June 13, 2008
Mental Health
Thousands turn out for first Mad Pride day
Irish Examiner (Mon, 9 Jun 2008)
Madness was embraced and celebrated yesterday during the country's first Mad Pride Day. In fact, the thousands who attended the pioneering event in Cork's Fitzgerald's Park had to pass a normality test conducted by rubber chicken-wielding clowns positioned at the gates. Only those who displayed signs of madness got in — most of them holding their sides with laughter. Mental health campaigner and event organiser, John McCarthy, said he was overwhelmed by the turnout — estimated at around 5,000.
Mental Health Service
HSE keeps condemned mental hospitals open
Irish Health (Tue, 10 Jun 2008)
The HSE has admitted it has not yet taken action to improve the third-world conditions which hundreds of patients in old psychiatric hospitals around the country still have to endure. The health executive in some cases is keeping open facilities whose conditions for in-patients have been condemned as 'appalling' and 'deplorable' by the inspectorate of mental hospitals, which recommended these facilities be closed down.
Bishops call for change to prison plan
Eircom.net (Wed, 11 Jun 2008)
Irish bishops have called on the Government to reconsider the planned relocation of both the Dóchas women’s prison and the Central Mental Hospital to a greenfield site in north Dublin. The Irish Bishops’ Conference said moving the prison and the hospital to Thornton Hall in Swords was not in the best interests of female prisoners or the hospital’s patients.
Suicide Prevention
Bullying at work leads to suicide
Irish Examiner (Thu, 5 Jun 2008)
The Government and companies need to tackle the fact that more people commit suicide as a result of workplace bullying than are killed in industrial accidents, according to a Cork-based company. Newmarket-based Health & Safety Services, which is one of the country's largest safety consultants, said its research showed up to 100 people took their lives every year as a result of being bullied at work. Senior consultant Vincent Harrington said figures showed 74 workplace fatalities in 2005, along with 67 last year.
Eating Disorders
Eating problems affect many teens
Irish Health (Fri, 6 Jun 2008)
Almost one in five teenagers could have eating problems, the results of a new European study indicate. A team of Finnish researchers carried out two health surveys of almost 400 teenagers, aged 15 to 17. They found that 13% of the teens admitted to eating problems in either the first or second survey. A further 5% reported problems in both surveys. This means that at any one time, 18% had eating problems.
