World Mental Health Day: I battled depression for six years, I didn’t just ‘get over it’ overnight
We need to look at how far we’ve come in removing the stigma surrounding depression, and see how we can act to do more.
It’s the 20th anniversary of World Mental Health Day today. Twenty years of awareness-raising about mental illness and yet, when talking to a friend’s father about writing this blog I dropped the ‘d’ word, his response was to roll his eyes heavenward and exclaim “oh I don’t believe in all that, you’re either happy or a bit pissed off”.
Anecdotal evidence I realise, but I wondered nevertheless whether this attitude was an isolated one, perhaps the result of belonging to a generation whose answer to curing ‘the blues’ is giving yourself a stern talking to. Unfortunately not.
Doctors say more MRI scanners would help MS patients
Doctors say more MRI scanners would help MS patients
Page last updated at 09:54 GMT, Wednesday, 10 October 2012 10:54 UK
By Maddii Lown
Newsbeat reporter 
Doctors want more to be done to speed up the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
Around 2,500 people are diagnosed with MS every year with about half of those thought to be between 18 and 30.
The MS Society says it has noticed an increase in calls to its help-line from people worried about symptoms of the disease.
Common MS symptoms
- Double or blurred vision
- Numbness or tingling in any part of the body
- Tiredness
- Temporary blindness
- Fatigue and dizziness
- Distortion or loss of sense of touch
- Limb weakness, spasticity and pain
- Incontinence
- Constipation
- Cognitive impairment
The Department of Health says 90% are diagnosed using MRI scans and that they are working on how best to improve diagnosis.
It comes after a report by the Neurological Alliance which says people with neurological conditions are waiting too long for a diagnoses.
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg backs EDP Ambulance Watch campaign
Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg has lent his backing to the EDP Ambulance Watch campaign and urged readers to share their experiences of the service to create the ‘fullest possible picture’ of the problems in Norfolk.
Daniel Grimmer Wednesday, October 10, 2012
9:09 AM
The Liberal Democrat leader described the campaign as an example of exactly the sort of issue local newspapers should be tackling, during a visit to the county yesterday.
Mr Clegg was on private visits to Norfolk to meet Liberal Democrat members in north Norfolk and Norwich, and to lend support to two of his party’s MPs.
But, in an interview with the EDP, at the King’s Head pub in Letheringsett, he revealed the frustrations of being in a coalition government, how he believes a compromise can be reached on the so-called mansion tax, how he hopes Norwich South MP Simon Wright’s re-election chances will not be damaged by the tuition fees controversy and how he believes local newspapers have a crucial role to play in holding organisations to account.
