Simon Wessely
@WesselyS
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Regius Professor of Psychiatry, King's College London; Dir King’s Centre Military Health Research; FRS; Past President RCPsych & RSM. Chelsea season ticket
London
Joined December 2012
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Pinned Tweet
The White Paper on Reforming The Mental Health Act is now out. It’s good that much of what we recommended in the Independent Review is there. But there are still lots of outstanding questions. The consultation is now open - please make your voice heard.
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Sir Nick Winton has died. He saved over 600 Czech Jewish children. One was my Dad. Take a moment to pay tribute to a modest but great man
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The Mental Health Act needs modernising. Here are our proposals for this My thanks to the extraordinary group of people who contributed.
#MHAReview
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Seen by a friend this morning in cafe near
@NHSEngland
. Have they gone over to the dark side?
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@haveigotnews
.This is just unbelievable. Farage can go on Question Time yesterday but
@heidiallen75
can’t go on a topical comedy show? What on earth are
@BBC
thinking off? And unlike Farage she is genuinely funny
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Our piece on moral injury, health care staff and COVID, including how to reduce it. In short, it’s the team, not the person. And it’s not just a Psych problem - it’s about moral values, not morale. This is not another word for PTSD
@bmj_latest
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A friend sent me this. Why you should not rush to A & E. Reason Number 7
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This has been my pinned tweet for the last two years. This afternoon I will replace it with the draft White Paper. This is a good day for those with severe mental illness and their families. My thanks to all those who worked so hard to bring this about.
The Mental Health Act needs modernising. Here are our proposals for this My thanks to the extraordinary group of people who contributed.
#MHAReview
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Although the news will be dominated by you know what, it looks like reform of the Mental Health Act will be included in the Queen’s Speech tomorrow. This is good news and I hope there will be some coverage. My thanks to all who have got us this far
#mhareview
#mentalhealth
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So on Friday I get injured in France- trust me shoulders shouldn’t look like this. But 48 hours later - this. Thank you
@officialEHIC
, thank you staff at
@HopStMaurice
and thanks for reciprocal healthcare in the EU
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Founded NIHR, first woman CMO, showed real leadership in times of crisis, tackled serious public health issues without fear, provided international leadership on the mega threat that is antimicrobial resistance antibiotic and much more. As legacies go, that’s not bad going.
Today is my final day as Chief Medical Officer. It has been an honour and a privilege. Thank you to everyone who has helped me over the past nine and a half years, especially my wonderful team - they are the best.
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Perhaps unwise for PHE to casually suggest that social distancing/masks may ‘have’ to continue for some years, even when we have ‘saved the NHS’ & protected the vulnerable. CMO and CSA sounded more balanced today-people may ‘want’ to continue these measures. Very different.
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Am not sure that our medical union should be expressing such a strong view on schools and education. It’s a pity that children, especially the vulnerable ones, don’t have their own union.
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Sarah Wollaston is a great MP. As cynicism rises and disillusionment is rife she gives politics a good name , respected across the spectrum . This is another sad day for our parliamentary system
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Whatever your politics no one can deny the immense work of
@lucianaberger
to improve mental health It is a sad moment today to see her leaving the Labour Party . I hope people respect her achievements and that she will continue her work
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This piece is excellent. Don’t jump into psychological interventions. Sort out sleep, PPE etc first. Then it’s the role of the group leaders to, well, lead, which could include reflection though. Where psych interventions still needed should come from those known to service
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I came to Oxford as a student 40 yrs ago.That summer Herbert Von Karajan received an honorary degree and brought with him the Berlin Phil to play Straus in the Sheldonian. I was there. It feels unreal to receive the same honour, albeit without an orchestra, today. Thank you.
Today Prof
@doudna_lab
, Prof Andrea Ghez, Prof Shafi Goldwasser, Prof Daniel Kahneman,
@RFAKWorld
,
@YoYo_Ma
, Dr
@CyrusPoonawalla
and Prof
@WesselyS
will all receive honorary degrees from
@UniofOxford
:
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I am honoured if nervous to be speaking this afternoon on behalf of my late father whose life was saved by this decision
#kindertransport
80th anniversary
80 years ago today, a 6 man Jewish delegation (including 3 of our founders) went to meet Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and plea for his help in rescuing Jewish children from the Nazis. The PM wasn't keen but Cabinet pushed it through. It was the start of the
#kindertransport
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‘If homeopathy works on the dilution principle then by having none of it, it will be even more powerful’ says the man himself to wide applause
#TheBMJAwards
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This is an extraordinary news item 90% of tracing done by local authority public health and just 10% by private service.
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Many congratulations to the President Elect. Yes been waiting for a while to send this.
@BenWessely
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Disagree. We agreed to the deprivation of liberties because they were proportionate to the threat, be for the shortest period of time and involve the least coercive options. if as seems likely this isn’t true at end of year then people should again decide their own level of risk
🚨 Experts have warned that restrictions on large gatherings could remain in place for 'the next few years'
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This is seriously good news. I understand the audience was simply stunned before the news sunk in. Am at
#Woundedhealer18
now and it’s a long time since I have heard such a buzz. Can I say a real tribute to
@ClareGerada
?
#redletterday
NHS CEO Simon Stevens announced a new mental health support scheme to cover all NHS doctors in England
@ClareGerada
#woundedhealer18
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November 15th will be the 80th anniversary of the launch of the Kindertransport programme. It’s nice to see my old local paper with a feature on my late father, one of many who owe their lives to this
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The word shameful is much over used. But not this time. I actually do feel ashamed when I have life long friends from other EU countries tell me this. It physically hurts and I find myself looking at the floor in embarrassment Happened yesterday.
One of most shameful parts of miserable
#Brexit
saga has been seeing alarm & bewilderment of people who have made UK their home, some for generations, working in NHS, research, care homes, part of community. Talk of hard borders & backstops doesn’t cover it.
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"Psychiatrists are doctors who feel with their mind and think with their soul. They are just as comfortable with poetry as pathology". Wow
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A huge number of people around the world will want to congratulate Professor Keith Hawton, just awarded a CBE on
#WorldMentalHealthDay
for a life time of work on suicide and deliberate self harm
@ProfLAppleby
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Looking forward to meeting
@10DowningStreet
@MattHancock
and CEO
@NHSEngland
today to discuss
#MHAreview
. There is v good consensus on need for reforms - essential these are now delivered. White paper, capital investment, new rights/safeguards and more.
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So we have a clear result. But Parliament and public life will be poorer without decent people from all the parties such as
@sarahwollaston
@lucianaberger
@DavidGauke
@Anna_Soubry
@DominicGrieve1
There is no place for some of the abuse been hurled this morning.
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The interim report of our Independent review of
#MentalHealthAct
is now on line Please share widely
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Great to see amongst all those honoured in
#nhs
that Simon Stevens is up there as well. We know the NHS is not perfect, but he’s the best leader I have ever seen or met and I shudder to think what it would have been like without him. And he’s very funny
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I know the figures on the cost of mental ill health in the workplace but they still astonish me
#thrivingatwork
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My friend asked me to pose by this Dublin shop window. Couldn't work out why until I looked up
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Without Churchill there would have been some deal with Hitler. And sooner or later there can be no doubt that would have involved the deportation and murder of all Jewish refugees like my father and then all Jews. Churchill has earned his statue
@aroberts_andrew
@simonschamama
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2/2 We correctly invested in more ICU facilities and so on-now we should do the same for mental health services esp for most vulnerable-severe mental illness,minorities etc. It’s not just needing to catch up as elsewhere in NHS it’s the true increased numbers caused by the crisis
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We need to be clear Experiencing trauma does not automatically mean you need treatment Trauma is not a diagnosis. Developing PTSD after trauma is different. It is a diagnosis and usually does need treatment
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Alf, Petr and Rudi. Three reasons why we should allow Syrian child refugees into this country.
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many congrats to
@ProfLAppleby
for an amazing contribution to understanding suicide and much else beside. So well deserved -will your new twitter handle be
@ProfSirLAppleby
?
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Really looking forward to this. And good to see psychiatry and
#mentalhealth
at the heart of medicine - exactly where it belongs
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A delight to talk to
@GaryLineker
tonight about sport, mental health and
#nhs
. Thanks for spending your evening supporting
@DoctorsDistress
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Meanwhile
@ClareGerada
is doing an hour on
@bbc5live
Wants a glass of wine bringing up, but I am refusing. You can’t drink and Drivetime I keep telling her.
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Very interesting in depth piece on talking therapies - suggesting that we need to rebalance the system a little to support the more complex therapies for the more complex patients
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Rumours that PM taking advice from mental health leaders prior to Washington visit gain credence
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Delighted to see that
@wendyburn
has been recognised in New Years Honours. She has been a fantastic Pres of
@rcpsych
and goes from strength to strength. Hard to imagine a nicer person! Well done Wendy.
@DrAdrianJames
#choosepsychiatry
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Need to listen what
@sarahwollaston
is saying. There is growing consensus that endless contracting/competition is not way forward
#talknhs
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Here we go
@stephenfry
@doctor_oxford
and the legend that is Henry Marsh Time to talk about heroes, villains and other doctors
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And now I am an ex President as
@wendyburn
takes over the reins at
@rcpsych
. We are in safe hands
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My invitation for bowel screening arrived this week. I will do it because there is sound evidence that it saves the lives of people in my age group. Hope Charles changes his mind
Charles Moore refuses to get tested for bowel cancer because he thinks the NHS is virtue signalling
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I agree steve. Many people worked hard on this for ages. It’s a shame that although supported by all political parties throughout, this setback has come right at the final hurdle. But I am confident it’s not over, just delayed. The case for change remains incontrovertible
Absolutely gutted that the Mental Health Bill was not included in todays Kings Speech.
Nearly 5 years ago we proudly presented our review into the Mental Health Act, believing that change could happen. Today it feels so far away and my heart is in pain.
#mentalhealthactreview
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Dorothy Parker used to answer the phone with the words "What fresh hell is this?" Could be the motto today and every day since June 24
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Lucy unhappy because a) it’s wet and cold b) she has already voted earlier with
@ClareGerada
and is worried she has committed electoral fraud
#dogsatpollingstations
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33 years since my father and I were at the Esther Rantzen programme we recreate That Scene for the premier of the marvellous
#OneLife
at
#LFF
. And inevitably the tears flow
We’re honoured to be joined by the Kindertransportees, who were among the 669 children transported on the Winton Kindertransports, as well as Kinder Descendants and the families of Nicholas Winton and his daughter Barbara Watson, the family of Trevor Chadwick and the nephew of…
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Very welcome announcement from
@wesstreeting
on mental health act reform. There was widespread disappointment it disappeared from the King’s Speech so good to have this commitment. I hope that the support this had received from all the parties now resumes
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I hope everyone talking today about mental health workforce plan says what a satisfying career this can be. Best decision I ever took
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Seems like
@PeterFonagy
has taken over
@guardian
Front page, page 3 and then a profile. Couldn’t have happened to a wiser or kinder guy
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This really oversteps the line
@paulasherriff
says no more than the truth - this is the time and the place to avoid such language. She is only saying what she has said in public and private before. It’s not humbug - the PM should withdraw his comment.
Genuinely quite shocked by Boris Johnson describing as 'humbug' Paula Sheriff's complaint about his language in which she talked about Jo Cox and said that she and other colleagues had received death threats. I've transcribed what happened:
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It’s like panic buying. You ask people to prepare for isolation so they do, then call it panic. Or run down public transport but call people who still need to get to work selfish as the few trains are now crowded.Those in buses past my house all social distanced as there is space
We now need people to step up social distancing but we don’t achieve that by calling them stupid or selfish. My experience of neighbours, strangers in park & delivery guys is that most are trying to do right thing. They need clarity. Message of
#socialresponsibility
is key.
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What fathers do best. Take sons to pub on wedding day (this time it’s the one on the left)
What mothers do best. Iron their son’s shirt on his wedding day 🤵♂️💒 with much love and ‘can’t believe where the years have gone’ comment.
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I am delighted to see that Professor Paul Cosford has been honoured tonight. A great leader, a lovely person and a man of extraordinary wisdom and dignity who has looked adversity in the face with courage and compassion.
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New announcements today, mainly on prevention. OK it’s not enough-but remember how far we have come. Most welcome is the commitment to reform of the MHA. Prevention of the most severe mental illnesses is still an aspiration - better care is a necessity
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Explaining why the best and brightest need to
#choosepsychiatry
, as well as showing why you don’t need PowerPoint to hold an audience,
@stephenfry
in full flow. Brilliant.
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This is utterly fascinating. I was allowed to walk just over a mile too and from school in Sheffield when I was about 8 I think. Perhaps 9. And certainly a mile to Endcliffe Park
This is a remarkable image. The decline of children’s play range across generations in one family: from 6 miles to 60 yards. The world has not grown more dangerous (from WW2) but our fears have grown
@BiBresearch
@Active_Bradford
@JoinUsMovePlay
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“Surgeons are red, psychiatrists are blue” says
@nytimes
. Looks like it might be our night for once
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People are asking me if
@ClareGerada
is getting better. Well, I am doing
@bbc4today
#r4today
at 8.10 tomorrow downstairs, she will be upstairs (good social distancing) going on
@bbc5live
at 8.20. So yes I think she’s better.
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@JohnDalton6011
Actually I trained in epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene. Plenty of academic psychiatrists are epidemiologists.
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So it’s about training , leadership providing them with adequate rest and euipment, support but no direct one to one interventions unless clinically necessary when other measures have not worked.
This is very interesting. Staff in China dealing with COVID didn’t want psychological intervention, they asked for more rest without interruption and enough protective supplies.
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Yes good news. But when 2.7 billion has been announced today for the acutes, but 70 million for mental health, I will sleep easier when the rest of the money for mental health, especially improving our estate for inpatients including those detained under MHA, is also announced
The College has campaigned hard for improvement in this vital area and are very pleased that we have been listened to.
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Many congratulations to
@ClareGerada
without whom this welcome development would not have happened
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We welcome PM pledge to overhaul approach to
#mentalhealth
-but it is long haul to equal footing with physical health - hard not soft parity
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Here we go again. “..claims it is merely psychological”...but “the condition is physical-not just made up by patients”. How many times can journalists keep writing this stuff? Forever it seems.
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@doctor_katie
@nhse
@rcgp
@ClareGerada
Dear Katie. We are indeed very proud of both of our sons who do very difficult and challenging jobs. We would be proud of them if they were PAs but actually they are not. By all means have a go at their parents but please leave our children out of this
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First class. Well done
@CMO_England
I have written to
@Jacob_Rees_Mogg
to express my sincere disappointment and show my support for doctors across the country, particularly
@djnicholl
.
Doctors are amongst the most trusted people in our country; it is worth listening to what they have to say with respect.
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And in a shower of confetti it’s done. A perfect couple on a perfect day
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Prince Harry talking on grief is worth a listen.Even if the pressures he faced are not the norm his words make sense
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It's almost worth paying for
@HSJnews
today. Psychiatry received its highest number of applicants this year. As the great man said, it's not the end, or beginning of the end but perhaps the end of the beginning.
#choosepsychiatry
@rcpsych
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This was such a lovely day, and a wonderful occasion. Thanks to all for the honour, but most of all best of luck to all the new graduates today.
@UniofExeter
Congratulations to distinguished Professor of Psychological Medicine Sir Simon Wessely
@WesselyS
on receiving his honorary doctorate at
@UniofExeter
today.
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Obviously it’s his job to plan for that and he is It’s our job to wonder how we are even contemplating such a ridiculous eventuality
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Well done
#r4today
@BBCRadio4
for asking
@MattHancock
about mental health reform. Of course
#covid
is the most important story there is but there are others
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This is Trump revisited, If someone is a bully, liar or just unpleasant say so. Don't use psychiatry/ psychology labels to sort HR issues
I have written to the relevant Guardian editor asking them to take it down. Appalling.
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This seems so petty and pathetic. The numbers involved are tiny, almost as tiny as the children themselves, just like
@AlfDubs
, my father and others were when they found life and freedom here. What point is being made?
Govt appear to have ditched Lord Dubs amendment to the EU Withdrawal Bill to continue to give refugee children sanctuary post-Brexit.
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I have been going to big dinners at
@rcgp
for many years Standing ovations are rare . Probably as frequent as england winning world cups it happens but not often. So this is what has just happened for
@ClareGerada
#Woundedhealer18
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This is amazing. The top 2 neuroscientists in the world are psychiatrists, and 5 of top 10 are British. Glory days
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Very pleased to see that
@normanlamb
returned to parliament. A thoroughly decent man
#MentalHealth
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Strong piece from.
@ClareGerada
on why the next stage of pandemic may create more mental health issues in NHS staff than before. The book at the end is pretty good too.
@NHSPracHealth
@NHSCHECK1
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"Stop telling women they're mad, when they're actually ill". Is this the worst
@Telegraph
headline ever? Nothing wrong with the story - of course get the diagnosis right - but do I really need to spell out why the headline is dreadful?
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Oh dear. Time for another round of
#pillshaming
.
#r4today
@BBCRadio4
. Antidepressants are not addictive. There is no tolerance, escalation etc etc.
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Good letter in
@bmj_latest
from doctors with
#longcovid
citing
#RSMLive
“Before we get people exercising" need "to be sure it’s going to be safe. We need proper evaluation of cardiac and respiratory function" &. "take things slowly and in a paced measure.”
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Fabulous news. Well done Ladie. One of the most impressive leaders in
#mental
health today. The word inspirational is overused but not this time.
@rcpsych
#MHAReview
Dr Smith said: “Forensic psychiatry and in particular forensic intensive care is a really challenging area to work in and I’m very much supported by my team at the trust."
Congratulations on your CBE!
#queensbirthdayhonours
here:
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No mental health act ever made ill people better, says Sir Mark Hedley, representing the Judiciary, and goes on to say that is all about skilled, compassionate care, before outlining the Principles we wish to place in the Act itself
#MHAReview
.
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Pleased to be present at the round table discussion of priorities for the black and African communities as part of the independent review of mental health act
#mhareview
. No prizes for guessing venue
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I graduated in 1981-the decade fashion forgot. Decided to
#ChoosePsychiatry
cos the teaching at
@OxPsychiatry
was superb and the docs were the first who knew the name of all their patients and also ours. Never regretted it. Hope other schools follow suit
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I think next year it should be Mental Health Delivery Week, not awareness.
@EvaWiseman
@WesselyS
as you were saying, the public needs to be aware that awareness campaigns are not enough
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Gordon Brown holding the house (no notes) as he gives the first Jonathan Sacks lecture at
@KingsCollegeLon
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