Paul Farmer Walks.

Mind's Chief Executive has walked from his advisory role with the DWP, on its benefit reforms, saying that the new system is 'deeply flawed'. But as usual the government is completely unyielding and simply claims that because its biased and discriminatory new assessments are kicking a third of claiments off welfare that it must be a sign that all of these people were in fact liars and cheats, determined to sit at home and do nothing all day. He says on the BBC news site that "The Work Capability Assessment really is letting people down... so it's not right for me to be seen to be associated with it." This new assessment puts far too much pressure on people with a stress related illness and there is nothing more stressful than money - particularly when you have little of it. There are rumours that Mind is preparing to take legal action against the government, to try and change the assessment so that it is fairer for mentally ill people and says Chris Grayling the work and pensions minister, this is why he could no longer serve on the advisory panel. Mind denies this.

Patients Aren't Told About Their Rights.

Yes, patients have a right to oppose their detention. But most patients aren't told what their rights are, says Alison Kerry, Mind's Head of Media. Alison was sent a copy of the Manifesto and said that Mind often get calls from patients on section. They call because they've lost their liberty and don't know that they're entitled to legal representation and a tribunal hearing should they want it. And this is an issue I've brought up before.

When I was in hospital in 2001, I was active in the User movement and was employed to advise senior managers and nurses. I met a Department of Health executive at a meeting and asked him if we could meet. He agreed and we made an arrangement to meet up in Bristol. By the time the meeting came round, I was in hospital going through an episode of illness. I was a voluntary patient. I had written down on a sheet of paper all the things I wanted to say, one of them being that patients aren't read their rights when they are interned in hospital. Even criminals get read their rights, I told him. He agreed.

The fact is patients should get read their rights at the moment they get sectioned, plus a referral to a tribunal or mental health act managers review should be automatic. It isn't right that someone going through the worst times of their lives should be left to defend their own rights and should be left ringing round the charity legal advise lines trying to get to grips with how they might defend themselves.

Mental Health Manifesto

I am about to publish the Mental Health Manifesto, which calls for more rights including Habeas Corpus for mentally unwell people detained in the UK. This came about because the UN declared the practicies of dentention without trial and forced treatment unlawful.

I have been contacting people for comment on this document, which can now be purchased in print form here:

As part of this process I have contacted Liberty and Justice for their comments, but they have not yet got back to me.

However, I did speak to Professor Peter Beresford, who is the Chairman of The Centre for Citizen Participation and has been appointed to the Department of Health Policy Research Programme. He says that Civil Liberties groups take little or no interest in Mental Health issues, despite the gaping hole in human rights for the mentally ill. He also says that he sometimes feels that patients would be better off taking their chances with the criminal law, than mental health law, because mental health law is so open to abuse.

Non Responders

In my efforts to obtain support for this campaign (to get compo for users of A-Typicals who contract Diabetes), I wrote to the following leading politicians and mental health academics, campaigners and journalists. All but one (now two) failed to acknoweldge my letter. Even a follow up letter was ignored:

Professor Appleby (DoH) – no response.
Zac Goldsmith MP – no response.
Ron Coleman (Campaigner) – no response.
Prof Fulford (University of Warwick and Oxford) – no response.
Richard Bentall, University of Manchester – no response.
Ed Milliband – responded - has written to MHRA (09/11/11).
Lord Jones – no response.
Paul Farmer (Mind) – responded and are helping me.
Marjorie Wallace (Sane) – no response.
Paul Jenkins, (Rethink) – no response.

Ben Goldacre - The Guardian - no response.

And just today leading psychaitrist Dr Alex Mitchell said he would be happy to help (see http://www.psycho-oncology.info/). Still waiting for the others...

Download the letter here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zI4AYpNDKIsayIFmRCzkemBSz_5c2czXvBpriGSG1LA/edit

An Open Letter to Eli Lilly

Eli Lilly set up a compensation fund in the US for $750m, to compensate users of its drug who contracted diabetes. This was done a while ago, but UK sufferers don't get a penny. Why? Because UK law is rubbish. It requires such a high level of evidence that solicitors won't touch it and even if they did on the basis of the law, and the strength of the evidence, the government, keen to slash budgets don't want to fund these types of cases anymore. So, Eli Lilly et al get away with pushing a drug that kills you.

The mentally ill are kind of special on this particular issue, simply because when elderly users, who were prescribed A-Typical medication to control symptoms of dementia (incidentally this was the starting point for anti-psychotic drugs), they came down hard on care homes and doctors using them to treat the older patients. The older patients were dying earlier than they should, via strokes, heart attacks and the like. But when it comes to the mentally ill, that fear factor I've discussed excludes the mentally ill from protection, simply because the various authorities desire the mentally ill to be medicated up to the eye balls rather than running around killing strangers. They'd rather have a sedated, quiet patient with diabetes, or a dead patient, than a patient killing people and generally causing havoc.

I know it all sounds very cynical. But I have experienced this first hand. I know what I am talking about.

Another Death - Another Lost Friend

I mentioned my friend Kerry (not her real name), in an earlier post. She was in her thirties and suffering from cancer. She collasped and died last month from a Deep Vien Thrombosis. It is another tragic sign that the pills are killing us and the system stands by and does nothing. She leaves her boyfriend and her sister and parents behind, who may or may not realise that her pills contributed significantly to her death. And the tradegies continue...

Vagabond Unlimited Gets its New Site

Vagabond Unlimited, finally has its own site again! Visit it at: http://www.vagabond-unlimited.co.uk.