Thoughts of a carer

In my previous blog entry , I described my experiences of the effect that certain medication - in that case, antidepressants - can have on someone’s judgement and character, and the effect on their relationships and even those around them. I also referred to an NHS report from 2016 that contained some startling facts, including: ‘ 48%, of adults had taken at least one prescribed medicine in the last week, and almost a quarter, 24%, had taken three or more’   ‘...commonly  used  prescribed  medicines were antihypertensives (by  15%  of  adults) and  lipid-lowering  medicines (14%);  followed  by  proton-pump  inhibitors  for reducing  acid  in the  stomach  (11%); analgesics and  non-steroidal anti-inflammatory  drugs (11%); and antidepressants  (10%)’ The idea that ten percent of the population could be taking something to cause them to behave in the way my ex wife did should shock...

On Friday 24th September there was a debate in Parliament on ‘Baby Loss Awareness’. Losing a child around the time of birth must be one of the most traumatic experiences humans undergo. It happened to some former next-door-but-one neighbours of mine,  perhaps fifteen years ago. I attended the funeral, and I’ll never forget the sight of the tiny, white coffin being carried into the service by the father. I’ll be honest, I haven’t read reports of the debate that Friday. I suspect it was the usual political nonsense, perhaps with a nod towards the seriousness of the topic. It's quite possible that ‘poverty’ was attributed by some as being a likely cause. Sadly, some years after that sad funeral, I learned a little as to why that may, and may not, have been the whole story.                                    ...