My granddaughter killed herself because the rent was due. She was 21. She left her parents a note. In part it read: “I’m about to do something ungodly. I’m sorry.” In retrospect, she was hell-bent on self-harm. I don’t know what her body did to offend her, but for the last half decade of her Read more
If there is an irrepressible human trait it’s the determination, against all odds, to reconnect. Though governments seek to atomise and rule, we will keep finding ways to come together. Our social brains forbid any other outcome. They urge us to reach out, even when the world seems hostile. This is the conclusion I draw Read more
Serious concerns have been expressed about well-being of priests in Ireland, in the light of what is being called “huge mental and physical pressure”. The concerns were aired at a meeting between several Irish bishops and representatives of the Association of Catholic Priests, the Irish Times reported. The ACP said it was “becoming more and Read more
One person a week in Belgium is opting to die by euthanasia for psychological reasons. The figure was revealed by Wim Distelmans, chairman of the Federal Euthanasia Commission. He said bipolar patients were the majority of 50-60 “psychiatric suicides” last year. “Mostly they’re not old, but they’ve suffered for a long time,” he said Last Read more
Police are receiving 12,000 attempted or threatened suicide calls a year, increasing the strain on their resources. The national figure of 11,939 calls last year amounts to an average of nearly 33 a day – and the figures have been rising steadily in the past five years. But police say they have little expertise in Read more
Members of New Plymouth’s Catholic community have offered support to the woman alleged to have set fire to their church down on January 6. Last week, a group of about 10 mostly elderly people, several of whom were family members, supported Donna Joy Esma Mischeski in court where she pleaded not guilty to wilfully damaging Read more
Concerns are being raised over the number of mental health patients placed under compulsory treatment. A group of lawyers, psychiatrists and mental health researchers are raising these concerns in a new book – New Zealand’s Mental Health Act in Practice. It points out some 4000 people are now receiving compulsory treatment under this act at Read more
Doctors are subverting abortion law by adopting “liberal criteria” as to what constitutes a mental health problem, allowing women to more easily undergo the procedure, says David Fergusson, a University of Otago professor of psychology. He is is not anti-abortion; he says that the law should be liberalised and a set of guidelines should be established to Read more
The suicide rate in New Zealand prisons is 11 times higher than in the general population – and, since 2008, more than 75 prisoners have died. The number of prisoners committing suicide has much to do with high rates of mental health problems combined with poor quality psychiatric care in prison. Doctors and nurses who Read more
Since it was first published in 1952, the DSM has been the has been the diagnostic bible for many psychiatrists. Each time the manual is updated, new conditions are introduced, often amid much controversy. DSM-5, the latest edition published on Saturday, is one of the most controversial yet. Many conditions we’re now familiar with were Read more