Yesterday the Alzheimer's Society launched a campaign, backed by the Department of Health, to raise awarness about dementia. The charity is providing all GPs in England with posters and leaflets about dementia's symptons - which often go unrecognised by people, who think they are simply forgetful - and a toolkit to aid diagnosis.

 So what others conditions and issues do you think need a similar sort of awareness raising campaign?

 Possibly schizophrenia. I think there is a very skewed idea of what it actually is and the way it can make a person feel - and this completely false impression that it is somehow related to 'split personalities'. 

Annoying isn't it - particularly since there's really very little evidence that the syndrome of schizophrenia is valid in the first place.

Ho hum.

I would be interested in the evidence tio support your assertion Stuart. I feel that schizophrenia is a valid syndrome / condition. Views on it may differ (especialy around treatment) but I have never encountered its existence being questioned before.

Hi Rupert,

I'm just about to take my stepsons out for a meal to mark the end of Half-term. Kids in Cumbria are due back at school again tomorrow so I want to do something nice with them before they return. So please don't think I'm ignoring this question if it takes me a while to get back and answer it properly.

Cheers,

 Stuart

I didn't want to hijack this thread with a long discussion about schizophrenia so I've started another in answer to Rupert's question. For those who might be interested it's called 'more awareness raising' and it's in 'general chat'.

Cheers,

Stuart

I think mental health definitely.  Even amongst professionals (nusrses/psychiatrists as well as social workers) the amount of ignorance towards service users is shocking.

There are a huge number of issues about which raising awareness is needed.  However, two stick out for me that both share the characteristsics of being acutely politically sensistive and acutely under resourced.

1.  Males as victims of DV - We are all probably aware of statistics that say two women die from DV each week.  The official stats bear this out as in the last calendar year for which stats are available 102 women died in such an appalling way.  Yet 30 men died from DV suffered at the hands of their partners.  Given 300+ refuges and a similar number of advice serices for women suffering DV is the Uk figure yet only 3 refuges fro male victims of DV the figures must reveal a severe inequity of provision over need.  Note well that same official stats say 1 in 4 women suffer DV and 1 in 6 men do.  Simple and coarse extrapolation suggests that for every 3 women suffering DV, 2 men suffer DV.  Whether 102 or 30 deaths per year one is too many.

2.  Specific alcohol services for older persons. There is a huge amount of anecdotal evidence that there tends to be at least one person in every sheltered housing scheme that has substantial alcohol misuse issues.  A few years back- when such evidence of need was loojked at seriously given positive funding environment, THBC prior to SP funding in 2001to early 2003 - commisioners and even providers were unwilling to even consider such a notion.  A sort of "How dare you suggest that older persons have alcohol problems" was the response.  Many private conversations revealed that providers and commisioners well aware of these support / care needs but all recognising that even proposing such a development was too politically sensitive.  Even the most recent national alcohol strategy tended not to mention such a need.

I could go on with many service delivery models / types of client group provision that is chronically under resourced / almost non-existent, yet if no-one is even prepared to listen...

I think you will find that many people are willing to listen and debate subjects isnt that why the forum was set up for us all to communicate and know how people feel across the country and maybe across the world. There are an umber of issues that should be raised and I think that as people feel more and more secure that their point of view  are not going to be shouted down by those who have a personal vendetta against authority never mind social services, then issues will be raised. I for one would like to hear more from adult services regarding the abuse of service users in care homes as they appear to be forgotten and also how do we cope with the influx of asylum seekers who have experienced massess of abuse and torture. Has anyone picked up on the story ofthe UNN peace keeprs raping children?

 I think the issue of personality disorders is one that could do with some public debate

Oh Simeon - why don't you ever pick out any contentious issues?

 Completely agree with SPeye - very good points!

Hi Stuart why not debate personality disorders its a good start at least people are interested and to be honest the amount of people I have worked with who suffer personality disorders is growing. I had a client who suffered from Narcassism and I would also be interested to know how young or old a person is before they can realistically be diagnosed with the condition. Also Munchhausen syndrome or fabricating illness syndrome as they now call it is interesting when you consider the level of  physical abuse directed at children I wonder whetehr we are missing something? 

Hi Lins,

I never said I wouldn't debate PD. Actually I regularly debate PD.

My comment was very tongue in cheek. I think PD is one of the most contentious issues in psychiatry today with arguments about whether it should even be a subject of consideration for medicine at all.