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We are Letting Our Soldiers Down – Therapy not Prison!

For those young men who were lucky enough to return from the trenches following the First World War, they faced, on mass, the trauma of having endured some of the worst fighting in human history.  Veterans suffered from nightmares, anxiety, guilt and despair. 

At the time ‘mental illness’ was seen as deeply stigmatising.  Talking therapies were promoted for the new form of suffering that became known as ‘shell shock’.  In turn the post war reorganisation of mental health services for veterans, changed the way mental health services were offered to the whole population, a reorganisation that can still be felt to this day.

For most veterans though, they were left to reintegrate with mainstream society as best they could, without any formal support or help.  The result was a collective trauma on society that was acted out for generations to come.  My own grandfather fought in the trenches.  He also lost a son in the Second World War.  I am without doubt that this family trauma of warfare affected my parents, and, in turn, me.  Such ‘generational trauma’ is the price paid by the whole of society by decisions to go to war.

Men’s mental health, of course, has never really been seen as very important.  The mental health of our soldiers even less so.  Society still expects soldiers to put themselves in harms way, kill or be killed, and endure the indignities of combat, and return and reintegrate without our help or support.

A recent survey indicates that up to 20 000 veterans of the Iraq, Afghanistan and other recent conflicts, are currently serving sentences within the criminal justice system.  Of those, 8500 are serving custodial sentences.  That’s 1 in 10 of the prison population.  Why are ex servicemen so highly represented in the criminal justice system?

The main reason is what was formally known as ‘shell shock’ and, given the inability of government to resource services, the ways veterans are forced to cope with it.  In one survey of veterans in the criminal justice system, the majority of veterans serving sentences had turned to drink and drugs to cope with their symptoms.  About half of them were suffering from post traumatic stress disorder or depression as a result of their service.  Most were convicted of violent behaviour especially domestic violence.  In acting out their own trauma, society is also traumatised, and just like the First and Second World Wars, will continue to be passed through the generations to come.

As a therapist who has worked with men caught up in war zones, I can vouch that listening to the tales these men tell, hearing the horrors they have endured, can be truly horrific.  That the work is hard is no excuse, however, it should still be done.  If we as a society are content to send our young men to war, we owe it to them and their families to look after their emotional welfare when they return.  Prison is no place to send our heroes. 

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Dr Phil Tyson is a Men's Psychotherapist based in Manchester in the UK.  He offers:

• Group therapy weekends for men in London and Manchester
• Beginners meditation weekend retreats for men in London and Manchester
• Counselling for men in Manchester
• Psychotherapy for men in Manchester
• Cognitive behavioural therapy for men in Manchester
• Telephone and online counselling for men wherever you live
• Mediation for conflict resolution at work in London
• Mediation for conflict resolution at work in Manchester and the North West
• Supervision and consulative support for therapists in Manchester

Dr Tyson is also regularly quoted in the printed media and as a guest on local and national broadcast media.

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Review: MRm! - a New Politically Radical Men’s Magazine.

Often when I write this blog, I am forced to ask myself, in presenting a men’s perspective, am I deliberately or subconsciously oppressing the other half of the human race - women?  I try to be balanced in my comments, but this does not detract from my political agenda, which is that men’s experiences of the world are consistently devalued, not least by men themselves.  This is particularly acute in the area of men’s mental health, where the bulk of practitioners are women, who routinely pathologies men’s experience, and try to shape men’s expectations of services to meet those of women.

 

The elephant in the room here is, of course, feminism.  It holds the cultural high ground in political and academic circles, so much so it has become uncritically accepted as the best account of gender.  Feminism's premises, or so it seems, are taken to be universally true, and to question it sensibly is tantamount to political heresy.

 

It is undeniably correct that there is a need for a feminism.  Women need to understand their world from their perspective.  The trouble with this, from a man’s perspective, is that feminism is written by women for women in opposition to men.  Men, and men’s experiences of the world, are seen as the source of women’s problems and, in the political realignment that is feminism, what it means to be male is consistently devalued, marginalised and even demonised.

 

Within the background of this cultural zeitgeist is a small, sporadic, and often piecemeal attempt to challenge the hegemony of feminism's cultural appeal.  Of course in amongst these men are the usual suspects of misogynists and those that fail to appreciate the political necessity of feminism, from a womens perspective.  There are also those, perhaps like myself, that want to understand, not pathologies male experience, and in so doing, help to give men a voice, restore their self confidence, and their self respect.

 

Perhaps I see the embryonic signs of an internet based men’s movement.  Indeed a new, internet based, magazine has been launched by a group of such activists (see below for a copy).  The first issue goes for the heart of the matter, feminism itself.  The issue asks some searching questions.  What do feminists mean by patriarchy? How are men portrayed in the media?  Why is suicide amongst men four times the rate of suicide among women?  Is feminism a hate movement?

 

Perhaps the most interesting area discussed in the magazine, at least to me, is the highlighting of the ways in which things to do with men are systematically demeaned by women for their own purposes.  As a men’s psychotherapist I often speak to women about men’s experiences, whether that be male rape, suicide, experiences of war, or sexual addiction.  What I often encounter is an unwillingness to engage with the very real suffering of men.  It’s easy to dismiss such suffering.  But it has to stop.

 

I don’t agree with everything that was written in this magazine, but I didn’t expect to.  What is refreshing is that it has been written at all.  If you are looking for a magazine that is politically engaging from a man’s perspective, then I can wholeheartedly recommend MRn! 

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Dr Phil Tyson is a Men's Psychotherapist based in Manchester in the UK.  He offers:

• Group therapy weekends for men in London and Manchester
• Beginners meditation weekend retreats for men in London and Manchester
• Counselling for men in Manchester
• Psychotherapy for men in Manchester
• Cognitive behavioural therapy for men in Manchester
• Telephone and online counselling for men wherever you live
• Mediation for conflict resolution at work in London
• Mediation for conflict resolution at work in Manchester and the North West
• Supervision and consulative support for therapists in Manchester

Dr Tyson is also regularly quoted in the printed media and as a guest on local and national broadcast media.

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Link Found between Caffeine and Panic Attacks.

Panic attacks are probably the most distressing form of anxiety.  Panic attacks often appear from nowhere, and for no apparent reason, leaving the client feeling vulnerable in the face of their unpredictable nature. 

 

For anyone who has experienced a panic attack, they will know how intense and frightening such attacks can be.  Central to the psychological process of panic attacks is what we call the ‘catastrophic misinterpretation’.  For many people who experience panic, they misinterpret their symptoms as a hear attack, and think they are about to die – truly frightening.  It is not uncommon for such clients to find themselves in Accident and Emergency wired up to monitors.

 

Unfortunately a recent survey by the charity Anxiety UK reports that many sufferers receive unhelpful reactions from A & E staff.  Reactions from staff can include trivialising panic with comments such as “it’s just anxiety”, showing a lack of empathy, or discharging clients from A & E without appropriate information or onward referral.  Unfortunately this attitude is common amongst A & E staff for other psychiatric emergencies including self harm.

 

Fortunately, for most people who experience panic attacks, their symptoms can be treated extremely effectively using cognitive behaviour techniques, with most clients experiencing complete remission from attacks.  But wouldn’t it be good to know how to prevent panic attacks altogether?

 

In my experience, men often experience their first panic attack as a result of taking recreational drugs like cocaine or marijuana.  Clearly, for such men, avoiding these drugs in the future is a key part of their recovery.  Recent research published in the Journal Psychiatry Research, however, indicates that another drug may be more closely linked to panic than we had first thought – caffeine.

 

In this study people who experienced panic were randomly assigned to different conditions.    In the condition which drank five cups of coffee, two thirds experienced a panic attack.  In the condition which avoided caffeine altogether, no one experienced a panic attack.

 

The conclusion is that caffeine consumption alone may be all that is necessary to promote and maintain panic attacks.  Best practice would therefore be to work with clients to eliminate caffeine consumption before initiating cbt.

 

If you think this research might be helpful to you, remember that caffeine is not just present in coffee, but also in tea and many soft drinks including coke.  Also remember that sudden withdrawal from caffeine can precipitate anxiety itself, so withdraw your consumption slowly over several weeks.  My advice is only seek further help for panic attacks if eliminating caffeine does not help.

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Dr Phil Tyson is a Men's Psychotherapist based in Manchester in the UK.  He offers:

• Group therapy weekends for men in London and Manchester
• Beginners meditation weekend retreats for men in London and Manchester
• Counselling for men in Manchester
• Psychotherapy for men in Manchester
• Cognitive behavioural therapy for men in Manchester
• Telephone and online counselling for men wherever you live
• Mediation for conflict resolution at work in London
• Mediation for conflict resolution at work in Manchester and the North West
• Supervision and consulative support for therapists in Manchester

Dr Tyson is also regularly quoted in the printed media and as a guest on local and national broadcast media.

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Heterosexual Men Often Test Too Late for HIV.

Today is International AIDS day, but if you’re straight, this concerns you, so don’t turn away!

 

When I was a young man, I was heavily involved in the service provision of men with HIV.  At that time there were no treatments, and men died tragically young.  Things are different know.  The treatments for HIV are becoming so effective that, if caught early, HIV can be seen as a chronic manageable condition, and the person can expect a normal lifespan.

 

The qualifier in the above statement, ‘if caught early’, is the crucial thing here.  The British HIV Association estimate that a quarter of HIV deaths were a direct result of patients being diagnosed too late. 

 

One benchmark test in measuring the health of people with HIV is known as the CD4 test.  This is a measure of the overall level of immune system ‘CD4’ cells in the body.  The more of these cells the better.  If the measure of these cells drops below 200 then the patient is at risk of developing opportunistic infections that are AIDS defining and life threatening.  Starting treatment with CD4 counts below 200 is also a predictor of poorer response to anti retrovirals.

 

Nearly half of heterosexual men diagnosed with HIV are diagnosed with their CD4 counts below 200.  This is concerning.

 

The popular perception has always been that HIV is a problem in the gay community.  This is indeed true.  HIV, however, does not respect sexuality, and the numbers of heterosexual men with HIV are increasing.

 

What can you do about it?  Well if you are heterosexual and have had sex without a condom, I suggest testing annually.  You are putting yourself, and your future partners, at risk if you don’t.  HIV tests are free and can be obtained from your local sexual health clinic.  Many clinics offer same day testing services. The service is confidential and they will be in the best position to offer you follow up care and support should you receive a positive result.

 

Remember, to benefit from treatment you need to start early, that means testing regularly.

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Dr Phil Tyson is a Men's Psychotherapist based in Manchester in the UK.  He offers:

• Group therapy weekends for men in London and Manchester
• Beginners meditation weekend retreats for men in London and Manchester
• Counselling for men in Manchester
• Psychotherapy for men in Manchester
• Cognitive behavioural therapy for men in Manchester
• Telephone and online counselling for men wherever you live
• Mediation for conflict resolution at work in London
• Mediation for conflict resolution at work in Manchester and the North West
• Supervision and consulative support for therapists in Manchester

Dr Tyson is also regularly quoted in the printed media and as a guest on local and national broadcast media.

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