Tag Archives: Diagnosis

Some people find psychiatry helpful… and that’s OK

Posted on July 31, 2017 by purplepersuasion

I grew up very close to a Victorian asylum. It began to close in the late 1980s, when I was in my teens, but even as a child I was aware that some of the people I saw wandering the … Continue reading →

Posted in Antipsychiatry, Diagnosis, History of mental health, Hospital, Inpatient care, Medication, Mental health, mental health debate, Mental health services, NHS services, Psychiatry, psychology, Treatment planning, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Some people find psychiatry helpful… and that’s OK

Semantics

Posted on January 9, 2017 by purplepersuasion

Is your understanding of the word depression the same as mine? And how can we ever know? Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety, Bipolar, Depression, Hypomania, Mental health, Mental health services, Mood disorder, Psychiatry, Social media | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How not to annoy your patient

Posted on November 27, 2016 by purplepersuasion

Today I saw a rather old Independent article on Twitter. I’m surprised I haven’t come across it before – it’s been out there since 2010 – but now that I’ve seen it, I can’t unsee it. Entitled How not to … Continue reading →

Posted in Bipolar, Crisis care, Depression, GP, Medication, Mental health, Mental health services, NHS services, Psychiatry, Social media, Treatment planning, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on How not to annoy your patient

The Adjustment Bureau model of psychiatry? No thanks

Posted on April 6, 2014 by purplepersuasion

Lately this blog feels more like a diary than anything else. This is partly because I’m not doing much work or activism (although I guess meeting with the Secretary of State for Health and 11 other people with lived experience … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental health, Mental health services, Stigma and discrimination | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 30 Comments

The unfashionable truth

Posted on September 24, 2013 by purplepersuasion

In the Daily Mail today UCL’s Dr Joanna Moncrieff warns that bipolar has become a “fashionable” mental health diagnosis, partly because of its apparent link with celebrity. “Once considered rare and seriously disabling,” Moncrieff frets, “bipolar disorder has been transformed … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental health, Stigma and discrimination | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

“I swear I’m bipolar this week”

Posted on September 21, 2011 by purplepersuasion

I’ve been asked by a couple of people if I would write a comment oto an article by Robin Lee that appeared in the Huffington Post UK entitled, “Bipolar…. My Arse.” The article starts out like this: “I shouted at … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental health | Tagged , , , , | 22 Comments

People and pickle jars: the pros and cons of diagnostic labels

Posted on September 19, 2011 by purplepersuasion

At a recent mental health event I heard a service user complain, “it seems like you can’t get any treatment on the NHS until you’ve got a diagnosis!” I’ve now been thinking about this for week, and I’m sorry, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental health | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

Are you a green or a magic? The overlap between bipolar and borderline personality disorder

Posted on September 9, 2011 by purplepersuasion

The first diagnosis I received from a psychiatrist, in my early twenties, was of bipolar mood disorder. As I have described elsewhere on this blog, I rejected the diagnosis and the treatment plan, and then avoided psychiatric intervention for around … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental health | Tagged , , , , , | 19 Comments