The Great Escape Bed Push

Ignored: the mentally ill killed by drugs that are meant to help them

Campaigners plan to use World Mental Health Day to highlight discrimination within the medical profession against some of its most vulnerable patients

By Nina Lakhani
Sunday, 5 October 2008

Daniel Galvin died of a heart attack in August. He was six stone overweight and had high blood pressure; his hair was falling out and he was incapacitated by trembling legs. He was 29. Daniel's family believe his symptoms, and his untimely death, were caused by side effects from the powerful psychiatric drugs he had been taking for 14 years. He is, they think, one of thousands of people with mental health problems who have died prematurely because their physical health was neglected.

Campaigners are using this week's World Mental Health Day to call for an end to what they say is discrimination by health staff whose attitudes lead to life-threatening conditions being dismissed or ignored.

Rufus May, a clinical psychologist, said yesterday: "The real tragedy about Daniel's death is that it symbolises how little things have changed in psychiatry. Young lives are still being wasted because we fail to listen to people and simply prescribe powerful drugs with little regard for their physical well being. The fact we continue to see people (diagnosed) with 'schizophrenia' as fundamentally different means we think it is acceptable to treat them differently."

The Crazy Escape Bed Push has finished for 2007 and the Crazy Escape Team has been released into the community!  Leaving a path of love, respect and understanding (plus pink feathers!) in our wake, we turned confusion into clarity (and sometimes visa versa!) and frowns into smiles over 60 Miles of Madness!

The Crazy Escape Bed pushes have had a fantastic reception en route. Thanks to the wide media coverage we were serenaded by horns, cheers and waves all the way (you can view the coverage we were given on the Links page).  It was great to generate positive media coverage of mental health issues and Madness.  Much of the public perception of mental health issues and Madness* is created from demonising and stigmatising reporting by the press. Headlines often recount the horrors of the 'Schizo' or 'Maniac', and create a culture of fear in society around mental health. In fact, the highest risk group for committing violent offences are young men under the affect of alcohol, a position which is widely accepted in society - encouraged even! The stigma given to Madness is often internalised, crushing the hope of those in distress through the guilt and shame associated with these fictional stereotypes. Our reports gave a chance to air the true position of Madness and the terrible poverty of mental health 'care'.  Mental health is the UK's biggest social problem.  Unfortunately, a terrorist plot foiled our plans for national coverage in 2006 on Channel 5 and Sky News.  Ironically, The War Against Terror (TWAT) also interrupted 2005's Crazy Escape after the 7/7 incidents in London. Call us paranoid...  ha ha!

The journey towards a more peaceful approach to mental health continues!

Mental Health Bill Regional Implementation Plan

This is what we need to resist in the near future.  In Spring 2008 the English government plans to make the definition of mental illness more broad and far reaching, and plans to force people to take medication once they have been discharged from hospital (Community Treatment Orders). In Scotland where Community Treatment Orders have already been legal for nearly two years, this has had the effect of increasing compulsory admissions and treatments.  People on the recieving end are being listened to less than ever.  If you are interested in joining the Great Escape Bedpush team in any way to campaign against these draconian proposals contact us.

We set out from Mary's house and made our way through a busy Croydon and were met by lots more curious onlookers. Some more big hills around Crystal Palace but as we made it through Camberwell we were greeted by Creative Routes for a demonstation outside the Maudsley psychiatric hospital, which has recently implemented about 4 million pounds worth of cuts to user-friendly services. We were joined by Gem the dog and a giant sheep called Dolly. Baaa rmy!  Then on to Bedlam, now the Imperial War Museum (fitting). Aidan Shingler and the Kiss It! crew were there plus many people from across the country. We had a dance at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party, and made some speeches.

More quiet country roads today and a very, very steep Reigate Hill. We walked over the South Downs down into the outskirts of London today. Lots of curious onlookers. Drivers were very patient and lots of hoots of support. We hooted back with our giant red plastic horn.

Adam approached a primary care health centre where he met a health visitor. She refused to give out his leaflets as she said she was restricted by her professional code of conduct. Adam replied that he had a similar code of conduct but that didn’t stop him campaigning for a peaceful approach to mental health. “Tut tut” she said disapprovingly. Our spirits picked up however when a shopkeeper ran after us with rice crackers and morning coffee biscuits. A large bald man solidly applauded us as we passed him by.

We started out from Lindfield a little later than planned but began to make our way along the winding country roads....blisters aside, everyone was in very good spirits, especially considering we had another 20 miles to complete that day!

Along the way, Rufus disappeared up a tree and ended up having a conversation with a rather bemused woman as she sat drinking tea in her garden. When we stopped for lunch in a pub called the Hedgehog we met an American whose T-shirt said he was on a psychic tour.  We told him about our quest for fairer and more peaceful mental health service: "We're all crazy" he said... "Mind you, your dummy look strikingly like George Bush and needs all the help he can get!"