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Showing posts with label Psychologists. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Psychologists. Show all posts

Dementia 'not normal part of ageing' say scientists

Posted by Aldie at 7:43 AM | 0 comments

Dementia is not a normal part of growing old, scientists have insisted as they step up calls for more investment in research.

The telegraph, by Martin Beckford, Health Correspondent, 10 Feb 2011

Experts claim they are close to developing effective treatments for the degenerative conditions that will soon affect a million people in Britain.

They want to dismiss the idea that diseases such as Alzheimer’s, which lead to memory loss and a gradual decline in capabilities, are an inevitable part of the ageing process that await us all.

But they say that dementia remains the “poor relation” to cancer and heart disease in terms of research funding, and so more people will suffer unnecessarily unless Government, private companies and the public increase investment.

Professor Julie Williams, a researcher at Cardiff University who has discovered genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease, said: “We’re on the verge of a profound understanding of dementia and one that could lead us to the treatments we need, but we need help to get there.

“Investing in dementia research now will pay dividends, heading off the forecast explosion in numbers living with the condition and the crippling economic costs that come alongside.”

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Professor Kevin Morgan, of the University of Nottingham, who is Scientific Adviser for Alzheimer's Research UK, added: “Dementia is not a normal part of ageing – it is caused by brain diseases that we can beat, but we need more investment in the research that will give us answers.”

As The Daily Telegraph disclosed, Alzheimer's Research UK has launched a new drive to increase funding to improve diagnosis and treatment of dementia.

There are fears that without the same “aggressive” research as was used to target HIV in the 1980s, Britain faces a “dementia catastrophe” that will cost the economy billions and ruin thousands of lives.

Julian Huppert, the MP for Cambridge who hosted the charity’s re-launch in Westminster, said: “The impact of dementia is devastating, affecting not just the individual and the people around them, but costing the UK economy over £23 billion a year.”

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Scientists admit dementia not a normal part of aging, refuse to acknowledge known causes


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Hospital Guards Allegedly Ditch Mentally Ill Man in Field

Posted by Aldie at 1:27 PM | 0 comments

Jakarta Globe, Zaky Pawas | February 18, 2011

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Police have questioned four security guards from a Bogor hospital after they allegedly dumped a mentally ill man in a field near the North Bogor Police subprecinct station.

Adj. Comr. Ilot Djuanda of the North Bogor Police confirmed on Thursday that the victim, identified as Angga Nugraha, was now being treated at Marzuki Mahdi psychiatric hospital in Bogor.

Ilot said that when police discovered the victim, they rushed him to a 24-hour clinic, which sent him on to Salak Hospital for further evaluation. Angga needed psychiatric care, so he was then transferred to Marzuki Mahdi Hospital.

“We received a complaint from a resident who I shall only identify as Suratman,” Ilot said. “Suratman told our officers that he saw four security guards from Azra Hospital carrying the man, Angga, and dumping him in a field nearby. So, we checked and yes, we found him.”

Ilot said Angga was discovered curled up in an empty field not far from the North Bogor Police station. He said residents who came across Angga initially feared he was dead because he was so still.

“When police arrived, we found him sleeping and in a very poor condition,” Ilot added. “He was wearing shorts and a white T-shirt. He was walking by the time we got to Salak Hospital, but was limping. The limp looks like it is from an old injury,” he said.

Ilot added that police had questioned the four security guards from Azra Hospital and said they admitted to taking Angga, who was not a patient there, to the field. According to Ilot, the security guards said Angga, a resident of Darmaraja district in Sumedang, West Java, was causing a disturbance in the hospital parking lot.

When Angga wouldn’t leave, the guards decided to carry him to the field, Ilot said, adding that the security guards had suspected he was suffering from mental illness.

“Whatever the reason, what they did was inhumane,” Ilot said. “Why didn’t they just bring him to us at the station?”

North Bogor Police subprecinct chief Comr. R. Lubis said the security guards had just been questioned and no formal charges had been laid.

“We regret their actions,” he said. “Our subprecinct office is so close to the hospital. Why didn’t they call us?”

Meanwhile, Suwignyo, human resources manager at Azra Hospital, denied that the security guards had “dumped” the sick man in the field, saying that they had just “moved” him to another location.

“Our security guards tried to get rid of him, but he refused to leave,” he said. “And then he ended up sleeping near the security guard’s post, so they had to move him. It was just across the road, nobody dumped him.

“The security guards thought he was just a stressed out sick man who lived nearby.”

When asked why the hospital did not contact police about this man, Suwignyo said, “the guards said he looked clean and had clean skin. We did not want to alarm anybody.”

Mentally ill people often fail to receive proper treatment in Indonesia. According to a 2007 Health Ministry survey, 4.6 percent of the population suffers from serious mental disorders, including schizophrenia.

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Govt carries out psychological recovery program for Merapi evacuees

Posted by Aldie at 9:22 AM | 0 comments

Antara News, Sunday, October 31, 2010

Yogyakarta (ANTARA News) - The Ministry of Woman Empowerment and Child Protection will carry out psychological recovery programs for evacuees of the Mt Merapi eruption.

"The program will be implemented because the evacuees, especially women and children, may have been suffering trauma too much," State Minister of Woman Empowerment and Child Protection Linda Amalia Sari said in Sleman, a district close to volcano in Yogyakarta, Sunday.

The ministry has currently been conducting a study on psychological disorders facing the evacuees, especially women and children, at the Central Command Post for Mount Merapi Disaster Mitigation. "When the emergency relief operations are over, we will start with the program," she added.

The minister said that the program is being prepared on the basis of experience gained from past disasters in Aceh and Padang in Sumatra, and in and Wasior, West Papua. Under the program, women were given motivations to be patient and steadfast and children being kept cheerful and continue with their study.

She appreciated the Sleman regional administration for having provided separate barracks for women and children, which are important because they need special attention and sleeping quarters.

The minister asked the evacuees to heed the instructions given by the relevant authorities for their own good, including to stay in the centers for evacuees until it is safe to return home.

Mt Merapi, one of the world`s most active volcanoes, erupted twice this week (October 26 and 30), spewing hot clouds and ashes up and down the slopes of hundreds of villages. At least 35 people had perished and some 50,000 had to move to safer places.


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