Mental Health News
Email about Williams’s mental health questioned
The Newfoundland and Labrador government is questioning the judgment of the new communications director of the Opposition Liberal Party.
On Wednesday the government released an email that Craig Westcott wrote to the premier’s office in 2009 asking whether Danny Williams had any illness that was affecting behaviour.
Westcott, a journalist at that time, questioned if Williams was either mentally ill or in the later stages of syphilis.
“A growing number of intelligent and observant people were growing concerned [about the premier’s actions],” wrote Westcott.
The email was written in February 2009 when Westcott was editor of Business Post magazine.
“Please excuse the nature of this question … but it may be germane given the premier’s behaviour,” wrote Westcott. “It has been suggested to me that Mr. Williams is bipolar. Another person has suggested to me that he acts as if he is suffering in the later stages of syphilis.
“Is the premier being treated for a mental illness, or any illness that might influence his behaviour and the handling of his office? I realize that normally this would be a private matter. However, he is the premier of the province, and if his behaviour is the result of an illness, the subject is relevant to the public welfare.”
Westcott became the provincial Liberal Party’s communications director last week.
The premier’s office never responded to the email, but government sources said Wednesday that now that Westcott is in politics, it was fair game to release the email.
In an interview with CBC News Wednesday, the acting leader of the provincial Liberals said the email was meant to be a joke.
“[The government] obviously must feel threatened that we’ve hired someone who doesn’t always agree with the premier,” said Kelvin Parsons. “It was a joke. It was a lark by Mr. Westcott.”
Mental Health Units Providing ‘Poor’ Care
Patients treated in some mental health units are being failed by ‘poor and unacceptable’ practices, according to a new report.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found many patients who entered units voluntarily were being locked in wards.
It says it also uncovered cases where patients’ human rights were at risk of being breached.
CQC chief executive, Cynthia Bower, said: “More hospitals are keeping psychiatric wards locked at all times, even though they often accommodate voluntary as well as detained patients.
“In some places there are blanket bans on mobile phones and internet access.
“These sorts of measures could compromise patients’ privacy or dignity, hold back their progress and even breach their human rights.”
The CQC’s report, which covers the private sector and NHS services in England, also raises concerns that many severely-ill patients are being sent home or refused re-admission into a ward because of a shortage of beds.
It found 29% of wards visited in 2009/2010 had occupancy rates of over 100%.
Other issues raised by the report included keeping children and adolescents in mixed-sex units, which it said was “putting young people’s dignity and sexual safety at risk”.
Commissioners also found some patients had been recorded as giving consent for certain treatments when in fact they lacked the ability to do so or had refused them.
Report chairwoman Jo Williams said: “Detention must be a justified, therapeutic experience that promotes the recovery of the men, women and children involved.
“Too often, we came across patients whose experience fell short of this.”
The CQC which took over the responsibilities of the former Mental Health Act Commission in April 2009 spoke to more than 5,000 detained patients in 1,700 hospitals about their experiences.
Care services minister, Paul Burstow told Sky News: “This report demonstrates that the Coalition Government has inherited some serious challenges in mental health.
“Anyone with a mental health problem should receive care and treatment that minimises their distress and ensures a faster recovery.”
Mental Health Issues Differ for U.S. Male, Female Vets
WEDNESDAY, Oct. 27 (HealthDay News) –Mental health issues confronted by U.S. veterans returning from the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan differ by gender, new research suggests.
Female veterans are more likely to have a diagnosis of depression than are their male counterparts, according to a study of nearly 330,000 veterans who received health care from the Veterans Administration from 2002 to 2008. They are also generally younger than their male counterparts and more likely to be black.
In contrast, male veterans were found to be more prone than their female peers to post-traumatic stress disorder and/or alcohol abuse.
The analysis was led by study author Shira Maguen of the San Francisco VA Medical Center. She and her colleagues reviewed data on more than 329,000 veterans of “Operation Enduring Freedom” and “Operation Iraqi Freedom” obtained from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“In an era in which a greater proportion of women have served in the U.S. military in a much wider variety of military occupational specialties than ever before, our results contribute to a better understanding of the characteristics of women seeking VA health care,” the study team noted in a news release.
The authors also said it was important to understand how differences between men and women might affect mental health outcomes. “Gender differences are important to consider as the Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense continue to expand and strengthen programs to evaluate and provide care for a new generation of returning veterans,” they added.
Maguen and her colleagues report their observations in the Oct. 21 online issue of the American Journal of Public Health.