Subjected to brutal psychiatric treatment but he survived
Derek was admitted to High Royds Hospital near Leeds, in September 1973. He describes how he was depressed, as if fireworks were going off in his head, and he couldn’t think properly.
The Christmas excitement is not a mental ‘disorder’
It’s the time of year when children might demonstrate behaviour characteristics that cause psychiatrists to reach for their prescription pads. Some children might have difficulty sustaining attention in tasks or play activities; they might lose things necessary for tasks or activities, they might get easily distracted, have difficulty playing or engaging in…
The psychiatric recruitment problem that doesn’t go away
The problem of psychiatric vacancies has been a longstanding situation resulting in regular recruitment campaigns run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCPsych). Recruitment to the profession has been and continues to be hampered by the poor public perception surrounding it. Mainstream media went undercover to film abuse of vulnerable people detained…
Protesters target brain-damaging electric shock
The controversial psychiatric treatment electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was the target of a protest outside of Meadowfield Hospital in Worthing, West Sussex on Saturday 25 September. Protesters gathered outside of the hospital entrance to highlight the brain damage being caused to patients being given ECT. The Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) which…
Human rights and reform of the Mental Health Act
In January 2021, a White Paper was published titled 'Reforming the Mental Health Act.' It contained a number of promising proposals which if enacted, would give people more rights that could greatly affect the way they are treated if detained. One of the proposals is the introduction of an Advance Choice Document…
A grandmother’s dilemma – to speak out, or bite her tongue while she watches her granddaughter get worse under psychiatric ‘care’
This is the true story of a brave grandmother who has decided to speak out against psychiatric oppression. The names of the people involved have been changed at this point to protect their identities.