Are you affected by the ‘Affluenza Virus?’

According to Oliver James in his book 'Affluenza', the Affluenza Virus increases your susceptibility to the commonest emotional distresses: depression, anxiety, substance abuse and personality disorder (like the me, me, me narcissism, febrile moods or confused identity).

He asks –Have you contacted the affluenza virus? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following statements.

I would like to be a wealthy person.
I would like my name known by many people
I would like to successfully hide the signs of ageing
I would like to be admired by many people
I would like to have people comment often about how attractive I look
I like to keep up with fashions in hair and clothing
I would like to have my name appear frequently in the media
I often compare what I own with what others own
Possessions can be just as important as people
Shopping or thinking about what to buy greatly preoccupies me
If a friend can’t help me get ahead in life, I usually end the friendship
I’m less concerned with what work I do than with what I get for it
I admire people who own expensive homes, cars and clothes
My life would be better if I owned certain things I don’t have now
The things I will own will say a lot about how well I’ve done in life
I want a lot of luxury in life.

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the questions, then it’s said you have the virus. The more ‘yes’ answered, the higher the viral load.

A Vascular Surgeon to the Rescue

Today several newspapers reported how a retired teacher severed an artery after falling off her bike, and impaling herself on the handlebars. She was luckily saved by vascular surgeon, John Thompson, who just happened to be passing by. He not only treated her at the scene but then followed the ambulance to hospital and operated on her leg himself.

In a short time she had lost a quarter of the blood in her body, and unless he had been there to administer the acute care, she would have died in minutes. Mr Thompson, described his being there as, “an amazing stroke of luck.”

The political anology seems unmistakable. NuLabour have reinvented the NHS wheel so many times, they’ve fallen off and impaled themselves, wasting money on computer systems, red tape and quangocrats. However, for them, I doubt there’ll be a passing vascular surgeon to save the day. They’ve reduced training posts and medical training so radically, that their haemorrhage of support is critical.

Backing Boris for Mayor

When Boris was asked "What single achievement are you most proud of in your life?" he replied, "It is yet to come. I will be immensely proud to serve Londoners if I become Mayor." With an 11 point lead, his dreams may well come true.

A Novel Psychiatrist

Tony Blair's former spin doctor Alastair Campbell is to publish his first novel. 'All in the Mind' is described as "the compelling story of a psychiatrist, his patients and family, and the pressures they bring to bear upon each other".

Campbell, who has previously spoken about his struggles with depression, said that although he has himself required psychiatric treatment "this is a book by me, not about me". I look forward to reading it with interest.

Who Cares for the Caring Profession?

With thanks to Dr Crippen and Newsnight for highlighting these grave statistics. Next month Newsnight are showing a documentary, "Struggling in Silence". They explore the dark side of the profession, about the little-known and rarely discussed problem of depression and suicide among physicians. The unsettling truth is that doctors have the highest rate of suicide of any profession. They report:

“Every year, between 300 and 400 physicians take their own lives—roughly one a day.”
That shocking statistic speaks for itself.

Gordon Brown - Robin Hood in Reverse?

Has Gordon Brown become Robin Hood in reverse? With the 10p tax, he's taking from the poor to give to the rich.

NHS - Number 1 Battle Ground in the Next General election

As I wrote before, to Gordon Brown the NHS is 'Not His Specialty'. Hence, the NHS, is likely to be the number one battle ground in the next election. Today, David Cameron offered much needed direction to a health organisation that spends around two billion pounds per week! He has said:

"In a nutshell, GPs should control the budgets that NHS patients are entitled to. There is a good economic rationale for this. Budget-holding is a natural guarantee of efficiency, ensuring that money follows the patient and it is spent on frontline care rather than on bureaucracy. GPs - rather than remote managers - should be responsible for reconciling the available resources with clinical priorities and patient choice. And there is a good health rationale for GP budget-holding too: what's called the continuity of care. The family doctor service is the way to ensure that - even though the patients may see many specialists - there is always one doctor in charge: the doctor closest to the patient. This is especially important when it comes to preventative action or the management of chronic conditions, which require significant patient involvement.Five years ago Gordon Brown said that "in healthcare the consumer is not sovereign" - meaning that patients should not be trusted or expected to manage their own care. Well I disagree. Because I believe in general practice. With the GP to advise the patient and to commission care on their behalf from a variety of providers, then in healthcare the consumer can be sovereign."

I totally agree that GPs are paramount to patient care. As a psychiatrist, I daily rely on GPs knowing their patients. They provide vital information about both long term health and subtle changes in patient presentation. I'd like to thank all the GPs I've trusted to manage my patients after hospital discharge. If I trust them with life and death, I would certainly trust GPs to spent money wisely.

I believe GPs, like hospital doctors, want the funds to follow the patient. The time has come to stop following the dictum of management consultants or government quangocrats. The political tide must turn. The patient must be the put at the heart of the NHS.

Bulimia at the House of Commons

Well done to John Prescott for highlighting the plight of bulimia. In the words of Consultant psychiatrist Dr Ty Glover, an eating disorders specialist at Cheadle Royal Hospital in Cheshire, said: "It's hard enough for a young girl to confess to, but for a high-profile male politician approaching 70, it's especially impressive. It's believed that one in ten bulimia sufferers are men but I have never in all my years as a consultant specialising in eating disorders come across a man this old suffering from bulimia. It seriously makes me think that maybe we're completely missing a whole audience of middle-aged men who are too scared to admit they have a problem."

To Gordon Brown the NHS, is 'Not His Specialty'.

Gordon Brown seems to have had little grasp of the health brief either as Prime Minister or as Chancellor. He may have spend the money, but it's been shamefully squandered, and has not reached patient care. Money has been spent on useless projects, evidence that the NHS really is Not His Specialty. I've just found Sir Gerry Robinson trying to give Gordon advice on the NHS via YouTube. I have written about Sir Gerry before:
Here and here.

Backing Boris for Mayor