The Care in the Community programme in the UK - Good or Bad?

When people have cancer, we usually hand them into the care of Oncologists. If someone has a problem with their heart – we hand them into the care of Cardiologists. There’s usually an army of nurses to support these specialists and by doing this we hope to give the sick the best care possible. They receive expert care and we are all grateful when we survive such lethal diseases ourselves, thanks to their skills. The same cannot be said in cases of mental health support in the UK, with issues such as Schizophrenia or Dementia.

When people get sick in their heads – we hand them over to a team of “care support workers.” These are overseen by care managers and social workers, who in turn consult Psychiatrists and Psychologist to tap their skills. These Psychiatrists are not experts in the way an Oncologist or a Cardiologist is an expert. They rely on opinion, experience and most crucially – on the verbiage, opinions and feelings of the patient when formulating their diagnosis. Highly paid – the Psychiatrist spends a brief hour or so with the patient – perhaps prescribing a pill at the end, then they move on to the next client. The bulk of their skill lies in covering for any decision they make that could haunt them later – if the patient causes harm.

Of course, there are "good" Psychiatrists among the run of the mill ones, but the system directs itself into not making the most of these "better" physicians. And the whole process of arriving at a diagnosis is so "unscientific" - it may as well be Witchcraft they are practicing. Good motives to get the diagnosis right - are also stifled by cost concerns. As

Martin Seligman commented in a TED talk; Psychiatry in the US is just about getting there in being scientific in its approach; in the UK it's far from being the case. It's primitive because it's cheaper that way.

The bulk of the “care” in the Care in the Community mandate – is carried out by the Police, taxi firms, shopkeepers and the public at large; all of whom are ill-equipped and untrained in how to help a mentally ill person.

When people get sick – they go to hospital; it’s been like that for hundreds of years. Today, in the “modern way” – when people get sick in their minds – the whole unsuspecting “community” has to put up with their lives being disrupted by abnormal behaviour from people they don’t know. They are forced to “care” by the State – who has been advised by Progressive-types who think they should experiment on society without permission; you and me are their guinea pigs in their experiments.

Yes - it all sounds so loving, forcing joe-public to “care” for some old OAP who has lost their mind. But from an objective standpoint – it’s despicable and uncivilized. The Police should be chasing after criminals, not Mums and Dads who have forgotten who they are and where they live. Taxi firms should not have to waste journeys, granted they may be paid, shuttling Schizophrenics who are following their hallucinations, on wild goose chases. Superstores should not be required to explain to the mentally impaired that they cannot use their Club Cards to buy groceries. And neighbour should not be subjected to bizarre behaviour – such as standing under a tree, in the rain for hours, waiting for an imaginary friend to come and pick the ill person up.

Care in the Community – may work on paper and perhaps it’s better than caging people up in homes – like beasts waiting for their inevitable demise. But if it’s sickness were are treating, then there should be places where the sick must go to be healed. Having the public “look after” their own without the necessary skills to do so – is really the State abdicating its responsibilities to keep all of us safe and a waste of resources.

Care in Community only benefits those earning healthy wage packets prescribing pills and keeps the army of social workers and carers employed. The patient is just a resource, a commodity to feed off financially for the few running the system.