Blog
Articles tagged with TP mental health week
TP’s mental health week – thanks for reading
by Caroline Crampton / 04 May 2012 16:51
We’ve now come to the end of TP’s mental health week. It’s been a delight to work on, not least because of all the interesting feedback and ideas we’ve had from so many of our readers in the comments and on Twitter and Facebook. Even more than when I started this, I’m convinced that the culture in the political sphere is changing, and people want to talk about this issue openly where before they
Mental health problems don't cause incompetence
by Caroline Crampton / 04 May 2012 15:55
The stigma surrounding politicians with mental health problems in the UK has its root in how we perceive competence and capability. The idea that someone with an illness that affects their mind sometimes is thus incapable of making the decisions we require of our politicians is deeply ingrained in us. No matter that a recurring physical condition (like asthma, say) can be just as debilitating and distracting – because politics is an activity that
Ten little-known facts about mental health
by Peter Dunne / 04 May 2012 13:44
450m people worldwide are estimated to have a mental health problem. Mental health disorders affect people around the world, regardless of age, ethnicity, gender or social class.
One in four British adults experience at least one diagnosable mental health problem in any one year and one in six experience this at any given time. These can include conditions such as depression, anxiety, paranoia, psychosis.
Depression is one of the
Politics is still a boy's game
by Peter Watt / 04 May 2012 12:07
Why is politics still such a boy's game? It really is, with everyone having to be tough and be willing to sacrifice everything on the altar of personal ambition and the race for self-promotion. That’s why politicos became so hooked on Borgen recently. The story of an everyday woman, wife and Mum who becomes the Prime Minister of Denmark and in doing so destroys her marriage and has to give up on many
Using mindfulness to cut through the white noise of life
by Charlotte Vere / 03 May 2012 15:31
Up at 6am, you reach for the Blackberry, in its usual place beside the bed, and punch the radio awake to grab the first piece of news. The daily treadmill of incessant intensity has started and you know it won’t stop.
You surf through the deluge of emails, the calls, all the while thinking of key lines for the speech you are going to deliver next week, the paper you have to write,
Mental health and politics in the US
by Sebastian Mann / 03 May 2012 13:12
It’s not just idiosyncratic attitudes to healthcare that distinguish the US from other polities in terms of health (as Louis Theroux would probably confirm). The US political establishment represents those with mental illnesses at almost every level.
Here’s a selection of American politicians who have publicly disclosed details about their mental health. The question is: is there’s something in the water, or are they just more open about it?
Politicians, the internet and mental health
by Charlotte Henry / 03 May 2012 11:28
We value ‘real life’ experience from our MPs, or like we think we do, as my colleague Caroline Crampton rightly pointed out when launching this fantastic initiative. Depression is a real life experience for nearly a quarter of people in this country, yet we hardly hear of MPs referring to the day(s) that they just couldn’t face getting out of bed. Or felt that they never wanted to get out of bed
Five practical steps MPs can take to reduce stigma
by Louise Kirsh / 02 May 2012 16:20
Mental health is a big issue - one in four people have a mental health problem each year and whether it’s you, your partner, a relative or a friend, everyone will know someone affected by mental distress. It also costs the country £105bn every year. However, despite this, it remains one of the last taboos, something that people are reticent to speak openly about, fearing that they will face stigma and discrimination. This leaves
The British stiff upper lip attitude to mental health can't continue
by Francesca Preece / 02 May 2012 14:15
This week, Britain, supposedly a land of opportunities, got a kick in the teeth. Our nation, which prides itself on its positive discrimination, finds itself as the worst country in the Western world for social mobility.
Though anyone with any disabilities probably won’t be so surprised that they are stuck in a rut.
It is as if mental health is a taboo. To admit you have depression or learning problems is
What we can learn from Mo Mowlam
by Sebastian Mann / 02 May 2012 12:15
When Tony Blair selected Mo Mowlam as his Northern Ireland secretary following New Labour’s 1997 election victory, he thought the tumour the size of a small orange in her frontal lobe was benign. The notoriously ballsy MP, who helped broker the Good Friday Agreement, had deliberately withheld the severity of her condition from her party’s leader because she feared it would damage her chances of a position in the cabinet.
She was
Who cares about the mental health of MPs?
by Nicky Morgan MP / 02 May 2012 10:59
I welcome the article by Kirsty Buchanan in this month’s Total Politics magazine on depression among politicians. For those of us trying to tackle the stigma around mental health and to ensure mental health is discussed more broadly on the national stage and in Parliament it is important that MPs should not be afraid to ask for help with their own mental health – and then to talk about it in Parliament.
Depression is an illness, not a weakness
by Jayne Hardy / 01 May 2012 17:33
I have a new found admiration for Alastair Campbell. Before you pull a ‘really?!’ face let me explain.
Speaking out about a debilitating illness such as depression takes courage. It’s a hugely personal illness in that it affects different people in different ways. The stigma attached to mental illness means you’re never quite sure how people will react. There’s still a lack of understanding and prejudice.
It took me years
Newsletter Sign up
Sign up to receive the latest news from Total Politics
Advertise with TotalPolitics
Quote of the Day
"The prime minister has said he does not believe that statutory legislation is necessary to achieve the principles outlined by Leveson."
