Covid 19: letter to John Whittingdale MP

 Dear Mr Whittingdale,

I write to urge you to vote against the Covid extension measures on 28 September 2020.

What is going on? 

Stripping ‘the people’ of their civil liberties and inalienable rights; literally suffocating our democracy and gagging, placing fines on any who do not comply - is tyranny. 

Govt website stated on 19 March that COVID-19 had been downgraded from a ‘high consequence infectious disease', yet within a few days the country was forced into lock-down. Three weeks to ‘flatten the curve?’ And protect the NHS. Never before has such a ‘law’ been used in England, even during the wars.  

April/May I saw with my own eyes the level of ‘overwhelming’ the NHS suffered. Wards were not full, I witnessed staff being told they were not required - Billericay Hospital was closing wards, ambulances were driving around empty. 

There’s little evidence to support the Govt’s insistence that this virus was ever as disastrous as they claimed and continue to claim and who deny a voice to the hundreds of experts in the subject area who disagree. Instead they look to Prof Ferguson, whose ‘advice’ led to the stench of burning flesh across our countryside and the destruction of farming communities nation-wide in the wake of Foot and Mouth.  This same Prof Fergusson - also the ‘brains’ behind the SARs debacle, betrayed his true beliefs regarding Covid-19 when he permitted his girlfriend, who lived in a separate household with her husband and children, to stay in his residence with him. Then of course there was the Cummings gallivant. 

Prof Whitty’s statement on 4 March 2020: ‘For the great majority of people this will be a mild or moderate disease…And there are some people who will get it with no symptoms at all, but for a minority of people.…for people with pre-existing health conditions - the risk is higher.’ 

Where’s the opposition? What are you being paid for? Other than the lone voice of Sir Desmond Swayne; I’ve heard nothing from any politician. I’m informed that there’s been no Green Paper - no White Paper - no First and Second Readings. No Committee Stage. No revision by the Upper House. No Royal Assent. 

I trust that there will be a very icy inquiry into Govt handling of the whole episode.

We have ceased to be a parliamentary democracy. To quote Peter Hitchens, ‘Nobody passed an Enabling Act allowing rule by decree. The House of Lords and the House of Commons are now the Dead Parrot Parliament.’ 

So many people are terrified. I’m a mental health therapist. In my immediate area a dozen or so people have contacted me, either for themselves or on behalf of another and I am aware of many others severely depressed and/or anxious and one; an older man who, with support, dragged himself out of the pit of despair caused by depression and anxiety, having made two serious suicide attempts one near fatal. He went on to become a local church & choir member, performing at various venues - folk clubs, member of U3A and until this dehumanising ‘decree’ also organised monthly walks and talks all over Essex and beyond. This man has now had a complete mental breakdown and lost five stone in weight, brought on by the over-hyped-terror of an illness by Govt and mainstream media’s irresponsible churning out of daily death figures with further restrictions on freedoms. To say nothing of the outrageous cuts to mental health services. I telephoned the advice line on Saturday after he said 'couldn't go on', to be told that this particular team do not work at weekends.

We do not have daily proclamations of those who are suffering as he is, or suicides or daily death tolls from cancers, heart disease, strokes. And ... this scaremongering has been an intentional tactic!
SAGE minutes: 22 March 2020, ‘A substantial number of people still do not feel sufficiently threatened…The perceived level of personal threat needs to be increased amongst those who are complacent, using hard-hitting emotional messaging’ 

Unbelievable. In my country! 

The majority of people attending rallies/protests are not ‘conspiracy theorists. For example, many of the 40,000 plus who went to Trafalgar Square a couple of weeks ago were ordinary folk - families, middle-class, ‘normal’ people, who wanted to voice their concerns, disbelief, anger, that their liberties are fast disappearing under a strange new regime based on fear and panic. The psychological and physiological effect on our children is irrevocable. Being taught to see themselves as carriers of disease. Forced to wear masks! Muzzles is a more accurate term. Children, who for the first time in our history are being ordered not to engage in hugs - games - normality. 'Don't kill your grandmother'...A whole generation of ruined lives and your leader and his cabinet appear to have no concern or awareness - let alone accurate data.

I have written at length - spontaneously and from the heart. I ask that you take the time to reflect and voice in Parliament the concerns of myself along with many of your constituents as to the effects these draconian rules are having on individuals and throughout a democratic, so-called, society.

Yours sincerely, 

My Mental Health Years:

Over the past thirty plus years I have worked in a variety of therapeutic roles with many people with varying degrees of mental ill health, from stress and anxiety, mild, low-mood to the deepest black hole of severe depression and suicidal thoughts; within a residential community, Social Services and the National Health Service and continue in my private counselling practise.  I use an integrative model, depending on the client though favour a psychodynamic approach, that is, making the unconscious, conscious, as so much of who we are today stems from our early, often repressed, suppressed, formative years.  Am currently a publicly elected governor with Essex Partnership University NHS Trust.

The residential community I first worked with was, at the time, one of only two of its kind in the country, the other being The Richmond Fellowship who delivered much of our training and supervision.  The aim was to work in innovative ways with residents, ‘community members’.

I was new to residential and no doubt naive having been thrown in the deep end but I could see that a number of staff appeared to have more ‘issues’ than the residents.  My ‘supervisor’ was a trained nurse though had not worked in that role for several years and had no mental health training.  Never-the-less I learnt a lot in my three years with them and have some fond memories of both staff and community members.

(All names have been changed.)

Leah:

We worked together in my role as Family Group Conference Facilitator Mental Health.  Leah had attempted suicide several times.  An intelligent woman who had been teaching in Higher Education until she became unwell.

Leah had developed compulsive disorders and was also becoming violent towards her husband.  My role was to meet with her and help her plan her ‘conference’.  I would then contact the family members and friends she had invited and meet with them if they wanted to be involved.

Family Group Conferencing is an invaluable service.  Provides opportunity - and permission - for all participants to put a face to a name, share feelings, suggestions and agree boundaries; providing a framework of security around the service user.  The process also gives opportunity to air the myths around mental illness; for example, ‘suicide attempts or self harm are merely cries for help’.

It was once thought to be the case that if a sufferer speaks about suicide then they would not carry out the act but that is a false theory.  Through my experience I am persuaded that the majority of those who suffer in this way do not want to die, they just cannot carry on living.  Often these very intelligent, gifted sufferers have formed their own diagnosis, prognosis and course of treatment and appear to have made the decision to end their life with a 'sound mind’.  Hard to understand, it almost appears to be a different aspect of mental illness - possibly requiring an independent or additional diagnosis but…I am not a clinician.

Matthew: 

After several months I was relieved to be allocated a new supervisor who was experienced, respectful and supportive of my ways of working and my perspective.  She had been in a team who were trying to work with alternate ways of helping clients who hear ‘voices’.  Examples; to try not to ‘own’ the voices as in, ‘my’ voices and whether responding to ‘voices’, rather than trying to block them out, could be therapeutic.  Matthew wanted to give it a try.

He was in his thirties, visited family most weekends and had said that walking across the field and alongside a lake to the bus station was when his ‘attacks’ were at their worse.  The following Friday evening as usual as he walked he was drawn to the water and the voices began telling him to jump in.  Matthew had explained that the terror of not obeying the voices had been worse than the fear of drowning but this time, instead of trying to block them with his hands over his ears, he replied,

‘No!  I’m going home’.  Then turning to me he said, ‘And I realised it was a load of bollocks.  You know?  What they were saying, if my mate had told me to do that I’d have told him to fuck off!'

He went on to say that it was as if a door had opened and he could choose to step through or stay locked inside.  Of course it was not all plain-sailing but Matthew left the community a few months later a much freer and peaceful man.

Clarissa:

Abused and violated on many levels and who, when I resigned, presented me with a pair of Indian cotton trousers; purples, blues and turquoise which she had bought from a charity shop.  I don’t wear second-hand clothes, repercussions of being a kid and wearing everyone else’s but I did wear those trousers and still do.  That was over 25 years ago.

Alim:

‘You cannot keep birds from flying over your head

but you can keep them from building a nest in your hair’.

One of Alim’s favourite quotations, though he spoke very little, well, in the presence of staff anyway.

In his early twenties, Alim still looked boyish - fragile - slight.  His controlled food intake and exercise regime meant that he walked miles daily so was outside the community setting for many hours at a time.  I'd rather not read case-notes extensively unless of course I need to know of any risks, preferring the person to confide in me if and when they want to though I knew Alim had been abused repeatedly by a paedophile ring before he came to England.  We would often spend our allocated sessions in silence which became easier for me with more practice and I could relax and ‘be’ not ‘do’, more recently known as ‘mindfulness’.  Never-the-less I felt I was letting Alim down, maybe he needed someone more skilled, more experienced than myself?  He offered no response when I told him I was leaving and did not attend my leaving ‘do’.  Several weeks later I received an envelope with a post-mark I recognised.  Inside, a silk painting had been stuck to a piece of folded card with the words, ‘Thank you, I will miss you.’  Inside they continued, ‘I was always too frightened to get close to anyone….but I really love you…’  Still brings a lump to my throat.

It was not all success, there was the time when a community member threw a coke bottle at me because I had stood in front of the TV and learning the invaluable lesson of never telling anyone to ‘calm down’ after being drenched with a mug of tea, fortunately only luke warm.

I have developed further ‘tools’ for clients who find it difficult to verbally express their feelings, either due to never being allowed a ‘voice’ or for those who struggle to find the ‘right’ words.  Always their choice of course; we have worked with drawings, dreams, toys, buttons, clothing, stress bucket!

Working with clients is a two way thing.  Not in the counselling sense of ‘projection’ or ‘transference’, more in that if we aim to be really present with our client, we learn things about ourselves also.  Two people may appear to be sitting in silence but there is often cacophony in the room.  It was partly experience gained in that therapeutic community that set me on the path of alternate ways of working.  Although Carl Rogers is always associated with the client centred model, in my opinion, congruence and unconditional, positive regard is essential in all therapeutic relationships and may provide a conducive environment for the deepest revelations.

I was speaking with a company director about my work and he said that even though he is on the board of a mental health committee, he actually finds the topic frightening.  I suspect that most people who work outside the field only consider severe conditions, such as psychosis and schizophrenia as mental illness, when in reality, addiction to alcohol, shopping, food, social media, are also examples of symptoms of mental health imbalance to a greater or lesser degree.

Regardless of background, status, age or gender, mental health is a common denominator and statistics show mental ill health as a growing problem, with anxiety and depression reported as the most prevalent condition.  At a time when funding is being cut from many services this can be a challenge, however promoting mental health awareness does not need to be costly and I feel it is time to add ‘mental health awareness and well-being’ to the school curriculum and encourage larger companies to include mental health awareness in their induction process.

Hopefully adopting these practises will assist with normalising the topic, allowing discussion to be frank and feel less threatening and preventing feelings of isolation.

Sheila Caffell's Mental Health and Illegal Drugs

The Case of Sheila Caffell: The Effects of Illegal Drugs on People with Schizophrenia. Last updated 20.01.13  Original material T Whitefoot;                                        Additions: L Lake, J Martin-Adams, Poppy Ann Miller  Not enough credence is given to the link between Sheila Caffell’s mental illness and her use of Cannabis and other illegal drugs. For instance 30-40% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia attempt suicide and the use of cannabis can prolong and exacerbate the symptoms of mental illness. Medical assessments showed Sheila Caffell displayed “textbook” delusions associated with schizophrenia, yet her state of mind and its role in the murders was constantly overlooked. Advances over the years have shown the link not only exists but also that it is wholly destructive - this comprehensive review reveals the devastating detail. In the early hours of 7th August 1985, five people were shot to death at White House Farm: Sheila Caffell, her twin six year old sons, and her adoptive parents, June and Nevill Bamber. Initially, Essex police believed that Sheila carried out the shootings and then committed suicide[1]. However, in the weeks that followed, that view changed and Jeremy Bamber, Sheila’s brother (also adopted, but no blood relation), was arrested and later convicted for the murders of Sheila, Nevill, June and the twins. He has been  in prison since then for a crime which he did not commit. The purpose of this article is to explain the link between schizophrenia and cannabis and to show how Sheila Caffell’s collapsing mental health caused her to suffer a psychotic episode which resulted in the murder of her family.  Sheila Caffell Schizophrenia is a mental disorder, characterised by a disintegration of the thought process, and a breakdown of emotional responses[2]. Most commonly, the disorder manifests itself in the form of paranoid or bizarre delusions, auditory hallucinations and/or disorganised, incoherent speech and thinking. It is believed that genetics can sometimes play a role in predisposing a person to develop the illness, but other causal factors, such as a history of mental illness and/or abuse of drugs and alcohol, have also been discussed[3]. There is no laboratory test to determine schizophrenia[4]; a diagnosis is made based on the patient’s self- reported symptoms, and a clinical assessment. It has been recorded that approximately 30-40% of diagnosed schizophrenics attempt suicide at some point during their lifetime and one in ten of these will succeed in taking their own life[5]. It has also been established that people between the ages of 16-30 are more vulnerable to developing psychosis[6]. It is also within this age range that people are more likely to use cannabis[7]. Sheila also took Cocaine. In recent years, a great deal of research has been conducted [8] in order to establish a link between schizophrenia and the effects of cannabis and other recreational drugs. Over thirty clinical studies have taken place over the past twenty years, mostly in the UK, Sweden and Australia. It is now widely believed that using cannabis can prolong the symptoms of mental illness and impede a patient’s chances of recovering from a psychotic episode[9]. If a patient has already developed schizophrenic symptoms, the continuing use of cannabis and other substances, such as alcohol or amphetamines, is believed to have a detrimental effect on their illness[10]. Set out below are two examples of the research that has been conducted so far.  1. The authors of a study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry in May 2010 conducted a study over a period of ten years. Patients were examined during the initial first period of psychiatric hospitalisation and then six months later, and then two years, four years and, finally, ten years later. At each assessment patients were rated on their psychiatric symptoms and their use of cannabis. The study concluded that cannabis use is associated with an adverse course of psychotic symptoms found in schizophrenia sufferers[11].     Cannabis 2. In a study conducted at the Zucker Hillside Hospital in New York, researchers used a special kind of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) known as Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) to measure the motion of water molecules which can indicate microscopic abnormalities in the brain. The test group included adolescents with and without schizophrenia, and adolescent users and non-users of cannabis. The MRI imaging revealed that heavy users of cannabis were found to have the type of abnormalities found in certain areas of the brain which are also found in the brains of subjects with schizophrenia[12]. These abnormalities were most pronounced in subjects with schizophrenia who were also regular users of cannabis[13]. The abnormalities occur in a pathway of the brain which is related to auditory and language functions which undergoes development during adolescence. The research suggested that if an adolescent is genetically predisposed to develop schizophrenia, the use of cannabis can cause the same type of damage to the brain’s pathway that is caused by schizophrenia. Put more simply, regular and prolonged use of cannabis could kick-start the development of schizophrenia where it might otherwise not have developed at all, or cause an earlier onset of the illness, and/or cause the condition to worsen [14].  Social Services Noted Concerns: Sheila Caffell’s mental health issues probably surfaced initially in 1981 when social workers reported injuries to her twin sons, and she was described as forgetful and disorganised.[15] She was referred for psychiatric treatment to Dr Ferguson in 1983, but she had been suffering from depression for eighteen months or so previously[16]. She was diagnosed as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia[17]. In addition to cannabis, she was also reported to have used other recreational drugs on occasion, such as cocaine and amphetamine[18]. After her divorce from her husband Colin Caffell twelve months earlier, she was believed to have acquired considerable debts in support of her drug addiction[19].  St Andrews Mental Health Hospital Sheila was admitted as an in-patient to St. Andrews Hospital, Northampton in August 1983 following an acute breakdown[20]. During the course of her treatment, she was observed to display a number of classic ‘textbook’ delusions associated with paranoid schizophrenia. Dr Ferguson detailed that she had been in a state of acute psychosis and had been for about two weeks[21]. These included religious delusions about being given the responsibility of ridding the world of evil, delusions about her children being ‘the devil’s children’, and references to incestuous sex with her son's whom she described as 'the devil's children.'[22].  When she was discharged one month later, having made only a partial recovery[23], Sheila had been prescribed Stelazine[24], an anti-psychotic drug which is typically the first line of defence in the treatment of schizophrenia[25]. People with schizophrenia are usually found to have high levels of dopamine activity[26]. Stelazine works by blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, thus alleviating or minimising schizophrenic symptoms of delusions, hallucinations and disorganised thought or speech. Common side effects of Stelazine are nausea, headaches, dizziness, menstrual irregularities and agitation. Major side effects are lowered life span, dyskinesia and akathisia (see glossary below).     In March 1985, Sheila was again admitted to St Andrews Hospital following a severe psychotic episode [27]. She had suffered violent outbursts, one of which was witnessed by a friend who was left traumatised by the event[28]. During a stay of only three weeks, Sheila admitted to having used cocaine frequently[29]. It appears that Dr Ferguson did not raise the issues about Sheila harming her children because of client confidentiality. Despite the fact that Nevill was paying for the treatment, Sheila was the patient. It is also important to remember that Sheila was an 'informal' patient; that is, she was not subject to a 'section' under the Mental Health Act 1983. Therefore she was advised about her treatment but could not be legally required to comply. This undoubtedly had far reaching implications.[29a] At this time, Sheila was prescribed three kinds of medication: [30].     Anafranil - is a brand name of the chemical called Clomipramine. A tri-cyclic anti-depressant used a lot in the 1980swhen it was considered to be very successful in the treatment of depression. It typically takes 2 – 3 weeks to become effective. Caution is always required as suicide is always possible for a depressed or a disturbed patient. Side effects include confusion, agitation, insomnia and nightmares[31]. Haloperidol - is the chemical name which is typically branded as Serenace in the UK - a very strong anti-psychotic drug with sedative qualities. It is noted as being the most common neuroleptic associated with extra-pyramidal symptoms[32]. Clinical trials have shown that a medium to high dose of Haloperidol for a two-week period dramatically increased the dopamine activity up to 98%[33]. Long term effect is not known, but severe dyskinesia is indicated, and long-term, high-dose treatment may result in depression severe enough to result in suicide[34]; Procyclidine - often branded as Kemadrin is used to counteract the effects of anti-psychotic medications. Known side effects include agitation, confusion and insomnia[35].   Additionally, there is the issue of non-compliance. It is well known that patients who are required to self-medicate will often fail to take prescribed medication for two main reasons: one is that they do not believe they are ill and therefore believe the medication is unnecessary; the second is the result of the side-effects which many individuals find to be so extreme that they would prefer to tolerate their symptoms.[35a]  In July 1985, Sheila requested that her dose of Haloperidol be reduced. Her GP, Dr Angeloglou, contacted Dr Ferguson to discuss this for reasons unknown, but it is possible that Sheila had experienced some of the aforementioned side effects. The reduction of her dose from 200mg to 100 mg is the kind of sudden reduction which is potentially very dangerous, as it may have caused severe withdrawal symptoms, or even a return of the original condition. In addition to this, because she was due another injection, any side effects would have completely diminished[36]. At the family supper which took place at White House Farm on the night of the murders, the subject of Sheila’s twin boys being put into foster care was raised[37]. Sheila’s psychiatrist stated that the effect of this news would have been ‘catastrophic’, and may well have been the trigger for a psychotic episode[38]. Her post-mortem results showed no trace of Anafranil, but cannabis and Haloperidol were found[39]. Failure to take some of her medication would have been exacerbated by the taking of cannabis and also the sudden reduction of her Haloperidol - could have caused her already fragile mental health to crumble completely.     In 1985, the public and the police were perhaps reluctant to believe that a young mother could murder her own family with such brutality. In the twenty-first century, reports of women committing violent crime, including murdering one's own children before suicide, or attempted suicide - are well documented in the media. The outcome of Jeremy Bamber’s trial may well have been different had it taken place more recently, and if the jury had been made aware of research into the links between cannabis and schizophrenia. In fact, it is highly likely that Sheila Caffell’s life would have been saved, had the advances made in understanding schizophrenia and its treatment been available in 1985. Glossary of Medical Terms Akathisia – characterised by sensation of ‘inner restlessness’ or inability to remain motionless or to sit still[40]. Dystonia – characterised by contraction of muscle groups that cause repetitive or twisting movements or abnormal postures[41]. Tardive Dyskinesia – characterised by repetitive, involuntary movements of the body, commonly associated with anti-psychotic drugs such as Haloperidol[42]. Psuedo-Parkinsons – characterised by the symptoms of Parkinsons disease[43]. Notes [1] D.Sup Ainsley (6/9/1985) Interview with Metropolitan Police Stokenchurch [on-line] Available at: http://twitpic.com/8dbhmj [Accessed 11 January 2013].  The Mirror (8/8/1985) Mother Shoots Twin Sons and Parents [on-line] Available at: http://twitpic.com/7d1a3u [Accessed 11 January2013]. Dr Vanezis, Pathology report DI Dickinson Enquiry, November, 1986, retrospectively states that he was satisfied that it was a suicide and four murders. [2] See me, Schizophrenia (2008) What is it? Signs and symptoms [on-line] Available at: http://www.seemescotland.org.uk/findoutmore/aboutmentalhealthproblemsandstigma/schizophrenia [Accessed 7 January 2013]  NHS Choices (2012) Schizophrenia Diagnosis. ‘Diagnosing Schizophrenia’ [on-line] Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Schizophrenia/Pages/Diagnosis.aspx [Accessed 7 January 2013] [3] Schizophrenia Research (1999) ‘Dual Diagnosis of Substance Abuse in schizophrenia: prevalence and impact on outcomes’ [on-line] Available at: http://www.schres-journal.com/article/S0920-9964(98)00161-3/abstract [Accessed 6 January 2013] Schizophrenia.com (1996-2004) ‘Hereditary and the Genetics of Schizophrenia. Family statistics’ [on-line] Available at: http://www.schizophrenia.com/research/hereditygen.htm [Accessed 13 January 2013] [4] Schizophrenia.com (2010) ‘How is Schizophrenia Diagnosed? Symptom of Schizophrenia and Schizophrenia Diagnosis’ [on-line] Available at: http://www.schizophrenia.com/diag.php#diagnosis [Accessed 9 January 2013] [5] Spokeane Mental Health (2010) ‘Schizophrenia. Facts about Schizophrenia. Suicide Attempts.’ 'About 1 in 4 schizophrenics attempts suicide; 1 in 10 succeed' [on-line] Available at: http://www.smhca.org/schizophrenia.aspx [Accessed 9 January 2013] Annals of General Psychiatry (2007) ‘Suicide risk in schizophrenia: learning from the past to change the future. Background’ [on-line] Available at: http://www.annals-general-psychiatry.com/content/6/1/10 [Accessed 10 January 2013] [6] Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (2013) ‘Psychosis onset usually occurring in young people’ (80%, aged 16-30) [on-line] Available at: http://www.berkshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/page.asp?fldArea=2&fldMenu=4&fldSubMenu=14&fldKey=1105 [Accessed 10 January 2013] Here to Help, (2006) What’s going on with me? Signs & Symptons of Psychosis. [First experiences with psychosis are more common in people aged 16-30.] Available at http://heretohelp.bc.ca/factsheet/whats-going-on-with-me-signs-and-symptoms-of-psychosis [Accessed 18 January 2013] [7] The Guardian ( 2012) DATA BLOG [on-line] Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/sep/28/drug-use-age-popular-cannabis [Accessed 10 January 2013] [8] Schizophrenia.com (1996-2010) ‘Street Drugs and Schizophrenia’ [on-line] Available at: http://www.schizophrenia.com/prevention/streetdrugs.html [Accessed 9 January 2013] [9] Pubmed.gov (2009) ‘US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health. Cannabis and psychosis: search of a causal link through a critical and systematic review.’ [on-line] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19748375 [Accessed 10 January 2013] Psych Central (2012) ‘Schizophrenia and Psychosis. Delusions & Hallucinations are Common in Schizophrenia’ Para6 [on-line] Available at: http://psychcentral.com/disorders/schizophrenia/ [Accessed 10 January 2013] [10] Everyday Health (2009) ‘Can Drug Use Cause Schizophrenia?’ Some evidence points to a link between illicit drug use especially marijuana and schizophrenia [on-line] Available at: http://www.everydayhealth.com/schizophrenia/drug-use-and-schizophrenia.aspx [Accessed 10 January 2013] Health athealth.com (2002) ‘Disorders and conditions. Co-Occurring Alcohol Use Disorder and Schizophrenia.’ [on-line] Available at: http://www.athealth.com/Consumer/disorders/schizophreniaalcohol.html [Accessed 10 January 2013] [11] The American Journal of Psychiatry (2010) ‘Cannabis Use and the Course of Schizophrenia: 10-Year Follow-Up After First Hospitalization.’ [on-line] Available at: http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=102388 [Accessed 10 January 2013] [12] Zucker Hillside Hospital http://www.northshorelij.com/NSLIJ/zhh [13] Ibid [14] The Lancet (2007) ‘Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review’ [on-line] Available at: http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(07)61162-3/abstract [Accessed 11 January 2013] [15] The Official Web Site of Jeremy Bamber, 2013. http://www.jeremy-bamber.co.uk/how-and-why-did-sheila-do-it, End notes 7-10, regarding the statements of social workers and Doctors who treated Sheila. [16] Jeremy Bamber (2010) Sheila Caffell's Mental Health [on-line] Available at: http://jeremybamber.tumblr.com/post/1193239485/sheila-caffells-mental-health [Accessed 9 January 2013] 'Mind' Understanding Depression [on-line] Available at: http://www.mind.org.uk/mental_health_a-z/7980_understanding_depression?gclid=CKbS-b6y4LQCFU3HtAod9WcAAQ [Accessed 9 January 2013] [17] Medical News Today, MNT. (2010) What Is Paranoid Schizophrenia? What Causes Paranoid Schizophrenia? [on-line] Available at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/192621.php [Accessed 10 January 2013] [18] 'FRANK' COCAINE, THE RISKS [on-line] Available at: http://www.talktofrank.com/drug/cocaine [Accessed 10 January 2013] Dr Ferguson, Handwritten Statement, 30th September 1986. Details her use of Cannabis, Cocaine and Amphetamine. Colin Caffell, Statements handwritten, 11th September, 1985, he states that Dr Ferguson had contacted him by telephone concerned that Sheila had been taking cocaine through her involvement with Farhad Emami. [19] Jeremy Bamber (2010) Sheila Caffell's Mental Health [on-line] Available at: http://jeremybamber.tumblr.com/post/1193239485/sheila-caffells-mental-health [Accessed 9 January 2013] [20] Jeremy Bamber (2010) Sheila Caffell's Mental Health [on-line] Available at: http://jeremybamber.tumblr.com/post/1193239485/sheila-caffells-mental-health [Accessed 10 January 2013] [21] Mayo Clinic (2010) Paranoid schizophrenia, signs and symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia [on-line] Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/paranoid-schizophrenia/DS00862/DSECTION=symptoms [Accessed 11 January 2013] [22] Jeremy Bamber (2010) Sheila Caffell's Mental Health [on-line] Available at: http://jeremybamber.tumblr.com/post/1193239485/sheila-caffells-mental-health [Accessed 9 January 2013] Dr Ferguson, Statement, 8th August, 1985, details her behaviour, his diagnosis. 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Essex Chronicle: Maldon author, Poppy Ann Miller

From an article in Essex Chronicle by JoeSturdy  |  Posted: June 12, 2014  http://www.essexchronicle.co.uk/Maldon-author-hopes-make-people-problems-penning/story-21226826-detail/story.html

Maldon author hopes to help people see their own problems after penning mental health novel

Poppy Ann Miller penned the book after her own experience working in the mental health field

A MALDON counsellor hopes to allow people to gain an insight into their own problems - after penning a novel based on her 30 years of experience in mental health.

Poppy Ann Miller, who lives in Butt Lane, recently published Bed of Black Flowers – Diary of An Unwelcomed Child which chronicles the life of Shirley, a fictional girl who was brought up around Romford and Dagenham in the 1950s and 1960s.

Her mother believed her child-bearing years were over and rejects her arrival and this becomes a constant theme throughout Shirley’s early life – and, through a series of abusive relationships, the book delves into the topics of abuse and its effects on mental health.

“There is violence, sex and swearing,” said Poppy, who has been a counsellor for 30 years and has worked in a variety of jobs in the mental health industry, when asked to summarise the book.

“I’ve been writing Bed of Black Flowers (since) 2003, I’ve been making notes but nobody can possibly identify who I’m writing about. It is memories from what I have witnessed and what people told me. It’s like a lot of writing – you write about your life experiences even when you do not realise it.

“The sub-title is ‘Diary of An Unwelcomed Child’. I’m prepared to say that I realised that I was growing up and making horrendous mistakes in relationships and wanted to understand what that was all about.

“I went through counselling and – in order to become a counsellor – you need to look at your own issues. I was therapied out by the time I wrote the book,” she said.

But while there are elements of her own life scattered throughout the book, Poppy has also taken in other experiences to help write the novel: “In the book I talk about giving a baby away and that did not happen to me,” she said.

“It’s not all my story. There are elements of Shirley within me,” said Poppy.

But by the time readers come to the end of the book, while the author describes it as ‘harrowing’, Poppy hopes that, through the situations described, people will gain a new sense of their own problems.

“I would like people to gain some more self-awareness of their own problems and people to have a greater insight into what makes them tick and escape abusive situations,” she said.

“I would hope that people would reflect on their own past and childhood and see how it’s affecting their life today and if they’re in an abusive relationship to do something about it - and see the links.”

Bed of Black Flowers can be bought from All Books in Maldon High Street and from Amazon.co.uk at £7.99.