‘Politics’ at Psychology, Philosophy and Real Life, Page 9

I wonder whether the folks over at TechCrunch actually read our 2004 article on pro anorexia sites before citing it last week as an example of media hype over internet safety? We appreciate the link love, but do they seriously think we’re partly responsible for the results of a survey which found that US parents consider internet safety to be a more serious health threat to children than school violence, sexually transmitted diseases, abuse and neglect? I mean, seriously?

British MPs today begin debating what some have described as a truly draconian Mental Health Bill. Once hailed for its potential to pave the way for a more modern approach to mental health in the United Kingdom, the bill — some 9 years in the making — is now strongly opposed by the Mental Health Alliance, a coalition of 80 organisations representing doctors, nurses, social workers, people with mental illness and their families.

Frequently a target of criticism over its practitioner accreditation requirements, the BACP recently attempted to clarify its supervision hours guidelines, only to muddy the picture even further. Despite attempts to market it all as ‘quite clear’, the basic mathematics of BACP guidelines lead to some counter-intuitive conclusions.

Echoing the conclusions of a report from several UK mental health charities, an organisation which trains group psychotherapists has welcomed the report’s call for greater access to psychological therapies in the NHS and says that the NHS is not making full use of practising group psychotherapists.

The NHS is failing millions of people by ignoring clinical guidelines on psychological therapies, a group of charities warns in a report published today. The report argues that evidence-based talking therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy are as important for the nation’s health as any cancer drug or surgical procedure.