Years on Moodscope, personal experience, endless study on Mental Health seems to culminate in two extremes, dependence for life on some sort of ‘prop’, or taking risks. My blood pressure has been raised by a Future Learn Course: Psychology and Mental Health, from Liverpool University. Professor Kinderman, a Clinical Psychologist, worked with the BBC in 2005 and came up with the Kinderman method’, and there is now an App to trace your emotions, seems plagiarism of Moodscope.

They have evolved a ‘Manifesto for Mental Health’, asking students what they would suggest should be the basis of high quality mental health care. My translation ‘How long is a piece of string?’ One post: ‘We should look at every person holistically by taking into account every social emotional and environmental aspect of their life. This would allow treatment to focus on them not the diagnoses.’

They have produced a spread sheet, interactive; can be down-loaded on Excel, where you enter biological and social problems, life events, and rumination. For me life is a bit gloomy at the moment, BUT, the spread sheet would not help. I hate the dark, forecast for February, dark, cloudy, low temperatures, can’t change that. Grieving for my son, can’t bring him back, comfort his partner. Current events make me feel old, I can’t stop the clock or the war in the Ukraine. Sitting in the cold will not help the planet.

But I did try an ‘academic’ exercise applying  the format to friends, many known, with their families, for over half a century. I have been ‘picking up’ a friend for 30 years during repeated depressions, even asked for help from her family, as she actually listens to me. There is no history of M/H in her family, her ‘social environment’ has been enviable, a model, then as support at many events to her successful husband, nice daughters who did not cause hassle. No money problems, lots of travel, nice clothes. Yet she has been so discontented, very healthy, could drink us all under the table,  now very miserable in a care home. What would a spread sheet come up with? Just after the war neighbours, who could not have children, adopted a boy and spoiled him thoroughly. He acquired a motor bike, maddened the village with the racket, then, inevitably was killed. His mother never left the house again. Her husband would get the bus back from work, have 20 minutes for lunch, bus back again. Poor man. No help then except psychiatric home if she got worse. People talk to me – currently being very patient (for me) with three people who by indecision, dithering, and ‘sheltering’ their children from ‘stress’ are causing stress to their family and all around them. They ALL need to ‘take a chance’ because the status quo is not helping anybody. With true mania the brakes must be applied. But perhaps ‘taking a chance’ on life events might be more positive? 

The Gardener

A Moodscope member