’re staff are feeling, hence the higher percentage from managers in the above study.

    The real picture of how people feel at work is often masked by coffee, nicotine, sugar, food, drugs, gossip and other stimulants to keep going. With a focus on performance and targets rather than genuine caring relationships being developed between staff and managers, it is no wonder that this study reveals that staff need more support.

    It is actually not a weakness to be honest about what we can and can’t do, but a strength.

  27. Has anyone heard of Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)?

    https://scienmag.com/aggression-disorder-linked-to-greater-risk-of-substance-abuse/

    I hadn’t.

    IED is a condition marked by frequent physical or verbal outburst and those suffering from it are at five times greater risk for abusing substances like alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.

    IED affects over 16 million Americans and outbursts can involve domestic violence, rage behind the wheel of the car, throwing or breaking things. They may hurt others, themselves or cause property damage. Once the episode has finished, mostly the person feels embarrassed and remorseful.

    IED is a relatively unknown mental disorder that distinguishes itself by presenting uncalled for anger, which is seen as a social-behavioural issue instead of as a true neurobiological disorder.

    “People don’t see this as a medical problem. They think of it as simply bad behavior they have developed over the course of their lives, but it isn’t. It has significant biology and neuroscience behind it,” said Coccaro, who is the Ellen C. Manning Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at UChicago.

    IED generally begins in the early teens and can lead to depression, anxiety and substance abuse.

    An issue of IED is the tricky diagnosis. Because the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and drug or alcohol abuse are similar, doctors sometimes confuse the diagnosis.

    As this blog says, ‘despite hundreds of millions of people around the world living with mental disorders, mental health has remained in the shadows’.

    With the already long list of diagnosable mental health illnesses, we can now add IED.

    How many more ‘new’ mental health conditions will be diagnosed in the future?

    How much more money, time and resources have to be spent before governments and health authorities start to bring mental health out of the shadows and give it the priority that it deserves?

    1. Yes Jane people are being diagnosed with dementia at younger and younger ages.

      I have watched people with dementia and even though they are in adult bodies, it is like they have reverted to being children again.

      Not too long ago I read an article about a woman who was aged 58. She would have been described as a high flier in her field.

      This woman was indispensable in her department as she knew everything; priding herself on never forgetting anything and having very good memory recall but then she noticed that she was getting very tired.

      Her mind started to feel foggy

      Then the physical falls started happening

      The thing that struck me the most was this lady was talking about how she would wake in the middle of the night with anxiety, desperate to remember what she needed to ‘get through’ a day in the office. She described how she would have a pile of yellow post it notes by her bed and that they were getting bigger and bigger as she wrote down more things to remember.

      She describes it as her brain and her legs no longer talking to each other.

      To live like this must be terrifying, especially to feel that disconnection between the mind and the body.

      What is it that causes this disconnection and WHY does it happen?

      Does this sense of two parts of the body being disconnected happen overnight or is this something that starts much much earlier?

      Do we have a way of living that endorses the mind not being with our bodies and places greater emphasis and importance on what the mind can recall?

      Is this the cause of dementia?

  28. How is it that children as young as four are suffering from panic attacks, anxiety and depression?

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39589910

    Nearly 2000 members of the NASUWT (National Association of Schoolmasters And Union of Women Teachers) were surveyed.

    Among the many statistics provided, a sobering reality emerged –

    90% of teachers said they had experienced a pupil of any age suffering from anxiety and panic attacks.
    79% were aware of a pupil suffering from depression.
    64% knew of a youngster who was self harming.

    The general secretary of NASUWT, Chris Keates, says “there is concern amongst the teachers about a gap in the availability of experts and counselling to help children with mental health needs.”

    A Department for Education spokesperson said no child should suffer from mental health issues and that it was investing £1.4 billion to ensure all children get the help and support they need.

    The general secretary of the NUT (National Union of Teachers) Kevin Courtney, said “we are seeing schools around the country sending letters to parents asking for money on a regular basis to make up for the gap that the government is leaving in school budgets.”

    Here we have schools asking for money.
    The government pledging £1.4 billion.
    Promise of extra support for those suffering with mental health issues.

    All of this is great and is needed but why is no-one looking at the root cause of why our youngsters or in fact, why anyone, starts on the road to mental health?

    Of course, what is of great importance is why are children as young as four having mental health issues?

    With the parents that are being asked for money, are they asking the ‘WHY’ questions?

    Are the parents of the youngsters with mental health issues seeing it as something that ‘just happens’ or are they asking the ‘WHY’ questions?

    Is it possible that the way they are living ‘their’ lives is affecting their child?

    Like most things in life, throwing money at the problem is not the answer especially as it has been proven time and time again that money can actually make things worse.

    As this blog is saying, we are all responsible for our choices and that by taking true responsibility, there “Could be another way.”

  29. Checking the comments on this website it is very clear to see that mental health is continually in the news.

    Just this week on one day – 18th April 2017 we had 2 newspapers in London reporting on the Royal family speaking of mental illness.

    Metro, p.7
    Prince Harry sharing about how he bottled things up for 2 decades after his mother was killed.

    Evening Standard, p.5
    Prince William teaming up with Lady Gaga to encourage people to speak about mental illness.

    From personal experience, whilst speaking up about how we are feeling is an essential first step, what I have found is that not just talking but action is needed in order to come out of any ill mental health condition.

    The action of being willing to make changes in one’s lifestyle to better care for ourselves.

    In my case it has been and continues to be not just being in bed earlier and taking care of my food, but also the willingness to stop and connect to myself, listen to and voice my inner feelings, recognising that they do hold value. This has led to increased confidence and a more stable mind and body connection and a willingness to live and be on the Earth with less checking out.

  30. So it’s official, mental health has taken over as the number 1 global health issue.

    More than 300 million people have been diagnosed with depression around the world – a 20% increase in less than a decade.

    The Director-General of the World Health Organisation has called the new figures a ‘wake up call for all countries’ and to treat mental health with ‘the urgency that it deserves’.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/depression-ill-health-who-disability-leading-cause-worldwide-world-health-organisation-a7659696.html

  31. May is Mental Health month in Eldorado County, California.

    1 in 5 people in California are reported to need help with their mental and emotional well-being.

    http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/healthy-tahoe/mental-health-month-in-el-dorado-county/

    We can clearly see that mental health problems are a worldwide issue.

    Thankfully there is more reporting and exposure about it, which can only increase awareness.

    Looking at the statistics we can no longer say that someone is in the minority if they are experiencing difficulties with their mental health. The fact that ill mental health is now becoming the norm is something to seriously question.

  32. http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2017/05/mental_health_alabama.html
    This news story is saying that some police agencies across the state of Alabama are already getting educated about mental illness while mental health advocates are working with law makers to develop legislation or policy that would require some type of mental health or crisis training for police and deputies.

    Madison County sheriff’s Lt. Donny Shaw called the CIT training “eye opening”.
    During the training Shaw and other officers participated in simulators that gave them an idea of what it is like to hear voices or experience tunnel vision, which are symptoms of some mental illnesses.

    Morgan County sheriff’s deputy David Allen said the training taught him to look for signs and clues that a person might have mental illness.

    The goal is to eventually implement a crisis center, where law enforcement could take mentally ill people who do not belong in jail but need help.

    So here we have Madison County taking steps to face mental health crisis which we all know needs to be rolled out across the globe.

    We are locking up those who clearly are mentally ill and giving them the same treatment as those who have committed crimes that do not have a mental health issue.

    I for one have worked inside a London prison and confirm this is going on with one particular case where the offender has been locked up for over a decade and is still being prescribed anti-psychotic drugs.

    Common sense tells us that any anti-psychotic drugs long term means we need to look at what is going on for this man and not leave him behind bars and expect change.

    Let’s hope that this news story reaches far and wide and all our law enforcement officers and staff inside jails get the much needed training to bring an understanding of the seriousness of mental health problems and how they can play their part in the rehabilitation of these vulnerable people.

  33. Daily Mail – 18th March 2017

    Dr. Max makes some very poignant points about boys’ experiences of mental illness and the under-reporting.

    His article states that although more than a third of teenage girls experienced symptoms of psychological distress (Department of Education survey) only 15% of teenage boys reported the same symptoms.

    Dr. Max is questioning whether in fact the statistics are higher for teenage girls as they communicate their difficulties more than boys do and it is not that boys have less mental health problems.

    He goes on to say that pre-teens, young boys are more likely to be diagnosed with mental health problems than young girls and that suicide is the leading cause of death in young men.

    I feel that there is something for us to look at here in how we are raising our boys that leads them to disconnect from themselves to the point that they withdraw from life so completely that they are unable to express themselves and no longer want to live.

    If we’re honest, we all know that we place much harsher expectations on boys than we do girls and from the day they are born, if not before, we have pictures and demands on how they should be.

    Therefore how will we ever get to know the real man or boy if we are not connecting to them without expectations and allowing them to grow naturally? Can we then really complain about how they grow up to be?

  34. Read this headline on the Metro Newspaper – 8 May 2017
    Mental problems ‘hit two in three’

    How serious is mental health now in our country, our world?
    Two in three adults have experienced mental health issues and we now know our kids are suffering too, so what on earth are we doing?

    How scary to read this on the train knowing that the majority of us have got something that is clearly not right.

    The article states that the chief executive of the UK Mental Health Foundation is saying
    “only a minority of people experiencing mental ill health access professional support, which means we need to redouble our efforts to prevent mental health problems from developing in the first place”.

    Is she talking about the fact we need to up the effort and get to WHY we are having this problem in the first place – in other words get to the root cause?

    This blog in itself would be a great start as it speaks volumes if we choose to ‘read between the lines’ as they say.

  35. During Mental Health Awareness Week in the U.K. (8th – 14th May 2017) Ann Brown from KPMG wrote an article in the Cityam newspaper on how we are underestimating the scale of the UK’s mental health challenge.

    http://www.cityam.com/264304/we-underestimating-scale-britains-mental-health-challenge

    Brown starts the article by stating that an estimated 137,000,000 (million) working days were lost in 2016 due to illness or injury – the equivalent of 4 days lost per worker.

    Brown questions the statistics- asking whether we are getting the true picture, which she is doubtful of, as mental health difficulties are usually masked by employees and are more difficult to see than someone’s declining physical health.

    ‘Too few of us are thriving with good mental health. This is especially prominent in the workplace, where the pressures of a high performing culture require a sustained level of commitment that can result in experiences of stress and other related mental ill health issues.

    Advances in technology are constantly increasing the ways in which individuals are able to communicate with each other. The pressure to be “always on” can be immense, and it has never been more important to make the effort to switch off and put the focus back on yourself’

    Whilst commitment to work is important, commitment to taking care of ourselves is equally as important.

    As one who has not lived a life where I have valued the care of myself, equally as the efforts I put into work, I can say that it can feel like a foreign concept.

    Rather than ‘switching off’ it takes small steps to turn the tides, like going to bed earlier or committing to stopping work earlier and doing this consistently or stopping to rest when we feel tired. From personal experience I’d say this is a life-long commitment and not something that can be obtained in a few weeks or months and it can be easy to slip back when things are improving, if we don’t remain consistent. The key is to keep going with what we know is working for us, in terms of self-care, no matter what.

  36. 16 June 2017
    Hot news right now in London is about the tower block on fire that has left so much devastation and loss of lives. The Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade says in the Metro newspaper today on page 10 –
    “The thing that worries me the most is the psychological effect”.

    The Fire Brigades Union are saying that crew members may need counselling and pointed out that Mental Health Charity are showing statistics that may surprise some of us.

    https://www.collegeofparamedics.co.uk/downloads/160420_Firefighters_data.pdf

    this link shows the following 2016 statistics –

    92% experienced stress, low mood and poor mental health
    61% experienced a mental health problem – such as depression, anxiety disorder, OCD, PTSD, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia
    40% had been prescribed medication such as antidepressants, sleeping tablets
    30% contemplated taking their own lives due to stress and poor mental health

    This is serious stuff and when are we going to stop and ask questions?

    WHY are our firefighters not offered the support that is needed?
    WHY is there a huge stigma surrounding mental health in the fire service?
    WHY is this job seen as tough and not to have/show human feelings?

    WHY are 82% asking for emotional support to be made available to emergency services personnel?
    WHY are we not really doing anything about it?
    WHY is this not a priority for this much needed public service that we rely on?

    Would it be wise to dig deeper and find out WHY anyone working for the fire services would contemplate taking their own life?
    Why are they unable to express what they truly feel and WHY is this going on today?

    We forget that whilst they are made out to be strong and macho, deep down they are the same as the rest – they have feelings and things affect us all differently.

    How they choose to live, what their coping strategies are and what they do to function in life all need to be examined if we are to ever get to the root cause of WHY so many of our firefighters are silently suffering.

  37. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/03/800000-children-suffering-mental-health-problems-watchdog/

    This news headline was also on BBC radio news at 8am yesterday – 4th July 2017

    800,000 children are suffering from mental health problems
    670,000 children living in families that have vulnerabilities
    580,000 young people receiving interventions from the state
    46,000 young people aged 10 to 18 members of street gangs
    15,499 children living with an adult receiving alcohol treatment
    11,624 children living with an adult in drug treatment
    1,200 children victims of modern slavery every year

    Officials say these “shocking” statistics are an underestimate of the true scale of childhood vulnerability.

    So what are we the public going to do with this news story?
    Are we going to get concerned or just accept it as another bit of bad news?
    Are we aware that these kids are our future adult population?
    Where is our nation going if our kids are suffering with mental health problems?
    WHY are so many young people members of gangs?
    What is this way of thinking doing to them, our communities and our society?
    How are we dealing with this on the ground at street level?
    How are our politicians who call the shots on policy going to handle this?
    Who are we going to blame now for this latest news on our youth?
    Is blaming the government going to change anything in the long term?
    Are we ready to ask more questions and get to the root of WHY our kids are in this state?
    What is going on in daily life that needs to be addressed and no longer ignored?
    Are we being real and honest about the way we are living and how this could be contributing to the well being of our children?

    Are we ready to consider that we as individuals each have a Responsibility in the way we are choosing to live every day and this is what can make a difference or is this way off and far too overwhelming for us?

  38. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-40595427

    BBC news story on 13 July 2017 is about how difficult it is for employees to talk about having mental health problems. There seems to be a general lack of understanding and many people feel unable to open at work about their mental health.

    They have some real life stories in this article and what is interesting is how many are doing the job yet using ways to cope like taking anti-depressants and having counselling.

    How serious is it that our mental health workers, supposedly there to support others with mental health problems, are they themselves taking long-term medication and needing counselling support?

    What is the quality that they are presenting and offering another?
    WHY are employers turning a blind eye to this?
    What is missing that we have yet to address when it comes to mental health?

    Is there a lack of understanding because no one sees mental health the same as physical health?
    Is there a simple answer and we are missing the point?
    Is this blog presenting the answers and offers more to consider?

    WHY do those in top professions like lawyers suffer with anxiety?
    How do mental disorders really affect someone in their job?

    Are we blaming employers but in fact we all need to take individual Responsibility?

    Are we willing to look at our lifestyle choices and see how this contributes to our mental health?

    Could it be possible that this blog has some answers because it is written by someone who is not suffering from ill mental health?

  39. International news story – page 31 Evening Standard 14 July 2017

    A drug dealer aged 20 admits killing four men and burning bodies.
    This is horrific -what on earth is going on and where do we start with the questions?

    What is the death penalty or a life sentence for a man with a serious mental health?
    What is society doing about those who suffer from Schizophrenia?

    How many more deaths are going to happen before we start digging for Truth?

    When are we going to demand answers and get our researchers to find out what enters the mind of someone that allows fellow humans to be killed?

    Where is our understanding and where is our True Intelligence?

    Could we make this front page news and keep banging on about it until all those in power do listen and do take action to get to the root cause of WHY someone hears voices and acts on them?

    Is there any real change if we keep reading news but then just accept it as it is not our family or friends that are the victims?

    The photo of this man who pleaded guilty to first degree murders is that of a lost boy.

    The million dollar question is how on earth does someone like this become a drug dealer at this age?

    What possesses someone to carry out such an act that has shattered lives of families, communities and beyond?

    Is the language we use when we say “what got into them?” actually saying something enters and it takes over the rational, sensible, common sense, natural, caring essence that we all innately have?

    What comes to mind is a quote I read which said
    “ill is the physician who does not seek possession first”
    I say we go back to this sentence from Plato and explore and ponder on what was being said as it seems to be making sense as no one in their right mind would ever kill another – that we all know.

  40. A new government report is out and it shows we are living longer but in poorer health:

    https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2017/07/13/10-facts-that-sum-up-our-nations-health-in-2017/

    There are loads of interesting statistics in there, but one is that women are spending an average of a quarter of their lives in ill health (that’s 19 years!) and men a fifth (16 years).

    Are we okay with this statistic? How do we feel about the prospect of living between 15 and 20 years of our lives ill?

    The report calls for us to “work together to help people say well for longer” and highlights the government’s concerns about the impact of ill health on families, workplaces, health services and social care.

    What are we striving for with ‘health care’ these days? Is it vitality and true well-being for all our days? Or is it more about putting off for as long as possible the moment when we have to get off the merry-go-round of life?

    https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2017/07/13/10-facts-that-sum-up-our-nations-health-in-2017/ – note the title ‘PUBLIC HEALTH MATTERS’.

    How much does it matter to each of us?

    Is there more we can do?

  41. Is the compulsive use of social media and web surfing a kind of ‘social candy’ which satisfies our immediate need to ‘connect’ but does not bring the intimate friendship we actually want and need to nourish ourselves to live as the full human beings we really are?

    Are we allowing ourselves to become socially malnourished with this substitution?

    Are we not putting up a fight to establish quality time in our relationships?

    Is it possible that if we looked at our priorities, (where our discipline & attention is going) we may discover that there is no one to blame for our poor mental health or lack of joy?

    Do we need complication and business so we that we don’t have to see just how exhausted and/or unhappy/unfulfilled we are?

    I appreciate Simple Living Global for offering, by example, an antidote to the deterioration of mental health and for bringing the kind of forum that inspires through living examples.

    Since asking for Simple Living Global to be in my life I have been coming out from the shadows.

    Simple Living Global supports me to commit to myself, to life and to claim and stand up in my own truth and share who I am every day in a world which is dying for true social contact and truth in communication… and this feels absolutely purposeful and joyous.

  42. This Week – Issue 1124
    13 May 2017

    Research shows that a history of mental illness increases life insurance premiums by 100%.

    The cost of an income protection policy could increase by 200%.
    Private medical, travel and car insurance can cost significantly more.

    The article talks about the ‘best solution’ but is this the real answer?
    We all know the best insurance broker cannot bend the policy rules to support us?

    If we are dodgy and don’t declare, chances are we get found out and they will decline the claim.

    Most of us know the insurers are not going to pay out, as the small print tells us so, in the “exclusions” section.

    So who wins? How do we get around this and is there another way?

    “How can you protect yourself?” is the question raised in this news story.

    Could it be possible that we need to get to the root cause of WHY we have a mental illness in the first place?

    Could it be possible that blaming insurance companies for not supporting us, may just make us ask more questions?

    Could it be possible that protection is not going to offer us evolution?
    In other words protecting ourselves is security based and comes from living in fear.

    What if there is another way?

    What if this blog and all others on this website for humanity is presenting another way?

    What if there are answers in blogs like this but we need to start with being honest first?

    What if we really need to look at how we are living everyday and what choices we are making that may or may not be contributing to our mental health?

    What if we ADD the word RESPONSIBILITY to every choice we make – how would that affect our mental health?

    1. 3/4 of all mental health issues are established by the time someone is 24 years old.

      What is this telling us about our youth?

      If understanding this could help unlock 3/4 of all mental health issues, could this be the wisest place to start?

  43. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/2115293/your-workplace-toxic-mental-health-many
    South China Morning Post – 14 October 2017

    A competitive culture, strong stigma and indifference among employers mean mental health issues are largely ignored in Hong Kong.

    This blog covers some global statistics but we all know stats are out of date when they are published and this current news story confirms things are getting worse.

    In 2016 Hong Kong clocked up the longest weekly working hours of 71 cities worldwide.

    The general perception is people are classed as weak if they are struggling with a mental health issue in China.
    We could say this view is shared by other nations too and competition plays a big part.

    What happens to our true health and well being when we compete?
    How dis-regarding is it for our body when we are in competition?
    How does our body cope with the neglect of pushing and working extra hours?
    How do we process the negative impact of driving ourselves to do overtime?
    How do we make real changes if everyone around us is caught up in the same thing?
    How do we get on the front foot and nail this stuff once and for all?

    Does this website offer us another way?
    Is it worth at least considering, as those who live what they present can make a difference?

  44. An article in the ‘Huff Post’, 10th May 2017, asks, “Can Psychedelic Drugs Treat Mental Illness? – Scientists need your help to find out.”

    A new crowdfunding campaign seeks to raise $2 million to advance promising research that the Government has largely neglected.

    To the Federal Government, psychedelic drugs like LSD, MDMA (also known as Ecstasy or Molly in its street forms) and Psilocybin (the psychoactive ingredient in mushrooms) are dangerous Schedule 1 substances with a high potential for abuse and no medical value.

    But leading psychedelic researchers paint a much different picture – one of fascinating compounds with the power to revolutionise treatment for a number of debilitating mental health issues.

    There is yet to be conclusive answers that can prove either side right or wrong, though initial indications suggest it’s fair to be sceptical of the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s view. Early clinical studies have produced results convincing many that psychedelics are at least worthy of further research. But thanks to a gruelling approval process and the widespread stigma attached to these drugs, the path to officially recognising their potential medical benefits has been difficult.

    A crowdfunding initiative gives the public a chance to help accelerate this process by donating directly to psychedelic science.

    Is it possible that the reasons approval for this kind of research is very difficult to obtain is because these drugs have been proven to be very harmful?

    Is it possible that researchers have said, “early clinical studies have produced results convincing many that psychedelics are at least worthy of further research” is because the researchers have a vested interest in making sure these drugs become commonplace?

    If the results of this research are truly promising, why are the psychedelic researchers having to resort to a crowd-funding initiative?

    If these types of drugs are proven to cause mental health issues, where is the logic in using them to treat the same mental health issues?

    How is it possible for something that changes our natural state to ever be considered something that is good for us?

  45. The Week – Issue 1142 dated 16 September 2017
    The Pleasure Principle is Making us Sad – Robert H. Lustig

    Rich countries are suffering alarming growth in addiction, anxiety and depression.

    This news story is saying that all manner of individual factors are behind this trend of anti-depressant prescriptions and drug overdoses, but the root cause is the people’s sense of well-being is undermined by their “incessant quest for pleasure”.

    Modern life offers endless opportunities for people to enjoy little fixes of dopamine – the “reward” neurotransmitter that tells the brain “this feels good, I want more” and it comes from sugar, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, social media and porn.

    Yet there is evidence which suggests that all this dopamine when combined with stress, drives down, the level of serotonin – the contentment and happiness neurotransmitter that tells our brain.

    So can we simply join the dots and use our common sense here – it is obvious we are fooling ourselves as we know that sugar, drugs, alcohol and all stimulants are not needed by our body when it is in its natural state. We only need to look at a baby to know that immutable fact.

    It is clear there is a correlation here with what the brain gets addicted to and it’s not just things we put into our mouth. Social media is a drug and yet somehow is it highly acceptable in our world right now and certainly affecting our younger generations.

    Porn is also a drug and if this dopamine stuff is making sense it gives us a very simple answer – we have a need and we get it filled. Our choice to fill that need can be different and some go to prison and others get away with it, depending on what drug of choice they have.

    Our world mental health is escalating and maybe there is some truth here that we all need to be talking about. WHY are we relying on that dopamine fix everyday and where is it getting us?

    What are the long-term effects and would it be true to say that we actually need more of the same thing to feel what we want to feel, so we end up doing more, which is what we call Addiction?

    Would it be wise to find out what it is we are avoiding, that makes us go to the drug of choice in the first place?

    If we don’t ask questions where are we going to end up?

    Have we bothered to stop and take stock of our own mental health and how we react and respond in daily life in every situation?

    Can we afford to continue living with irresponsibility?

  46. Metro – 27 October 2017
    Mental Health Care failing 4 in 10 kids

    Youngsters enduring long delays for treatment said the Care Quality Commission.

    So what can we all do while we are waiting?

    Would this blog be of benefit to parents and does it present something that could turn the tides?

    Is there a Responsibility here for us to at least consider what it is our kids are actually doing every day in every moment?

    Do we also have a Responsibility to look at the quality in which we are living our own life?

    Are we too stressed, having little or disturbed sleep, busy on social media, overeating, overworking, using stimulants and if so how is this going to affect our time spent with our children?

    Are we trying to overcompensate by buying them things and making promises when all they need and want is to be met and engaged with for who they are?

    Have we lost our own inner most deep connection which stops us feeling what our children need and want?

    Have we subscribed to everything the world is telling us and we forget to put our common sense hat on, get back to basics and get on with it?

    Are these the types of questions we need to be asking or are we going to campaign and fight for more mental health services and blame our systems for not being on the front foot?

  47. Pizza
    Fish and Chips
    Bacon Sandwich
    Full English Breakfast
    are the top 4 comfort foods in UK.

    An article in Metro – 27th October 2017 says that 80% of us turn to our favourite meals when we need ‘comfort’.

    The poll – carried out by Clarence Court (an eggs company), found that 44% people feel more anxious now than they did 5 years ago, with the average adult turning to comfort food twice a week with ‘stress’ cited as the most common reason.

    More than two-thirds of people were found to choose something that reminded them of their childhood.

    Other remedies like drinking tea/listening to favourite music were also noted.

    A friend spoke with me yesterday about dopamine (a chemical in the brain that affects many things including emotions and pleasure) and how food is one thing that can fuel that ‘feel good factor’, so as a result we want more and more.

    So we have a legal drug in a sense called food that we are using to numb ourselves or suppress feelings, no different to an illicit drug user.

    I found this article on eating disorders by Simple Living Global really eye-opening especially the part about binge eating.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-eating-disorders-action-day/

    Of course we need food to live but it is clear that we are using food as a way to quell mental ill health. I know I have done this and we have been doing this as a human race for aeons, but is it working?

    Clearly not, at the rate that fast food places and restaurants are popping up in every high street.

    We are demanding more and more, so something clearly is not right in the way that we are dealing (or not dealing) with mental health problems.

  48. 1 in 6 workers struggles with their mental health, according to an independent review for the government by the mental health charity Mind.

    Those with mental health issues are losing their jobs at double the rate of the others, with an estimated 36k losing their jobs each year.

    The cost to employers is estimated to be £42billion per year.

    The statistics continue to rise.

    Is it time to look at the possibilities presented by this blog – what if they could help turn the tide?

    http://metro.co.uk/2017/10/26/one-in-six-people-in-england-have-mental-health-problems-7028377/

  49. An article in ‘The Week’ magazine, 16th September 2107, talks of “Sick note for stress and anxiety.”

    One in three “sick notes” handed out by GP’s are now for mental health problems, an NHS report has shown.

    That makes psychiatric ill-health the most common reason for people taking time off work, ahead of back pain and other musculoskeletal problems.

    There was a 14% rise in fit notes (as sick notes are now called) for anxiety and stress-related conditions between 2015-16 and 2016-17, from 503,000 to 573,000.

    More than one in five psychiatric sick notes were issued for longer than 12 weeks.

    The increase in mental health issues is quite worrisome as the consequences are potentially huge. The more people off work the more it costs the NHS, the more it costs companies and ultimately, the person concerned and their families, have more stress and anxiety put on them which leads straight back to the NHS.

    What is going on with the mental health of people?

    Why are mental health issues on the increase?

    Is it possible that all mental health issues are due to people not liking their lives and just want to escape from the humdrum and banality of human life?

    Is it possible that people can’t cope with their lives and all the so called pressures that life brings and so just check out?

    If we are checking out – why?

    Is it possible that it is easier to check out than to take responsibility for ourselves?

    Is it possible that we simply don’t want to take responsibility for our choices anymore?

    Is it possible that if we start to take responsibility for our own lives we will have to face all of our self-made problems?

    Is it possible that by taking responsibility for all of our choices, it will give us a purpose in life and the thought of checking out will be very minimal if none at all?

  50. Reading an article in the Daily Mail – 28th October 2017

    Arthur Martin reports on the killing of a young man by someone who was mentally unwell.

    The Judge in the case, Mark Lucraft QC is reported as saying ‘had the NHS and mental health services been given the resources which they so desperately needed’ the killing would have been avoided.

    This is another example of how we are struggling to deal with mental illness in our society today – both individually and collectively.

    We may not receive more resources in this current climate of cutbacks so, would it be wise for us to take note of what is presented here by Simple Living Global so that we can further understand mental health and deal with it from another perspective?

  51. I was listening to radio 4 on 8 November, to a programme about jazz musicians. They were sharing research about the connection between music and mental health.

    It is apparently well studied that many musicians over the years have struggled with mental health issues and they were talking about how mental illness somehow enables people to tap into greater creativity.

    One music industry person was sharing how the music of jazz musicians ‘gets inside you’ – you can feel every emotion, it’s like you are feeling what the musician was feeling.

    This made me think…

    …Why does mental illness allow people to tap into greater creativity? Where are they tapping into to pull it from?

    …Why would we want to allow the music of someone with mental health issues to ‘get inside us’?

    …Why would we want to load ourselves up with the emotions of any person?

    1. Interesting that you speak here of music and it’s affect on people JS.

      CBS News – 9th December 2017

      Clinical Psychologist Linda Blair is reported as saying ‘listening to Christmas music too early into the holiday season may affect mental health by triggering feelings of stress. Hearing a Christmas song can spark thoughts of all the things you have to do before the holiday, like shopping, party planning and travelling.’

      https://www.cbsnews.com/news/christmas-music-can-harm-mental-health-cause-stress-psychologist-finds/

      I don’t know about listening to Christmas tunes too early, but what if listening to them full stop is bad for our mental health?

      I say this because I sing at a nursing home and was surprised at their response when I sang a few Christmas tunes recently. It was like they went into depression. I questioned this as I have been going for a few weeks now and they have never responded like that!

      Could the Christmas songs have brought up old memories for them?

      So I decided to ditch the Christmas songs this week and sing the old fashioned tunes they like – not for applause for me as the ‘singer’ but to support them with their mental health as they usually respond with JOY, as they did today.

  52. BBC News Headlines – 17th September 2017

    Fire Staff on Long Term Mental Health Leave Up by 30%.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41164996

    The increase of 30% has occurred over the last 6 years in the UK with figures rising from 600 – 780 staff. The numbers have actually doubled in London since 2011-2012.

    103 fire staff in London took sick leave this year due to mental illness with some going on sick leave after dealing with the fire at Grenfell Tower.

    At the time the BBC news article was written, 200 fire staff in Lambeth alone had received counselling following the fire at Grenfell Tower with 80 still seeing counsellors.

    At least 126 staff have left the fire service due to mental illness since 2011.

    Figures over the six year period were not provided for Scotland and Northern Ireland, however 2016/17 figures show that 97 Scottish fire staff went on mental health sick leave plus 111 fire staff in Northern Ireland.

    Andy Graham (a former firefighter) aged 52, speaking with the BBC said:

    “When I started in the fire service in 1987 there was no proper debriefing system in place. The first fatal incident I attended was a particularly traumatic suicide. Within a couple of weeks, I started suffering from nightmares and panic attacks, and it snowballed from there, after attending more fatal incidents.”

    He was afraid to go to bed at night due to the nightmares and so would stay up late, drinking alcohol to help him sleep.

    Andy has experienced Post Traumatic Stress Disorder for 30 years. “When you’re in the fire service, you’re told that you’re the strong one, the one there to help others.”

    Faye McGuinness programme manager for mental health charity Mind’s Blue Light Programme, reported that a survey of over 1,600 staff and volunteers of emergency services showed –

    Nearly 9 in 10 had experienced stress, low mood, or poor mental health.

    1 in 4 had considered suicide.

    A Home Office spokesperson said –

    “It is the responsibility of fire and rescue services to have wellbeing services in place that meet their workforce needs. The Government has provided an additional £1.5 million to pay for mental health support through Mind’s Blue Light Programme to ensure our emergency services workers have the counselling and emotional support they require.”

    It is good that measures are being put in place, but there is still a lot of stigma in the workplace about having any mental ill health and so it is understandable that people are reluctant to come forward.

    The questions that you ask in your comment here Simple Living Global are very pertinent –

    Why is there a huge stigma surrounding mental health in the fire service?

    Why is this job seen as tough and not to have/show human feelings?

    Could the pressures that we are putting on fire staff have something to do with the decline in their mental health and could it be possible that it has nothing to do with how ‘strong’ and ‘tough’ they are?

  53. An article in the Daily Mail, 29th July 2017, by Dr. Max, talks about “Depression and why slamming those who take pills risk lives.”

    Dr. Max talks about how BBC1’s Panorama aired a program called ‘A prescription for Murder’, which looked at an alleged link between antidepressants and violence and mass killings.

    Dr. Max, who is an NHS psychiatrist, was concerned that Panorama was sensationalising this matter under the guise of doing a public service, airing an important concern.

    He says: “Actually, all they end up doing is resonating with people’s prejudices about those with mental illness: that they are all axe wielding maniacs. They do nothing except cause fear and worry for a vulnerable and misunderstood group of people who really don’t need this. Television programmes like this play on the idea that such medication is, by its very nature, dangerous, and on the insidious idea that those with mental illness should be feared. It then goes that if antidepressants are evil, those who take them are tainted by association.”

    He goes on to say: “What upsets me is that after these kinds of programmes, there are inevitably some people who stop taking their medication and, as a result, they deteriorate.”

    In some situations antidepressants are given out too readily but the flipside is that while antidepressants are in some quarters overprescribed, in others depression is woefully under-diagnosed and under-treated.

    A study by the London School of Economics a few years ago showed that while mental illness accounts for nearly half of all ill health in the under 65’s, only 25% of those in need of treatment get it.

    A National Confidential Enquiry Into Suicide showed that fewer than 10% of people who killed themselves had been referred to mental health services in the previous 12 months.

    Dr. Max says that this is the true scandal about antidepressants that Panorama should be focusing on: the fact that we are failing to identify and treat people who have a crippling and life-threatening condition.

    While mental health needs to be openly talked about, there is no justification for sensationalising such a subject.

    Even the title is sensationalist.

    Mental health affects people in different ways and to tar everyone with the same brush is both irresponsible and unacceptable.

    It’s quite shocking that half of all ill health is due to mental health illness in the under 65’s and equally shocking that only 25% of those in need of treatment get it.

    The system is obviously failing those that need it and needs to be looked at and overhauled but is it possible that the more pressing agenda should be ‘WHY’ are so many people suffering from ill mental health in the first place?

    The following is a quote from this blog by Serge Benhayon:

    ‘When you are de-spirited because life is not what you desire it to be, in reaction, you wake up in the morning without being able to claim your body as something you want to live your life with – the spirit wants out.
    You then either go into abuse and or shut-down and become purely if at times merely functional in a very self-abandoned manner.
    This is the start of all ill mental health issues.’
    Serge Benhayon, Esoteric Teachings & Revelations. p.607

    Is it possible that this simple explanation of our lives not being what we want it to be is the start of all mental health issues?

    If it is, then is it possible that all mental health issues could be eradicated by us simply choosing to take responsibility for ourselves and live our lives in full?

  54. An article in the Daily Mail, 28th October 2017, talks about “The plain truth is that NHS bosses would prefer it if patients didn’t exist.”

    Dr. Max, an NHS psychiatrist, says that NHS bosses repeatedly say the NHS needs ‘fewer’ beds and that the NHS can carry on cutting beds and therefore costs without having any material impact on patients welfare.

    He says, we see the closing of wards and the moving of services into the community and we are told that this is in the patients interest and more efficient. But that’s utter rubbish.

    We already have some of the lowest bed numbers of any developed nation. In fact, the NHS has the lowest number of beds of any comparable health system.

    The situation is particularly bad in mental health, where beds have been reduced by 15,000 in the past six years alone.

    Although these beds have gone, there hasn’t been a corresponding drop in the need for them. Instead, we have seen a massive increase in the number of private beds being used to deal with demand.

    Up to half of all private mental health beds in Britain are now used by the NHS.

    There have also been stories about mentally ill people having to sleep in police cells, for example, because there are no beds to admit them.

    A scheme that was scrapped more or less as soon as it had been proposed due to the backlash it received was to adopt an Airbnb system whereby members of the public with a spare room would be paid £1,000 per month to put up patients and provide three microwave meals a day and drinks.

    Dr. Max says there is generally a complacent and disingenuous view of patients. Ministers and managers who are concerned about budgets and targets, seem to be viewing the actual users of the NHS – the patients – as tedious, demanding annoyances, spoiling a perfectly good bar graph and leaching money from the coffers.

    Because of the decisions of the NHS trust managers, the service that people have paid for is failing them.

    There isn’t a bed crisis because of too many patients, there is a bed crisis because there aren’t enough beds.

    Dr. Max makes a good point when he says that the system that people have paid into for most of their lives is failing them.

    What is it about the disregard where public money is concerned?

    Is it possible that where public money is concerned, there will always be those that feel they can abuse it?

    Is it possible that where public money is concerned, it is not treated with respect because those that control it know that it will keep coming in?

    It seems absurd that the Government and the NHS are allowing so many beds to be cut and then putting patients in private beds which probably cost a lot more than if they had kept the original beds.

    Mental health patients are arguably the most vulnerable of patients so surely NHS funds would be better spent in the long term on providing adequate facilities rather than wasting it on private beds, police cells and schemes that are not fit for purpose

    Is it possible that we are in this situation because, in truth, we don’t really care about those with mental health and do not make this burgeoning issue a priority?

  55. An article on page 6 of The Week (16 December 2017) about a primary school in Essex bringing elderly people suffering from depression and dementia in with their care workers, to read with the children 3 times a week.

    This is having a positive effect all round.

    I read this and am reminded of the isolation in which many of our elderly live in the UK.

    Why do we allow huge numbers of interesting, experienced people to languish alone or in homes – purposeless? Especially with the shortage of teaching staff and the benefits to learning of smaller child to adult ratios in classrooms.

    There would be procedures and logistics of course, but why are we not maximising the time and wisdom of our older people? And likely heading off a raft of mental illness at the same time.

  56. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/online-counselling-therapy-mental-health-mentally-ill-exploited-unaccredited-nhs-a8123131.html

    Independent News – 14th January 2018

    Unaccredited online counselling therapists are ‘preying’ on desperation of people with mental health problems as NHS struggles to meet rising demand, experts warn.

    WHY do we have ‘unethical private websites which charge large sums of money for therapy sessions via online chats – with some services even being used as a tool to project religious and spiritual beliefs’?

    Is it because our modern way of life means we simply go to the Internet to fix anything we want and this is why we end up on these unlicensed websites?

    Do we care, when we are feeling so desperate who we speak to at the other end?

    Are we needy of a soft nice comforting voice, that serves us to get what we want?

    Are we deep down missing something and so anything like this just feels better?

    Who are we blaming for the lack of legal framework around regulation?

    WHY are we quick to blame suppliers but forgetting us, who make the demand in the first place and this is why they can supply?
    If there was no demand, there would be no supply as basic economics teaches us.

    Are others who do class themselves as qualified, really and truly clear and free of the issues that they are presented with when they deal with a client online or offline?

    Do we all need to look at how we are choosing to live in every moment, online and offline, before we campaign and slag off others for being dodgy?

    How can we be certain those who have academia behind them are living in a way that can truly support another by way of counselling?

    Are there any parts in our life that need clearing out first, so that we can become real role models and offer wise counsel to anyone and everyone that we connect to in daily life?

    Is this comment alone presenting another way that may help turn the tides?

    Can our blogs on this website be of use, as they are relatable to everyday life?

    Could it be possible when someone walks the walk and talks the talk AND
    Lives a self connecting life
    Has deep self care daily
    Takes Responsibility for every choice made
    Lives a transparent life, so there is no double life
    Remains open to everyone, regardless of who they are in society

    Then this is what would be the real change that others need by way of reflection that it is possible for ALL of us and that means others would be inspired?

    Sounds like a tall order but could this be possible?

    The previous comment confirms this.

  57. 6am on the train Saturday so not so packed out as less commuters.
    I sit opposite a guy who I immediately clocked was not an average passenger.

    In the same carriage we have 4 tourists. Within seconds this man talks about how he works for MI5 and KGB and he had a passport and a piece of fruit on the next seat. He started swearing and was waiting for a response and the tourists found him funny and started engaging with him.

    Next – he puts on some dark sunglasses and ups the swearing and the audience of 4 have ‘fun’ with the banter and seem to just accept the swearing which has gone to another level. At this point I observed a horrified looking face of a commuter at the very end seat.

    What is interesting and very clear to me, is this man had mental health problems that were being fuelled in some way by those around who almost encouraged the behaviour by the way they were talking to him. Accepting it was ok to spit and throw his fruit on the floor and all the abusive language and utter nonsense about what he was saying, is by no means going to help this man.

    I am no clinical medical practitioner, but I am someone who knows when something is clearly not right as I feel disturbed. To override this would be abuse if you ask me.

    I made a choice to move to another carriage when the train stopped and I chose to walk through them and not hide or take the quick exit as if I was scared.

    There was no fear in me, but what I realised was how disturbing and abusive this whole thing was and it just got louder and I could continue my long journey in it or get on with my reading in another space that did not have this quality.

    Finally – we all have a hand in everything, so encouraging someone who is mentally ill in this way needs to be stopped because we are endorsing a behaviour that could support them to ingrain this way of living.

    Could it be possible that offering silence in moments like this could do more good and entertaining ourselves, which was what was going on could be harmfull to ALL?

  58. On 1st February 2008 a senior coroner in West Yorkshire made a call for young women with serious mental illness not to be sent to prison but to be sent to secure places where they could be offered support and treatment.

    10 years on to the day, 1st February 2018 the same coroner has said the same thing, following the death of a 21 year old woman at the same prison.

    Why is nothing changing?

  59. https://healthminute.org/2018/01/how-diet-influences-our-mood-and-mental-health/

    Health Minute News – 21 January 2018

    Professor Simon Evans – Department of Psychiatry at University of Michigan has been looking into the connection between our diet and how it affects our mind. His research focuses on lifestyle approaches to address mental health.

    He is interested in the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical remedies to treat mental illness, including diet, sleep and exercise.

    “Sugar activates the same section of the brain that cocaine does. There is addiction potential with sugar. It lights up the same circuits of the brain that some addictive drugs do.

    I would avoid too much sugar and recommend no longer drinking soda – even diet soda has its own problems. Some foods are deceivingly high in sugar and not the health foods that many think they are, like yogurt”.

    This professor who we value as an academic who knows his stuff is encouraging us as individuals to think about our body like a race car – a highly tuned machine.

    “Many of our medical approaches try to fine-tune the engine, but neglect the fundamentals. If you continue to put sludge in the gas tank, the best tuneups in the world can only do so much”.

    Should we be taking this sensible advice from someone who has experience of a study, which leans towards the fact that our lifestyle choices do have an affect on our mind?

    Is this making sense to us?

    Is it something we already know but can’t be bothered to change, as we are seriously addicted to anything sugary?

    Is getting back to basics and focusing on things like daily walking, early bedtime and sensible balanced diet with home made cooked food, not for us?

    Are we going to wait for our mind to tell us or our body to show us something is not right because of what we put in our mouths?

    This blog and every blog on this website is spelling out to us there is another way?

    The author is living proof of that fact.

  60. BBC News – 26th February 2018

    A helpline has been launched by the Ministry of Defence to help UK army troops deal with mental health problems.

    The new helpline was launched today and is open 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

    Over the past 10 years the armed forces has seen a 47% increase in the number of staff with mental health problems.

    Among the Royal Marines there has been a 96% increase in the numbers of staff diagnosed with mental health problems.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-43188139

    There seems to be no industry untouched by mental health problems today with the issues escalating that our accepted management tools are unable to deal with.

    But have we ever considered that some of the industries that we have today are not necessarily conducive to our health, as they do not have a true evolutionary purpose for mankind?

    Could this be a part of the reason why mental health problems are seriously high in some industries?

  61. I was just reading a short write up in a newspaper that speaks of a new drug for treating the psychotic symptoms of dementia including the hallucinations and paranoid thoughts that occur in 50% of cases.

    I have never considered that people with dementia experience hallucinations. This is a very serious disease and one that is largely preventable.

    More research needs to be conducted into the lifestyles of those without dementia, like the author of this blog, so that we can all learn that there is another way to live and that includes taking responsibility and committing to life https://simplelivingglobal.com/commitment-to-life-part-1/, rather than withdrawing and checking out from Life.

  62. Evening Standard – 29th March 2018

    https://www.standard.co.uk/news/education/teachers-struggling-to-help-children-with-mental-health-issues-a3801841.html

    Teachers are increasingly concerned about childrens’ mental health ~ Mary Bousted, General Secretary, Association of Teachers and Lecturers.

    This issue will be a key topic debated at the Association of Teachers and Lecturers’ Annual Conference in April 2018.

    In fact there will be 3 debates on the topic –

    1. Discussion on: whether policy makers have become so preoccupied with content and outcomes, with performance and success, with progression and employability, that they have created a context in which, in the literal sense, there are those who have lost the will to live.

    2. Clarification of teachers’ mental health duties, claiming that schools are under an “untenable amount of pressure” due to a rise in the number of pupils with complex mental health needs.

    3. Discussion on rising anxiety levels among staff at independent schools.

    Mary Bousted goes on to say –

    “The narrow academic curriculum which leaves too many children and young people with no other option than to feel they are failing, because that’s what they are told all the time and the pressure of one-shot timed tests which will determine their future at GCSE and A-level, that cannot do anything but increase pressure and discontent.”

    What is said here makes a lot of sense.

    In my experience, our education systems are very focused on academic learning that does not foster any true growth from childhood to adulthood.

    If we are honest how useful is most of the stuff that is taught at school in later life?

    What is the true quality of the adult life if our measure of success is based on our academic achievements?

    What happened to growing each child to be who they truly are?
    To know who they truly are so that they have that foundation to stand upon and bring to the world, regardless of their social status or exam results.

    Would this not develop a child and adult who feel harmonious within themselves and not at war?

    Would this reduce anxiety levels in both staff and pupils?

    Would we then see a real reduction in young people experiencing mental health problems?

    Do we need to change the way that we are educating our children and re-look at our priorities?

    We cannot afford to keep doing what we have done thus far as it clearly is not working.

  63. Metro News – 8 May 2018

    NHS England health chiefs say an injection of £23 million will help tackle a ‘serious’ postcode lottery over mental health care for mothers and babies.

    This money would make England the world leader in mental health care for mothers and babies.

    We can all agree that this is a huge amount of investment and is this another solution and are we really on the front foot?

    In other words are we leading with our attempt of dealing with mental health or do we need to dig deeper and ask some serious questions like WHY have we got so many mothers and babies that need mental health care?

    Are we able to draw from the past where life was more basic and simple?

    Are we going to address how are women of today preparing for pregnancy?

    Are we willing to consider that there may just be another way and re read this forensic blog that is presenting much to all of us about our mental health?

    Could it be possible that the lifestyle choices of any woman before pregnancy may have a direct effect after the baby is born?

    Are we ready to look at the word Responsibility when we are making choices, before during and after birth so that we can empower ourselves and not be at the mercy of a postcode chance lottery which decides if we are going to get support?

    Could the real support we need already be inside us?

    Is this way too far off and whacky, or do we need to ponder on this as nothing out there seems to be working and things are getting worse?

  64. It is national mental health awareness week in the UK this week and that prompted me to come back to re-read this blog.

    That meant I went into work yesterday with the knowing that 1 in 6 people are living with a mental health disorder.

    This statistic alone brings a whole different dimension to your day. The number of people you see on your commute. All the people in the office. 1 in 6 of every one of them living with or developing some sort of mental health issue, or multiple.

    It makes you think about how this is affecting our society and communities and families and relationships. These illnesses underpinning our conversations and interactions and behaviour.

    And when you look around with that awareness, you can see it. And it is very, very sad – robbing us of the richness of true human connection, and of joy.

  65. Evening Standard – 21 May 2018

    A well know rugby star was sharing his own struggle with mental health.

    Raising awareness about mental health is “everyone’s responsibility” and he wants to talk about his anxiety to help others.

    He said he would often be a shivering wreck before major matches and would struggle to compose himself in the changing rooms.

    There is a stigma around mental health and an association with weakness.

    So WHY are people going through a difficult time and not saying anything?

    Many people look up to sports stars at the top of their game, who seemingly have super fit bodies, best foods, anything they want as money is not an issue and every therapist to hone in on the detail of their body so they can perform in peak condition.

    So if this is the case, which is it then – WHY DO OUR SUPERSTAR SPORTSMEN HAVE MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS?

    What is really going on for them at the core of their being?

    Are we too busy championing and wanting them to give us something and at what cost is it to them?

    Are they so into it deep deep that performing and being at the top is their only agenda?

    Do we ever clock it that before a major match, they are struggling in the changing room to hold it together?

    What un-natural force is needed to then get out on the pitch and score the points and win, as winning is what is needed?

    At what point are we going to stop and ask, what is this all doing to the human frame and are we truly designed to carry on in this way, when it comes to sports?

    Next –
    Are foods going to be the solution to our anxiety or is there more we need to consider?

    Of course changing diet and becoming healthy is going to bring about changes but do we need to look at the whole being and address everything, leaving no stone unturned?

    What would it be like to have zero anxiety everyday?

    What causes us to have anxiety in the first place?

    Simple Living Global is yet to publish their blog on Anxiety, which is a growing serious epidemic that seems to lie hidden for many of us.

    For now it would be wise to consider why have we got that feeling, when we wake up, that is a KNOWING that we are simply not equipped to deal with the day ahead?

    What is the stuff we have conveniently buried and pushed down that keeps coming up?

    Is there some agony, hurt and misery, that gives rise to that tension and fluttery, disturbed feeling we get, in the centre of our body?

  66. Talking to a doctor this week who is in charge of mental health services at a top university.

    She shared how the mental health cases her team is dealing with have gone up from 80 cases to 2000 in 2 years.

    She feels a big shift is happening and she has no idea how society will keep up.

    She talked about the pressures there are on students and how their self care and environment are huge factors in how well they cope.

    If they start out at uni without basic life skills like buying/preparing food, managing money and cleaning clothes, life gets very hard very quickly.

    Add to that the expectations on them to ‘achieve’ academically, the reducing human connection caused by over reliance on devices/the internet and noone to help them regulate late nights, alcohol and drugs.

    No wonder the mental health stats are spiking.

    Reflecting on it, are we sending herds of kids into a university meat grinder, with a low chance of them coming out the other side intact, never mind thriving?

    Do we need to have a look at this institution more closely? What does university represent and is it working? How is it impacting our national mental health, when all these people graduate?

    And if there is a purpose to university, how are we preparing and supporting our youth to handle it and not lose themselves or their mental well-being in the process?

  67. The Week – Issue 1175 dated 12 May 2018

    Hundreds of thousands people taking drugs that raise risk of developing Dementia.

    320,000 people study over 15 years.

    Findings – sustained use of anticholinergic drugs, which include common antidepressants such as paroxetine and amitriptyline. Also drugs used to treat bladder problems and Parkinson’s. All were associated with a rise in an individual’s chances of developing Dementia.

    Researchers said the findings strongly suggest a causal link and called for doctors to exercise more caution in prescribing these medications.

    Let’s just STOP for one moment and consider the cost of studying the histories of over 300,000 people over 15 years.

    Could we put this time, effort and resources which include money towards another way?

    We all know our GPs are under enormous pressure so is caution the answer or is there more we need to look at and consider as it seems clear – we are not on the front foot.

    Next –

    We ALL KNOW that drugs have side effects. Now we are finding out that it could lead us to have Dementia so what can we do?

    Antidepressants are big business and a super fast growing industry.
    Research is not geared to finding out the root cause and we should all be asking WHY.

    Who funds the research and what if we could have Independent research where the public have a say and the results are going to deliver the Truth?

    What if we started to study those like the founder of this website and track them for the rest of their lifetime to see how they are drug free for over a decade with high vitality levels aged 56?

    What if drugs are simply not the answer but a solution to allow the human body to function and keep going by suppressing the root issue of why we developed the ailment, illness or dis-ease in our body in the first place?

    WHAT IF we need to look deeper and admit SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT if any drug is giving us another condition that may be considered far worse?

    In other words, taking antidepressants has led to us having Dementia in later life and that debilitating way of living is a high risk to pay for depression in a younger age.

    It would be wiser for any reader to read our blog on Depression https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-health-day-depression/ to feel what is being presented because the founder of this website is saying – could it be possible there is another way, which happens to be the very first blog on this true health and well-being website for humanity.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/is-there-another-way/

  68. The Telegraph – 23 May 2018

    Care Homes Should Prioritise Wifi to Make Sure Grandchildren Come to Visit Says Care Minister.

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/23/care-homes-should-prioritise-wifi-make-sure-grandchildren-come/

    The care minister is quoted as saying that Wifi can support grandchildren and their grandparents coming together as it can encourage the younger generation to visit.

    Online tools have been cited as ‘incredible’ in supporting those with dementia to trigger memories and for ‘therapeutic things’.

    What if memories are not what are needed in these cases?

    What if the ability to be totally with another without any distractions and that includes our minds not wandering elsewhere or our attention being on gadgets, but being totally with the person we are visiting is enough?

    What if it is this level of connection that people with dementia require?

    And so if this were true – what has happened that we can no longer stand just being with ourselves or another and what are we teaching our children if they have become accustomed to being on a screen and not being able to leave it behind when with others?

    I ask these questions as I volunteer at a care home where people have dementia and when I go, I know that my sole purpose is to be there for them.

    We all know how it feels when we are talking with someone and their mind is elsewhere or they are doing something else whilst they are speaking with us on the phone. Even if there is no background noise we just know when someone is with us and when they aren’t. I always describe it like there being a gap when someone is distracted, whereas, when someone is really with me I feel the whole person and there is a sense of warmth.

    What if there are other ways that we can truly support people with dementia and it comes down to being willing to connect?
    In other words being open to meet another and connect with no distractions.

    Is this the true level of care that we ALL need?

  69. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gp-appointments-mental-health-half-patients-mind-research-depression-anxiety-a8387396.html

    Independent – 7 June 2018

    40% GP appointments now involve mental health, a new survey has revealed.

    66% of doctors are saying that there has been an increase in the past year in the proportion of patients needing help with their mental health.

    Currently, training for GPs is limited to three years and only one of the 21 modules for trainess is dedicated to mental health.

    A letter to Health Education England from British Medical Association, Royal College of GPs and other bodies including MIND, is calling for GP training to be extended from 3 to 4 years to allow for more mental health training.

    It is also calling for urgent additional resources in the primary care workforce, including the placement of mental health therapists in GP surgeries.

    So my question here is – will knowledge alone do it and cut it for our trainee doctors who are really pushed to the limit with the intense training that it takes to become a doctor?

    I have read many stories about medical school students who have taken their lives, which tells us SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    Do we need to better understand ourselves and be assessed with our own mental health BEFORE we are equipped to truly deal with the ongoing problems of mental health in society?

    I for one have made a choice to study Mental Health and Psychiatry – Level 4 Diploma, in addition to Advanced Level Psychology and Diplomas in Psychotherapy, Corporate and Professional Stress Consultant and Depression Management AND another 6 Diplomas. ADD to that my life experience as a 56 year old woman who works everyday and has had no holiday in 15 years.

    Was I on the ‘front foot’ by studying these topics on mental health?

    These qualifications tell me that I have probably covered more knowledge than one module in a GP training, but I stand no chance of being a therapist in the community GP surgery. I have asked to volunteer and give presentations about health and well being and even that is a No.

    What if our lack of resources are telling us, people like me could make a difference, because the vibration and quality that they live is different to most?

    What if we gave people like me a chance to show results by way of evaluation?

    What if we are missing out on the VALUE of what people like myself can bring consistently?

    We only need to study this website and ALL the content thus far to know that I most certainly can be of great benefit to those who are ready, as how I live is the living science that does not need to be tested because it is the Truth.

    COMMENT BELOW POSTED ON THIS BLOG – 1 January 2018
    It speaks volumes to anyone who can join the dots.

    I have a history of suffering from depression and have also attempted suicide.
    I have been in counselling for extended periods twice and have been prescribed anti-depressants by two different GPs.

    All the medical and mental health professionals involved with the treatment I have experienced over the years were caring and well-intentioned.
    During the course of treatment, these professionals talked to me and asked me about my thoughts and feelings. They provided a safe space where I could express my feelings and they also gave me medication that helped at the time. They cared.
    However, as I look back now, I can see that none of them had the insights into mental illness that the author clearly has, as can be seen in the content of this blog.

    None of the medical and mental health professionals that sought to help me got close to identifying the issues contributing to my poor mental health at the time of treatment.

    None of them suggested to me that I needed to take responsibility for the way I was living.

    None of them suggested to me that I needed to build and develop a foundation of self-care in my day to day life.

    None of them suggested to me that my unwillingness to accept my life as it was at the time might be an issue.

    None of them suggested to me that, perhaps, I had given up on life and that my apathy was possibly a contributing factor to my mental health issues.

    None of them suggested to me that regularly going to bed early would be of immense benefit to me.

    None of them even seemed to notice that I was exhausted.

    So I shall be eternally appreciative and grateful to the author for previously sharing with me the wisdom and insights on mental health (that she spells out for the world in this magnificent blog) that have helped me to help myself to move on from depression, a mental health issue that had plagued my life for years.

    Dear World

    Is this one true story enough proof or does it not count because real life lived experience is not the type of evidence we favour in our world?

    Is the evidence we rely on and subscribe to truly supporting us to evolve as a race of beings?

  70. New Statesman – 18 June 2018

    Reality TV stars have mental health problems.

    The title has this question – “Are we putting people at risk for the sake of entertainment?”

    Would it be true to say that reality TV stars are no different and that is why they suffer with anxiety, depression and PTSD?

    Would it be true to say that on live TV everything is in your face and magnified, so there is no where to hide or go to when a camera is following you?

    WHY are some saying they felt the benefits of talking to humans and not having other distractions including social media?

    WHY is anxiety so prevalent and why are so many stars suffering with this?

    What is missing in daily life that gives rise to anxiousness in our body?

    Are we the creators of our own ills and can we ever admit that this could be true?

    Would a great and grand starting point be Absolute Honesty in what is really going on for us in our lives, which could then lead to WHY we have any form of ill mental health?

    Is the idea of a selfie culture and presenting only a certain face to the world having a detrimental effect on our lives, be it on TV or off screen?

    Can we agree with Mental Health Foundation that certain TV reality programmes often tend to want success or fame to “be validated for something…often that comes from feelings of insecurity or challenge, or experiences of having been bullied”?

    What are we expecting when we put a group of people together in an artificially constructed, highly stressful environment”?

    WHY do contestants feel they have to look good because otherwise they are going to get reamed in the press or online?

    Is the whole thing a set up – designed simply to bring in more viewers at whatever cost?

    In other words, those who choose to sign up are pawns in the big game and not seen as precious human lives that could end up worse than when they started.

  71. Independent – 19 June 2018

    https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/homeless-deaths-rough-sleeping-london-st-mungos-a8405121.html

    A homeless person dies every 2 weeks in London
    2010 – 2017 – 158 rough sleepers died
    Survey conducted by charity, St Mungos

    2010 – 29% who died had mental health problems
    2017 – this rose to 80%

    70% of those surveyed said access to mental health services have become harder over the last 5 years.

    “We’ve definitely seen a correlation between cuts to mental health services and the rise in homeless deaths…”
    Peter Salva, director of rough sleepers at St. Mungos

    Mental health problems are high amongst homeless communities and are often undiagnosed.

    What I have observed are that people who are homeless have often lost trust in society and so as they withdraw more and more into themselves, they do not engage with or access services and lack the skills to be able to deal with day to day life.

    In a sense they have ‘opted out’ and given up on life.

    Simple Living Global have stated –

    “To address any mental health issue, it is important to not just focus on solutions for the mind but to introduce the person to a new way of living everyday by making the body the most important marker where connection is to be made first.”

    Is what the author shares here of value and something we are wise to take serious note of?

    Could it be possible that the Simple Living Global Back to Basics Program presents another way to deal with mental illness that brings about lasting change and is sustainable?

    Could it support us to be able to trust ourselves again through reconnecting with the body and through that connection we can then start to trust the world and life again?

    Is it possible that there is enormous wisdom in what the author is presenting here?

  72. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-44658279

    BBC News – 2 July 2018

    9,000 people in Wales admitted to mental health facilities
    2,000 ‘sectioned’ or formally admitted

    This news story is about a 40 year old who has been sectioned twice in the past 15 years and her first contact with mental health services was as a teenager for an eating disorder.

    Her anxiety led to alcohol abuse before being diagnosed with a form of personality disorder and then bipolar disorder.

    Then she began to hear voices and at one point strong suicidal thoughts, where the voices in her head were telling her to kill herself.

    Reflecting back she is certain if she was not sectioned she would have killed herself.
    This is anecdotal evidence. Someone sharing their lived experience.

    We are all a living science so is it time we started to value real life evidence?

    What if we started to question and interview more people who hear voices?

    Has anyone bothered to ask where these voices come from in the first place?

    Is there a plane of life that the visible eye cannot see but it does exist?

    If everything is energy, then is there a world of energy we are not seeking to investigate that leads to what mental ill health is telling us?

    Is there a force coming through us that we are choosing not to be aware of?

    Are we just dismissing those who have ‘voices’ in their head and medicate them?

    Would it be wise to investigate where these ‘voices’ originate from and who gets them?

    Would it be wise to study those who do not have voices controlling their every movement?

    Is this going to be the research in the future?
    Has anyone heard of that saying – “Ill is the physician who does not consider possession first”?

    In other words we need to in the first instance consider that there could be something inside the person that is not actually them.

    This may sound way off whacky and unscientific so best to ignore it OR it may be read in hundreds of years to come and the scholars studying this website will say Simple Living Global were onto something back then in the early 21st Century.

  73. People as young as 30 are being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia.

    I have also read about children as young as 10 being diagnosed with rare forms of the disease.

    Surely there is more to Alzheimer’s as to why some of us are diagnosed with this as if it was just a ‘normal’ part of ageing we would not have people in their 30’s and children being diagnosed.

    Does it go beyond genetics and environmental factors?

    Are there other things at play with illness and disease?

    Is it possible as Simple Living Global are asking that lifestyle choices play a part in our mental health?

  74. The Telegraph – 16th May 2018

    3 million adults in the UK have mental health problems and financial difficulties
    23,000 people were in problem debt while hospitalised for mental health treatment in 2017
    Money and Mental Health Policy Institute

    One countries tax system, has been called upon to offer better support to people with mental health problems.

    Dealing with tax systems and the way that customer facing services are organised can be very difficult to deal with, especially for people who have mental health problems.

    Often, not having one single point of contact and having to wait a long time on telephone helplines to call centres, after pressing various options, can take its toll.

    I have worked in governmental systems for 13 years and I am also a customer of many services.

    Times have most certainly changed and it is no longer easy to contact organisations or make an enquiry.

    Most, if not all of the time we are directed to make our enquiry online and in some cases I have come across organisations where there is no telephone number in sight on their website, or the number is hidden.

    What has happened that we have lost the human touch and we have made everything so complicated?

    I often see how people with mental health problems do not receive the services they could, as most are likely to give up at the first hurdle of trying to contact any organisation to explain their situation.

    I agree that more support is needed, but this support could also come from us restructuring our services, rather than keeping things the same.

    Perhaps we need to look at what is behind this drive to make everything computerised, complicated and non-personalised.

    Is it because we cannot handle the sheer number of calls and enquiries?

    Is it due to staffing cuts?

    Is it due to having poor processes in place, so that more people are calling in to make enquiries and complaints?

    Is it because we have staff who are lazy and are not proactive and committed to the job?

    Is it because we are in the ‘modern age’ and this is the way that we think modern businesses should be run?

    Until we get honest about why things are the way that they are, we will be unable to offer any true support to people with mental health problems.

    1. There are some great questions in your comment here Shevon – thank you.

      I like the one about what is behind us making everything computerised, complicated and non-personalised. Even those of us without mental ill health would agree that something is not right.

      I for one grew up in an era where you dial the number you get the organisation reception staff directing your call and bingo a human helps you at the other end.

      Many I know with english not their first language struggle when there is the automated voice message and as you say correctly in your comment, usually we are told to go online.

      But what if some of us are not savvy with this online business or confident enough to know how to navigate websites that are not familiar to us?

      Back to mental health and relating it to tax, could it be possible that we need to ask more questions and dig a bit deeper as to how it got to that point?

      We have become a world full of solutions and fixes for anything and everything and things seem to be getting worse.

      What if we really focussed on anecdotal evidence staring us in the face and used that data instead of waiting for research to tell us what we already know, OR read a valuable comment like the above posted by Shevon Simon who has worked in government for 13 years. To me that is real life lived experience and worth paying attention to, as this woman is sharing what she knows.

      We need to talk to more people ‘on the ground’ so to speak and then join the dots.

      I am certain more would be possible and valuable to society if we done this.

  75. The Guardian – 1 September 2018

    Schools ‘Need Money Urgently’ to Deal with Mental Health Crisis

    Children and teenagers are facing an ‘intolerable” mental health crisis, according to teachers, doctors and MPs.

    The call for an URGENT cash injection has come after a Children’s Society report that revealed more than 100,000 children aged 14 in Britain were self-harming, with 22% of girls affected.

    One teacher reported the following –

    “One girl I teach scratches herself until she bleeds when she is stressed. Lots of students say they want to harm themselves…It’s usually because they have lots going on at home but also lots of things in school, for example exam pressure. I feel like a lot of what goes on in lessons is all about exam technique and preparing yourself, and not a lot goes into coping mechanisms…I am surprised more students have not fallen apart because of how stressfull it is [in exam years].”

    Another teacher said –

    “We see more kids breaking down with anxiety, having to leave class. Some students in my class have panic attacks once a week and have to leave lessons. Sometimes you end up with 10 emails a day saying ‘look out for this student and provide them with this’…it can be overwhelming to spin all these plates and deliver good lessons.”

    These are teachers on the ground providing their feedback from their real life experiences and to be honest this is very, very concerning. I was not aware of the extent of what is happening in schools today.

    This is a national emergency.

    What if we stopped everything, all lessons as they are and replaced them with skills on life – how to deal with life and how to express and be yourself whilst being comfortable in your own skin?

    What if schools provided a safe and nurturing environment for our youth to talk openly and frankly about what is really going on for them at home and at school?

    What if students were offered classes on how to care deeply for themselves and respect themselves and each other?

    What if school equipped them with the skills to stand confidently as adults knowing who they truly are.

    These children and teenagers are the adults of our future and so if things continue as they are, what kind of adults will they be?

    Will the adults of the future be able to work and contribute positively to society, or will they end up being a further drain on our already strained resources?

    What good is getting an A* grade in a subject, if one is experiencing anxiety, cutting themselves and is feeling suicidal?

    Returning to the news story – One mother sharing about self-harm said “There are forums online where you can share scar photographs.
    There are support groups too, but at the same time it is that weird thing of when does a support group become a window into what everyone else is doing”.

    So apart from shutting down the education system – what can we do?

    Who are the true role models for our youth?

    Where are they and as adults – what are we offering them?

    Can we honestly say that we live with standards in our lives, standards that we won’t go below and we stand firm with – or do we just live from day to day, loosely without any firm sense of who we are and what we stand for?

    What if by living with values and standards, we offer our youth a reflection of Truth that says – we don’t have to take abuse, or that we are worth taking deep care of, or that what we have to say has value?

    What if the way that we are living as adults is contributing to the rise in self-harm statistics?

    Is this possible and something for us to consider?

    Is funding the only answer or is the way that we live a contributing factor to society’s ill-health?

  76. FORTUNE – 10 October 2018

    https://fortune.com/2018/10/10/mental-illness-solitary-confinement/

    We have just had World Mental Health Day which seeks to raise awareness of mental health issues around the world, with the objective of finding ways to support people suffering from mental illness.

    However, there is one population that is overlooked. A new survey conducted by Yale law researchers and the Association of State Correctional Administrators found that more than 4,000 prisoners suffering from serious mental illness in the U.S. are being held in solitary confinement.

    The are held in isolation for 22 hours each day for 15 days or more, despite the fact that long-term isolation can both trigger mental health issues and exacerbate existing mental illness.

    In Mexico, institutions reported 64% of mentally ill prisoners were being held in isolation.

    Decades of research on solitary confinement has established the negative impacts.

    A 2014 study found that prisoners in New York City who were placed in solitary confinement were 7 times more likely to harm or kill themselves.

    2,000 prisoners have been held in isolation for more than 6 years and what is being said is part of the issue are jails and prisons have turned into mental health hospitals and this is not what these institutions were originally created for.

    Whatever our own views are on the prison systems – what is this news story telling us and are we stopping to ask WHY have we as a society got to this point where we literally lock up and throw away the key for almost the whole day?

    Is this rehabilitation or is this what we call punishment?

    Was the offence that they are locked up for anything to do with their ill state of mind – in other words they committed a crime or whatever it was that got them locked up but we have not considered all the factors here at play?

    Yes we need to punish those in society for whatever it is that we know is wrong and not the standard expected by a decent member of the public BUT are our correctional facilities equipped when it comes to dealing with mental health issues?

    What is Correction when another has done wrong?

    Have our systems that we created going about it in a true way or is there something we need to learn and change, as what we can agree is SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT?

    In other words, until we ALL unite on a one-unified truth we could say that we will be battling, fighting or dis-agreeing.

    Have we ever considered that it is only when we ALL unite, will there ever be a true truth and until then we can expect more studies and more news stories confirming the ill that society is living in with what seems like an endless road with no way out?

    How do we feel knowing someone with mental illness is locked up for 22 hours a day in solitary confinement?

    There is much many of the masses have no idea about and may never know unless we start talking about this type of stuff at every opportunity and every dinner table.

  77. The Times – 20 November 2018

    A new study suggests that over 65s are reluctant to admit to mental health problems despite being the most likely to benefit from treatment.
    They are uncomfortable telling someone if they had depression.

    In addition to this, the number of specialists in mental health for the over 65s is falling and too many wrongly assume that misery is inevitable in older age.

    So if treatments such as talking therapies are the most effective for over 65s and the stigma around mental health is deterring them from seeking help and the truth is we don’t have enough specialists, then is there another way?

    We all know how the elderly feel lonely and this sometimes comes from losing friends and partners and living alone.

    What if real talking could support them while we wait for resources or more funding in this particular area of mental health?

    What if people in the community used their time wisely to check in and meet neighbours and those on their street who do live alone and just connect and talk to them?

    What if those of us who retire early and make it all about our hobbies and holidays went out of our way to support the elderly, who may just be us one day in old age?

    What if we raised our children to know that it is natural and normal to support those in our community, whatever age they are so no one in our world ever feels lonely?

    Whilst this comment is presenting a possible link between depression and loneliness, it would be wise for the reader to see what these blogs are saying on this website.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-health-day-depression/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/loneliness/

    There is much to ponder on and consider – that there could just be another way.

  78. BBC News – 22 February 2019

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-47317891

    1 in 13 young people in England and Wales experiences Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) by the age of 18, the first research of its kind suggests.

    A study of more than 2,000 18 year olds found that nearly 33% had experienced trauma in childhood.

    A quarter of these then developed PTSD, which can cause insomnia, flashbacks and feelings of isolation.

    Researchers say, with many young people not receiving the support they need, the study should be a “wake-up call”.

    The study was published in the Lancet and found that more than 50% of those who had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – an anxiety disorder caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events – had also experienced a major depressive episode and 1 in 5 had attempted suicide.

    Only 1 in 5 had been seen by a mental health professional in the previous 12 months.

    Calls are being made for earlier preventative treatment.

    Is it possible that no matter how much money we throw at mental health services, if we do not understand the root cause of how and why someone develops post traumatic stress disorder (or any other illness) and we do not have staff who are fully equipped and trained to support another to deal with this, who are clear of their own mental health problems and have been assessed as such, we will continue to see the problem continue?

    Do we really and truly understand mental illness and why this develops?

    Is there more for us to understand as to why this would lead anyone to end their life by suicide?

    Is there more that we need to know and understand about life and how it works that would enable us to deal more effectively with mental health problems?

  79. Metro – 7 March 2019
    p.13

    66% of pregnant young women in London have mental health problems, a study finds.

    Those aged 16 – 24 reported issues such as anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress.

    21% of pregnant women aged 25 and over have mental health issues.

    Lead author Dr. Georgina Lockwood Estrin called the level of mental disorders ‘shockingly high’.

    Have we stopped to question why mental health problems in our young pregnant women are so high?

    Is this statistic only present in London or would we find the same worldwide?

    What is it that is causing this high number?

    What happens to the children of these young mothers when they are born and how many of the women continue to have difficulties with their mental health after the baby is born?

    Do we feel relieved that this figures reduces to 21% when women turn 25, or are we just as concerned, knowing that just under 1 in 5 women are still affected?

    Is there any wisdom in this article written by Simple Living Global for us to consider?

    Are we willing to understand more about mental illness and how it comes about?

    Are we willing to consider other treatment methods that are not just medication based?

    Is there something about our lifestyles that need re-examining and assessing in order for us to see how we are contributing to any ill mental health?

    Is there a responsibility that we have as individuals to understand why it is we have any mental health difficulties?

  80. A very famous young man is struggling and according to so many news stories he is once again being honest about his state of mental health.

    In the past he has talked openly about his struggles with depression and some of the difficulties he faced with finding fame so young.

    He is telling his 105 million followers on social media that he has ‘been struggling a lot and just feeling super dis-connected and weird’.

    Do we need to stop here and re-read what is being said and then join the dots?

    Someone who so many see as one of the most richest, successful and famous 25 on the planet is struggling – how is that possible we might say.

    What is entering the mind of this young man that makes him feel dis-connected and weird – in other words, he is not feeling himself?

    Do we need to dig deeper and ask more questions, like this blog is presenting?

    Can we gain more understanding by being honest about our own state of mental health?

    What we can say is SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    Fame wealth and everything that goes with it can leave someone dis-connected.

    What if we read the blog on this website called Plug in and Connect?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/plug-in-and-connect/

    What wisdom is it offering the reader and what if we apply the practical and easy steps?

    Our world as it is right now is not working.

    Those we think have everything are struggling and surely that is enough to stop and question WHY, instead of conveniently ignoring what is really going on.

  81. The Wall Street Journal – 1 March 2019

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/millennials-are-the-therapy-generation-11551452286

    People in their 20’s and 30’s seek mental health help more often …

    According to a 2017 report for the Center for Collegiate Mental Health at Penn State University, which compiled data from 147 colleges and universities, the number of students seeking mental health help increased from 2011 to 2016 at five times the rate of new students starting college.

    A 2018 report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association found a 47% increase between 2013 – 2016 in depression diagnoses among 18 – 34 year olds. The report attributed the rise mainly to the fact that far more young adults are seeking help.

    A 2018 study of 40,000 American, Canadian and British college students published in the journal Psychological Bulletin found that millennials are suffering from “multidimensional perfectionism” in many areas of their lives, setting unrealistically high expectations and feeling hurt when they fall short. This propensity can motivate them to seek assistance when something goes wrong – but it also sometimes drives them to turn that assistance into dependence.

    Some young people think “that the therapist is going to provide an answer rather than help them to discover the answer within themselves,” says Dr. Cohen, the Manhatten psychologist. Dr. Cohen recalls one recent 20 something client who was unsure whether to stay in a relationship. “It really felt like she had gone from therapist to therapist looking for one that would tell her what to do, says Dr. Cohen. “I think the therapist natural instinct to listen and not give advice can be challenging and threatening to millennials.”

    Technology is also quoted as having contributed to the expectation of a quick fix. We have apps and online services offering therapy as well as options by phone, chat, video and message board.

    New studies also show that young couples are using therapy before moving in together or in the early years of marriage, something virtually unheard of in earlier generations.

    This article with the various studies quoted is telling us that the mental health of millennials is very poor.

    Have we questioned why?

    Could it be possible that they have not been raised in a way that allows them to connect to their own truth deep within and so they are always looking for answers on the outside – whether that be through listening to other people in person or online?

    Is it possible that we all have a deep wisdom within and when we are provided with the tools as to how to live in a way that we can connect to that wisdom at all times – we need nothing outside of us?

    Could this be a reason why we have ill mental health?

    There are so many blogs on this website including this one on mental health that raise many, many questions for us to consider in answer to this Wall Street Journal article.

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/what-is-intelligence-part-1/

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/what-is-intelligence-part-2/

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/world-health-day-depression/

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/commitment-to-life-part-1/

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/listening-to-other-people/

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/solutions-solutions/

    https://simplelivingglobal.com/perfect-life/

  82. Dr. Max – Daily Mail 18 May 2019
    Page 43

    Psychiatrist – Dr. Max Pemberton talks about a group of people we are systematically letting down.

    Many are living in misery, blighted by mental illness that goes unnoticed and untreated.

    The suicide rate among middle-aged men is higher than younger men.

    There is mounting evidence of the mental health problems this group is enduring but nothing is being done.

    Middle age men are not a progressive or trendy cause and so their needs are not prioritised or considered.

    According to a report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies, this age group of men are likely to die ‘deaths of despair’ as a result of low earnings, loneliness and family breakdown. These deaths from suicide, drug and alcohol abuse have been on the increase for decades in the U.S. and the report is suggesting the same pattern is emerging in the UK.

    Men are blamed for not talking about their problems and Dr. Max adds here that social shifts have resulted in a generation that feels left out.

    He continues to say that there are no training courses in his experience for this male working class age group facing problems, yet they are the largest group using drug and alcohol services.

    A common factor is a relationship breakdown and having to leave the home with children and losing their job. Feeling redundant and alone many turn to drink and drugs to fill the void and lives spiral out of control.

    Without getting caught in one doctors opinion, what is here being shared is worthy of a comment.

    How are our men of today living that as soon as something goes wrong they are not able to cope?

    Do we need to take a look at how we are within our relationships and in our family life?

    Have we become needy and dependent and not made a choice to express fully how we feel at all times and this lack of communicating could end up being the issue?

    Are we living our life just for the kids and forget about our relationship with our partner and how to support that in itself to evolve, so things don’t get stagnant or mundane?

    Are our middle aged men lacking confidence deep down but have no resources of how to bring about real change?

    Are these ‘working class’ men, busy working all hours to provide and see their wives, partners and kids happy, but neglecting their own body and what they need for their own health and wellbeing?

    Talking for whatever reason is not easy for this age group so should we all be asking WHY?

    Why are our middle aged men struggling to express what they feel and is this what is behind the misery and suffering they endure?

    Worth pondering on…

  83. Talking to a mother in the community about her child who suffered with bullying from the age of 13 and now 10 years later is totally withdrawn from life and supported by medication.

    I asked her how she feels and if she could be honest. Her response was she keeps very busy and there are days she simply cries as the pain and suffering to see her child who is now a fully grown young adult is not what she wanted or expected.
    The other thing mentioned was she has accepted what has happened and has resigned herself to the fact that there will never be any change.

    We all have images and pictures fed to us about how the perfect child, parent and family life should be and when it is not, then the incongruence brings rise to a whole host of additional problems.

    I know this from my own lived experience and from communicating with many others.

    This is one story and the world has millions of stories like this.

    So what happened and why did this child shut down from life?
    Why did the bullying happen and how can we move on from this?

    Is giving medication, a label that seems to hold a great deal of stigma?
    Is an acceptance that this is what it is going to be for life the answer?
    Is there more and is there another way?

    Can we afford to just simply settle, accept and continue on the road called life or is there something we can do to make changes?

    Do we need to question things and dig deep and leave no stone unturned or are we happy bopping along and allowing things to continue as they are?

    Mental Health is now a global topic and everywhere we are seeing and hearing stories about what is going on in people’s lives.

    Is it time to read this blog and get on this website to at least consider another way of living and being on this earth, so that we can take care of our mental health like never before?

    In other words, live in deep connection to ourselves in each and every moment to the best of our ability and let things unfold in a natural order and flow.

    Probably sounds a bit far fetched, way off or whacky but what if the above prescription will be the future medicine that benefits us all?

  84. As the global statistics in this article have noted – 50% of all lifetime mental disorders start by the time people are in their mid teens (World Health Organization)

    Reading the following in a national newspaper article in the UK recently and considering the statistics above, is it time that we stopped and ask some serious questions? –

    First generation of children exposed to hardcore pornography before their first kiss have epidemic levels of mental illness.

    How are we raising our children and what are we exposing them to that has an ill effect on their mental health?

    Do we care what they watch on screens or indeed what we as adults are watching and the resultant harms, or do we say that it does not matter as it is only on a screen and so no ‘physical harm’ is being done?

    What if the psychological harm is the same or even more damaging than any physical harm?

    Are we missing the mark by not looking at how our children are sexualised in every day society from the ways of popular dress on the street to the images in TV and music videos on screen?

    What happened to good old fashioned standards and boundaries with regards to dress and conduct for children as well as adults?

    Is it because these standards have dropped that we have seen the rise in indecent behaviour and mental illness?

    Are we seeking true role models – those without mental illness, who do not do porn and live with integrity to identify a way of living that is truly working?

    Is it possible that people are not just ‘born’ mentally ill but that there are living conditions that foster the growth and rise of mental illness?

    Are we not looking where we need to at what is the root cause of mental illness and what the circumstances are in daily life and the way that we are living that are not only contributing to but are causing this?

    Is there more here for humanity to consider?

  85. Eastern Daily Press – 16 August 2019

    https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/health/quarter-of-norfolk-nhs-sick-days-due-to-mental-health-1-6218812

    NHS staff in Norfolk had taken 100,000 sick days last year due to mental health issues.

    25% of these were due to anxiety, stress, depression or other psychiatric illnesses.

    “Stress, depression and anxiety continue to be an issue across the whole UK workforce, especially public services organisations such as the NHS, which is facing ever increasing demand on its services. And working within a mental health trust has its own unique pressures on emotional wellbeing of staff.” says medical director of Norfolk and Suffolk Foundation Trust.

    This is one small microcosm of the whole and we get to read a snapshot about what is going on.
    A local newspaper reporting a story in their area in England.
    WHY is this not front page national news headlines?

    What if we all just stop for a moment and say SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT?

    Are we ready to admit that our solutions are simply not cutting it if we can see a chart showing one hundred thousand sick days taken for mental health issues and almost 30,000 for substance abuse. Yes we have our caring professional health care workers taking drugs, but these numbers are not on the radar so very few of the general public would know this.

    Are the current coping strategies that are in place not doing the job like workshops, helplines, yoga, pilates and chaplaincy? Is something missing and have we worked out what it could be?

    Are we using band aid approaches and not going to the root cause of WHY and HOW our health workers have got to the point of needing sick days for mental health problems?

    Can we be honest and say that if Health and Wellbeing are “an absolute priority” then we need to seriously look at the support that is in place and see where real change is needed?

    What if the majority feel the stigma associated with mental health and so they avoid at all costs that they are suffering with depression?

    What if anxiety is so rife in the health service that it is something that many of the staff just cope with and carry on?

    What if stress is there because their job is so demanding and there are no proper rest breaks and shift patterns tend to not suit many because they have not adjusted their lifestyle choices?

    Example – Yes the policy says you can take a break, but real life reality kicks in and says when?

    How is it possible with a round the clock job that never has an off switch moment?

    Is this where we need to take responsibility on our rest days and time away from the job by doing some exercise, cooking up food to support us and sleeping longer to offset some of the exhaustion of the work?

    Is this where we need to not do a deal with ourselves and think we deserve takeaway dinners, screentime into the late night, go out with mates dining and drinking so we don’t think about the next shift until the actual day we are due in?

    Is this where we need to take Responsibility to a new level and make our own self care and routine on our days off a priority, so that we do what it takes and focus on how we can be fit and withstand the demands of a very long day at work and perhaps shifts that alternate and go on for longer than a week?

    We all know the saying ‘you can take a horse to water but you cannot make it drink it’.

    On that note, we can come up with lots of workshops, classes, solutions and methods to make our health system staff function, but the choice to change and make the movements in that direction has to come from them or it will fail or simply not be sustainable.

    And finally, let us not ignore or dismiss the fact that in this one small place in England almost 30,000 staff take time off sick for substance abuse.

    What is going on in their lives that lead to this and WHY are we brushing it under the carpet as most of us are not even aware this is going on?

    Is this an indication that there could also be health workers all over the country experiencing the ill effects of substance abuse?

  86. The Guardian – 1 April 2020

    According to a study, there were significant levels of depression and anxiety that people reported after the UK announcement of a historic lockdown of the country.

    Is this telling us we as individuals are not equipped to deal with the days ahead or is there more that we need to consider and address regarding our own mental health and wellbeing?

    Are we someone who always lives with stress and a slight change of anything gets us tense and feeling un-settled, so when something as big as lockdown happens we just cannot function?

    Are we acting the cool one but really we are not and so we never make it as a statistic for anxiety or depression and that tells us that the figures may not be an accurate reflection of what is really going on?

    Are we feeling un-committed to most areas of our life and this big whammy has wiped us away to the degree where even the thought of waking up to face the day feels too much – in other words our depression has got a stronger hold than before?

    Are we bopping along in life avoiding the real truth about how we feel, the ill lifestyle choices that we know are harming us and making out we are ok, but now the cracks are appearing fast and this blow to the country and the world has got us like nothing before?

    Are we a sufferer of anxiety and being told to stay in (even though this is our normal way of operating) suddenly feels wrong and we want to go out and join the world but we simply cannot?

    Are we finding ways to cope with our depression and anxiety by going online and spending more on screentime but it seems to make us feel worse and add to our insomnia?

    Dear World,

    How are we going to behave and what will our lifestyle choices be once we are out of lockdown mode?
    The certainty we all know is that things will never be the same again – they simply cannot.

    What if we need to focus on the things that we can do – such as early bedtime routine and stick to it because there ain’t much else going on?

    What if we could learn and educate how to live human life by going through every single blog on this website and considering the questions presented?

    What if there is a learning in every opportunity given to us in life and that includes a global pandemic where we simply cannot carry on as before?

    What if the state of our mental health depends on how we behave during this critical time and the days ahead?

  87. CNBC – 24 May 2020

    Mental Health Apps are Drawing a Wave of New Users

    https://www.cnbc.com/2020/05/24/mental-health-apps-draw-wave-of-users-as-experts-call-for-oversight.html

    First time downloads of the top 20 mental wellness apps in the United States were 4 million in April 2020 – a rise of 29% since January as people turn to their smartphones for help.

    While there is a rush of new teletherapy users, there are concerns about the privacy and efficacy of these apps. Experts are emphasising that the digital therapy space needs more transparency and oversight, but there is not a consensus on what the path forward should be.

    App stores play host to around 20,000 mental health apps, according to the American Psychological Association. They run Artificial Intelligence chatbots and mood trackers to services that connect patients to licensed therapists.

    Investors are banking on the growing therapeutic app market and one mental health company has a valuation above $1 billion.

    The number of users who are choosing these platforms to help specifically with stress and anxiety has more than doubled.

    264 million people around the world are affected by Depression, according to the United Nations.

    50% of Americans reported that the pandemic was having a negative effect on their mental health.

    Next – A study published last month by the National Library of Medicine identified several mental health apps that displayed non-existent or incorrect suicide hotline numbers. Apps supplying inaccurate information were downloaded more than 2 million times.

    Dr. Stephen Schueller who has a non-profit website ranking therapy apps says that of the tens of thousands of mental health apps available, only 3% are evidence based.

    There is much here for us all to consider.

    We could start with saying SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    Those of us who are techno savvy or just want to hide from others our issues and our problems may just think that apps are the way forward, but what if they are not?

    What if good old fashion talking face to face is needed?

    What if a screen does something to our psyche and we are not behaving or disclosing what is needed to really and truly support us with our mental health?

    Over 20,000 apps tells us this is big business and there will be many other organisations looking at ways to profit from this market. Where there is a demand, the suppliers will be ready.

    How serious is it when we read that wrong telephone numbers are quoted for suicide helplines?

    With the industry growing so fast and the current global pandemic crisis, we could be sure to see even a bigger rise having been told half of the world’s biggest nation has reported having negative mental health because of the virus.

    Are those recruiting therapists taking on the real deal or are they in it for the supply and demand game and that means cutting corners and if they don’t, they may just lose the investors who are backing them, as long as profit is first and foremost?

    What if those who supply the wellness industry had a company policy of ‘People Before Profit’?

    Simple Living Global does and it is for all to read and feel on our Code of Conduct page.
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/code-of-conduct/

    Are we really going to see a U turn in mental wellness if the masses are seeking quick fix solutions and turning to the modern day apps to provide the answers or Is There Another Way?
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/is-there-another-way/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/another-way-to-live/

  88. This is a personal take and not coming from anything other than a sense that SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT when we read about mental health solutions.

    In our weekend national newspaper a psychiatrist recommends a self-help workbook for the mind and it is popular among mental health professionals.

    It draws on compassion focused therapy and we could say that it works for some people and others would not go near this stuff.

    Regardless of our personal choice – my concern is can a self help book really nail it OR are we in anyway having a REDUCTIONIST approach?

    By this I mean are we taking the issue at hand – in this case mental health (that in itself is a vast spectrum) and then trying to fix it or say this approach will work – give it a go as the pros are telling us, so it must be ok, right and good?

    What if this approach may on the surface prove to be very helpful and this is the feedback so we settle for that and leave it at that?

    What if we dig deeper and see the quality of life people lead thereafter and if there is more that can be done to completely and absolutely clear the ill mental health?

    What if our researchers started to study these people over the longer-term before we jump on the bandwagon and say this is great, try it to help certain mental health issues?

    What if things go very well initially, as suffering from high levels of shame and self-criticism to being kinder and compassionate does the job, but only until another life issue raises and we are back to where we started, because in truth the ill itself was not healed at the root?

    This means we did not go to the start of where the behaviour and symptoms started, so it rears itself when triggered in another life event or situation.

    This may just be common sense or my personal wisdom talking here but I feel there needs to be more Responsibility when newspapers going out to the masses endorse things without doing the homework and that means ensuring it is the real deal and not just because professionals tell us it is.

    We have this habit of believing someone who has plenty of qualifications and has done a lot of studying. Yes they know a lot in their chosen field but do we just dismiss another angle – the approach of what is being presented in this comment for instance?

    I know that I did suffer with enormous shame and self-criticism that haunted me for decades and the answer was not any self-help book to cultivate compassion as that would have been a band aid to a bullet wound solution.

    What I do know is that whatever we seek, we will find. So if we really want to just deal with the surface and not dig deep and heal the root cause, then we find just the right article endorsed and championed by our doctor in the media and bingo we feel great and think that is it.

    But what if it is not?

  89. Daily Mail – 29 August 2020

    A person is reported missing in Britain every 2 minutes. Many have Dementia.

    If they are not traced within 24 hours, the likelihood is that they will be found dead.

    This is it – 2 news worthy lines and the public in general remain unaware of these staggering facts.

    If we simply break it down – 30 people reported missing every hour.
    In one day that is 720 people
    In one week that is 5,040 people
    In one year we have 262,080 missing

    What about ALL those who no one reports missing?

    How many never get traced?
    What is the figure of those found dead?
    How tragic is this and WHY is this happening?

    What are the world wide statistics as we all know this cannot just be going on in Britain?

    This website is yet to present an article on Dementia.
    For now we can say that it is a form of mental health.

    Google tells us Dementia is a syndrome associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning.
    There are many causes and many types.

    In general terms, Dementia is a loss of memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life.

    Enough said – what would good old fashion common sense tell us ?

    Well in the old way of living, which was simple and basic this head mind stuff had no place.
    We were all raised to simply commit to our life and get on with it.

    Caring for ourselves, our families, our communities. Keeping our hearts open to all others and knowing everyone is equal. No special accolades or recognition were given to those who thought they were so-called studious, more knowledgeable or well read. Everyone was the same.

    Meeting and connecting with others was important, regardless of age, so no one would check out or have the need to disappear, as there was always others there taking care.

    Could it be possible that we need to consider what common sense is sharing by way of wisdom and apply this way of living, as nothing seems to be working with our current way of operating – other than hundreds of thousands of people going missing every year?

  90. The Guardian 10 October 2020

    Women are facing a rise in stress due to working from home.

    The length of a working day for women has increased, resulting in a 49% rise in mental distress reported by employees when compared to 2017-2019.

    The report “Burnout Britain” warns that as well as an impending recession and mass unemployment, we are heading into an unprecedented mental health crisis.

    They are calling for a 4 day working week to rebalance the economy, boost mental health and give people more time to spend doing the things they love.

    This may sound like a dream ticket to those who work long hours or work because they have to. But do we need to stop and take a pause moment to consider if this is the answer.

    What if our ‘burnout’ is because of our lifestyle and the choices we are making, or more importantly not making for our true health and wellbeing?

    What if most of us are exhausted and working and holding down a job just adds to that endless exhaustion with catch up on days off is not happening?

    What if women are not asking for support and just doing more than their share and this is why we have an imbalance with our working from home life?

    What if women are struggling because they want the ‘me time’ and time out and when they get it they are not using it wisely to deeply self care and nurture themselves?

    What if a 4 day week will give us more time to indulge in our distractions and this would mean even more issues that we may not yet have considered?

    What if work is not really the issue but how we approach our work and our fitness to do the job and that means how equipped are we?

    How is our sleep quality? What are we eating to nourish our body and not treat it as an engine that regularly gets the wrong fuel, ie. fast foods, junk foods, caffeine, alcohol, sugar and the list we all know too well?

    What if work gives us a rhythm and routine and above all purpose? Our contribution, the micro in whatever job it is we do, makes a difference and plays a part in the bigger picture, the microcosm.

    What if giving people more time to spend doing the things they love may not be of benefit to their body because what they love may be harmful? For example, watching TV into the late hours, checking social media throughout the day and night, having no sleep quality, consuming alcohol which we all know is a poison, doing some pot smoking as the world is now all endorsing it and the list goes on and on in the love-less ways we find in the name of doing ‘what we love’.

    Have we stopped to think about all of this and what is this all really about?

    What if we do need to re-balance our life and that means being aware of our body and using it as a vehicle to move us through life with vitality levels that allow us to work and not deplete us?

    May sound a bit way off, but what if there is something here worth considering?

  91. University College London – 1 February 2021

    Antipsychotic prescriptions rising much faster than psychosis rates

    If we read this title – what would that mean to us and do we actually understand it?

    In England there has been what is called a “modest” rise in psychotic symptoms between 2007 and 2014 but antipsychotic medication use has doubled over the same period.

    Psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, hearing voices and paranoia give us an indication of what they are talking about here.

    This was not a small study as data from over 20,000 people of the general population was used. This tells us this form of mental health is happening on a large scale.

    Some of what people reported does not necessarily warrant a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder and antipsychotic medication would not always be required.

    The clear reason for the disproportionate increase in antipsychotic medication use is difficult to explain. The researchers have many might be possible and explanations but for the purpose of this comment, let us not speculate but simply start with saying SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT.

    Do we need to get to the root cause – the start point and question where did this begin?
    In other words, when did we start hearing voices and have we looked at what was going on in our life at that time?

    We could say that this is the job for the psychiatrist but where is our own personal responsibility?

    Are we up to no good with our recreational drug taking and has this been a factor worth considering, as this study mentions the rise in cannabis use may be one possible reason?

    We all know that we were not born with paranoia and that something triggers us to behave in this way and we ought to consider our lifestyle choices.

    What is going on in our minds that brings on hallucinations?

    Are we able to become deeply honest and not hold back until we nail exactly what, why, when and how we got to the point of experiencing something that is apparently a perception of something not present?

    That is what the dictionary tells us is the meaning of ‘hallucinations’.

    What if our eyes cannot see but our body is sensing something that feels real and it does exist?

    What if our minds in an altered state is capable of anything that we cannot explain with our 5 senses?

    What if we need to think outside the box and question how can any drug do the job of blocking or getting rid of these experiences that haunt so many of us?

    What if the paranoia comes in because we feel the ‘real-ness’ of the experience but the world as it is does not yet have the answers?

    What if we need to make our researcher studies all about getting to the root cause of our ill mental health and not come up with solutions or tell us they need more funding for more studies?

    It is great that our clinicians are trained to do a job from their in-depth years of studying and so far it has helped to get patients into some form of ‘normal’ state to function in life but is there more?

    Our statistics are telling us that more people want prescriptions to manage their mental state but is this the answer for the long-term?

    Are we going to end up with a nation on some form of medication and just label that as ‘ok and normal’ for dealing with our mental health crisis?

    Would we benefit as a society to learn more about how our lifestyle choices can and do affect our state of mind?

    What if we carried out observational studies on those that have zero signs or symptoms of any ill forms of mental health for the past decade and see what they are up to?
    In other words, let us examine in detail the movements, the daily life choices they make in order to hold steady and not deviate down the road of anxiety, depression or more dangerous ground like psychosis.

    The author of this comment, this blog and this website is worthy of analysis and study.

  92. American Psychiatric Association – 22 September 2021

    https://www.psychiatry.org/newsroom/news-releases/apa-offers-tips-for-understanding-prolonged-grief-disorder

    Prolonged Grief Disorder is the newest disorder to be recently added to the DSM 5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a volume published by the APA – American Psychiatric Association that defines and classifies mental disorders. It can happen when someone close to the bereaved person has died within at least 6 months for children and adolescents or within 12 months for adults.

    The bereaved individual may experience intense longings for the deceased or pre-occupation with thoughts of the deceased or in children and adolescents, with circumstances around the death. These grief reactions occur most of the day or nearly every day for a month. They experience clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational and other important areas of functioning.

    Some of the symptoms of Prolonged Grief Disorder are:

    • Identity disruption (e.g., feeling as though part of oneself has died)
    • Marked sense of disbelief about the death
    • Avoidance if reminders that the person is dead
    • Intense emotional pain (e.g., anger, bitterness, sorrow) related to the death
    • Difficulty moving on with life (e.g., problems engaging with friends)
    • Emotional numbness
    • Feeling that life is meaningless
    • Intense Loneliness (i.e., feeling alone or detached from others

    Including Prolonged Grief Disorder in the forthcoming DSM-5-TR will mean that mental health clinicians, patients and families can all share an understanding of what normal grief is and what might indicate a long-term problem and this will increase awareness says the APA CEO and Medical Director, Saul Levin M.D.

  93. We now have news about working a 4 day week to boost mental health.
    According to a famous journalist – mr H in the UK his opinion is “that is just idiotic”.

    Whatever our opinion – what if we start by simply saying SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT?

    Working a 5 day week according to mr H gives them a rhythm and structure to their lives. So what happens when they get thrown out of rhythm with an extra day off at home and not given a choice?

    What if others struggle with a 4 day week – do we offer them a 3 day week or even less? Where will it end says mr H and how are we defining the words Mental Health?

    700 years ago, Europe were the first to open lunatic asylums.
    In the 1980s we finally started closing them.

    Mr H the journalist says that there are powerful vested interests who exploit the notion that we should all worry endlessly about our mental health and he is not talking about the growing army of therapists and counsellors, of which some have little or no training.
    He is concerned about Big Pharm and that medicalising a condition when it may or may not be clinically justified is creating a market to treat ‘mental health issues’ in order to make vast amounts of money.

    Take note of the opioid crisis in the United States as this is serious.
    In the 1990s, American drug companies assured the medical world that opioid painkillers were not addictive, they were lying. This is not just our mr H saying this.
    It is a well know publicised fact.

    In 2019, 70,000 died from overdosing and 10 million ‘mis-used’ opioid prescription drugs. We all know that these drugs create dependency.

    Over 7 million people in England are prescribed anti-depressants.
    Quarter of a million of these are children aged 5 to 16.

    Back to the 4 day a week – will this new way of operating be the popular framework for organisations in the future?

    In this reported from HSE in 2020
    https://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/stress.pdf
    828,000 workers are suffering from work related stress, anxiety of depression.

    This resulted in 17.9 million working days lost, with rates higher than ever during 2018/2019 and 2019/2020.

    Dear World

    Will having an additional day to rest and recover lead to fewer days off sick?
    Will we continue down the ill road of distractions and wasting our day off and not using it to rest, go to bed early and prepare food to nurture and support us during work days?

    Yes there are endless positive things we could say about working less days but this will never work if we spend the ‘day off’ in total disregard or abuse, which will simply add to our state of mental health.

    Taking a day off is not going to get us making changes or moving mountains, if we are not using it wisely to make the necessary and much needed movements to support our true health and wellbeing.

  94. Rutgers – State University of New Jersey – 10 March 2022

    https://www.rutgers.edu/news/teens-and-young-adults-overdosing-drugs-common-mental-health-issues

    Teenagers and young adults are overdosing on Drugs used for common mental health issues, according to a new study published in Pediatrics.

    29% of youth who overdosed on a benzodiazepine or stimulant had a recent medical prescription for that drug.

    4,777 youth died from a drug overdose in 2019 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States.

    Further, since the potential for harm with benzodiazepines and stimulants increases with other substances such as alcohol, illicit drugs and opioids, discussions around limiting concurrent substance use is warranted.”
    Greta Bushnell, Assistant Professor at Rutgers School for Public Health

    Dear World

    Firstly, medications that are being used are commonly used to treat mental health issues like ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and anxiety disorders.

    This is serious and we ought to be talking about it and how on earth is this happening that it has got to this point?

    WHY is any member of our youth taking an overdose?
    What is getting into them that makes them act out in this way?
    What is missing in their lives that they cannot communicate this to another?

    We can ask why are our doctors prescribing drugs to youth but we all know they are under their own pressures and demands of serving their community, doing things right and working within their professional guidelines.

    We could ask WHY do our youth end up taking drugs prescribed for mental illness and overdosing on them?

    Are we lacking adequate education about illicit and licit drugs to our children and teenagers and this is why we are where we are at with news stories of this kind?

    What is going on at home and at school if we are to be totally honest and up front?

    We need to start somewhere as what we have established is these are the new normal when it comes to youth, addiction, harmfull substances and overdoses.

    It is high time we all started talking and having conversations like what this comment is presenting. It is only then we can claim that we are contributing to bring about some change in this world.

    And finally, our youth are the future adults. With this going on what is it really telling us and how serious is this Dear World?

  95. The Guardian – 22 March 2022

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/mar/22/women-and-young-adults-propel-huge-rise-in-use-of-anti-anxiety-drugs

    Women and young adults – huge rise in the use of anti-anxiety drugs, according to a new research study.
    https://bjgp.org/content/early/2022/03/20/BJGP.2021.0561

    The findings are based on analysis of care given to 2.6 million adults, registered with 176 GP practices, across the UK from 2003 to 2018, including 546,154 prescriptions for anxiolytics.

    Women are more than twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with anxiety and prescribed medication including antidepressants to relieve its symptoms, the study found. This seems to be the same for depression.

    The biggest rises in prescription of anti-anxiety drugs were 25 to 34 year olds, followed by under 25s and those aged 35 to 44.

    A key reason given is that women are more likely to seek help for mental health conditions and men are less likely because of the stigma associated with poor mental health.

    Note – the above does not capture the impact of the recent pandemic where most of us have had some form of anxiety, depression or poor mental health.

  96. Health News – 4 April 2022

    https://www.health.com/condition/mental-health-conditions/prolonged-grief-disorder-symptoms

    Prolonged Grief Disorder is now an official Mental Health condition.

    This means an extended grieving period can be classified as a mental health condition, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

    Prolonged Grief Disorder is an intense yearning or longing for the deceased person or pre-occupation with them, when a person loses someone close to them.

    This new diagnosis provides a new framework for treating patients affected by loss and allows providers to bill insurance companies for treatment services.

    It has come after years of debate as to whether grief should be classified as a mental illness. Recent world events have shown more people have experienced “incapacitating feelings of grief” as quoted by the press release from the American Psychiatric Association.

    The following warning signs of Prolonged Grief Disorder according to the APA are:

    • Identity disruption – for example, feeling like part of oneself has died

    • Marked sense of dis-belief about the death

    • Avoidance of reminders that the person has died

    • Intense emotional pain – for example anger or bitterness

    • Difficulty with re-integration – for example, difficulty engaging with friends or pursuing interests

    • Emotional numbness

    • Feeling that life is meaningless

    • Intense loneliness – for example, feeling alone or detached from others

    This disorder has been added to the manual’s Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders chapter.

    There is controversy as some experts are against the establishment of Prolonged Grief Disorder as a diagnosis, citing the fact that grief is neither a linear process nor a one size fits all experience. Others say grief is a natural response to loss and not a pathological disorder and not something that needs to be ‘fixed’ as it is a natural human response. For some, the grieving process can result in shame and isolation. Receiving an official diagnosis might cause even deeper shame.

  97. BBC News – 29 June 2022

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-61968952

    Mental Health is negatively affecting almost 50% of UK students.

    The research also found 4% of staff received “adequate training”.

    The social aspect taken away due to lockdown has made some students struggle with loneliness and anxiety.

    Dear World

    What is going to happen if we have half of our university students with some form of ill mental health?

    With limited resources and the pressures that come from an academic study, where is this going to end?

    What type of intelligence are we subscribing to if we are putting emphasis on everything but the very health and wellbeing of the student?

    AND more to the point – how are our student population actually living daily life that gives rise to any form of mental health problems?

    Do we need to get Back to Basics and bring in human life 101 lessons – stuff that our granny would say works and makes good old fashion common sense?

  98. Alzheimer’s Association International Conference – 17 July 2023

    https://aaic.alz.org/releases_2023/us-county-level-alzheimers-prevelance-estimates.asp

    Researchers reveal first-ever U.S. county-level Alzheimer’s prevalence estimates.

    The east and southeastern US have the highest prevalence of Alzheimer’s dementia, according to a first-ever study of occurrence of the disease by county.

    Higher percentages of older people and Black Hispanic residents in those regions may explain the higher prevalence.

    The findings can help guide the allocation of resources to public health programs for Alzheimer’s in those regions.

    At the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, the first-ever county level estimates of the prevalence of people with Alzheimer’s dementia – in all 3,142 US counties – were released.

    Researchers noted a combination of specific demographic characteristics that may explain the higher prevalence in these counties, including older average age and higher percentages of Black and Hispanic residents.

    For example, among residents aged 65 years and older of the Bronx County in New York, 14% were 85 and older (compared to a national average of 12% of people 65 and older). 30.1% were African Americans and 46.9% were Hispanic Americans (compared to national averages of 9.4% and 8.8% respectively).

    Age is well-established as a primary risk factor for Alzheimer’s.
    According to the Alzheimer’s Association 2023 Alzheimer’s Disease Facts and Figures, older Black Americans are about twice as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older Whites, and older Hispanics are about one and one-half times as likely to have Alzheimer’s or other dementias as older Whites.

    6.7 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease.

  99. Harvard Medical School – 31 July 2023

    https://hms.harvard.edu/news/half-worlds-population-will-experience-mental-health-disorder

    A large scale International study across 29 countries conducted over 150,000 face to face surveys found that 1 out of every 2 people in the world will develop a mental health disorder in their lifetime.

    The research was led by Harvard Medical School and the University of Queensland and the results were published in The Lancet Psychiatry.

    The results demonstrate the high prevalence of mental health disorders worldwide with 50% of the population developing at least one disorder by the age of 75.

    The study showed the most common mental illnesses were mood disorders, such as major depression or anxiety and the risk of certain mental disorders differed by sex.

    3 most common mental health disorders among women were:

    • Depression
    • Specific phobia, a disabling anxiety that interferes with daily life
    • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

    The 3 most common mental health disorders among men were:

    • Alcohol abuse
    • Depression
    • Specific phobia

    Dear World

    If this is not a 911 WAKE UP CALL then what are we waiting for?

    Half the world population is going to have a mental health dis-order and it is super simple to work out that SOMETHING IS CLEARLY NOT RIGHT.

    How long are we going to continue after reading this or knowing that it is going on in our own family or with relatives, neighbours, those in the community or our friends and colleagues.

    Do we really have the time to delay this by waiting for the next and then the next research study or will this be it?

    Are we going to demand answers as to WHY and HOW anyone has any kind of mental health issue so that we can get to the root cause?

    Our funding is simply not there and we keep getting told not enough resources for treatment and at the same time the numbers are rising at epic proportions.

    Depression has been a global epidemic for a very long time and we have yet to nail why anyone gets depression and how we can deal with this at the root level.

    It is high time to consider another way and not shut the door on those that work every day to bring awareness, to humanity through writing articles, like the author of this website that will never give up because they do not have depression on their radar.

  100. Community Care – 19 September 2023

    500,000 working days Councils lost to mental-ill health and stress among social care staff last year.

    https://www.communitycare.co.uk/2023/09/19/councils-lost-over-500000-working-days-to-mental-ill-health-and-stress-among-social-care-staff-last-year/

    Reasons given in the last year:

    • 41% – No
    • 36% – Taken sick leave for stress
    • 18% – For mental health issues worsened by work

    2021 – 2022
    30% of sickness absence among local authority adults’ children’s services staff accounted for Poor Mental Health and Stress

    The findings came from a freedom of information request sent to all English councils with social services responsibilities by the British Psychological Society (BPS) and British Association of Social Workers (BASW).

    • 1,653,117 full-time equivalent (FTE) days of sickness taken by adults’ and children’s services staff

    • 406,796 (25%) of these days accounted for Mental health issues

    • 93,225 FTE days for Stress, including work-related stress

    • Mental health issues and stress, combined, was the most common reason for sickness among adults’ and children’s services staff in 76 of the 98 councils who provided responses.

    Council adults’ services social workers took an average of 12.1 days of sickness absence in the year to September 2022 – HIGHEST SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 2012.

    The rising levels of sickness absence comes against a backdrop of increasing social worker vacancy rates, in both children’s and adults’ services, and increasing proportions of children’s services practitioners reporting that their workloads were too high and they felt stressed by their job.

    On the back of its findings, the BPS criticised the government’s decision to end funding for NHS staff mental health and well-being hubs in March 2023.

    The hubs were set up in February 2021 to provide health and social care staff with fast access to free and confidential mental health support.

    NHS England provided £2.3 million in funding for the hubs in 2023 – 24, the BPS said it estimated their annual running cost as £40 million, and that 15 of the 42 hubs had closed or were pending closure.

    Dr. Roman Raczka, President-Elect of the British Psychological Society, and Chair of the Division for Clinical Psychology said –

    “Health and social care leaders simply cannot afford not to invest in staff well-being if they wish to retain staff, recruit new talent and provide the effective, safe services people deserve.”

    Dear World

    This is a strong message about what is going on in our “care industry”. Those that are caring are themselves suffering and we ought to be asking WHY is this happening and is it just about low pay and not enough funding.

    Dr. Raczka has a point and it makes sense but while we wait for the government to provide funding, is there anything we can do to support our own well-being?

    How are we living in daily life that could contribute to our stress levels, anxiety or other mental health symptoms?

    What if we visited websites like Simple Living Global which has dedicated a library to well-being for all of us with plenty of topics that many of us can relate to?

    Self Care needs to be at the core of any education, training or learning in every industry.

    In particular the care industry as their job is ensuring the care of others, but this is not really and truly possible if we, the carer has stress or some kind of mental health issue.

    We quote sickness which leads to time off work is ‘work related stress’ but could this be because we are reacting to our work and it may have something to do with our lifestyle choices like no sleep routine, late nights, screen time, alcohol, smoking, vaping, caffeine and excess sugar or eating to name a few?

    Absolutely everything matters and until we look at our repeated behaviours at work and outside work, we are not going to join the dots that are much needed to make changes.
    Social care staff work in the industry as they want to make a difference by helping others. Bombarding them with paperwork and all the other legislations which they have to follow requires support. Poor funding means no extra staff to do all the admin and this is one hole that needs to be addressed. We have ignored it for far too long and now we have staff off sick at the HIGHEST SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN 2012.

    This tells us everyone is affected with staff absences and no amount of trying to catch up is going to deal with the issue unless we get to the root of what and how and why this is happening.

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