Wes Streeting's move against autism - NAS - time to step up

It was featured on the 6 O'clock news just now and it seems not just aimed at people like us but people with anxiety and depression too. Personally I think that people are pushed towards "talking therapies" whereas years ago you'd have "mothers little helper" aka valium, I remember whole estate of zombie mums wandering around hardly able to function because of the amounts of stuff they were being prescribed, the problems not new by any means, we just talk about it more. It used to be a running joke at uni, that you'd go to see the nurse with a cold and come out with anti-depressants! She'd ask if you were feeling miserable and when you said yes out would come the presecription, no acknowlegdement that colds do make you feel miserable.

I think many talking therapies are inappropriate for the conditions people go with, how many people here have had problems with CBT? Or have found that thees no knowlegde of any ND's? The NHS like's the CBT model, because it's fairly short and fits in better with the drug regimes they're used too.

I do think that more people are being diagnosed as ND, often because their children are and so the parent seeks diagnosis for themselves. I think the world has speeded up and we have less personal space that before and as we all know having our space is really important. It shouldn't be the case that the government have to think about legislating to allow people to turn off thier work phone when they're at home, we're not talking about on call doctors or vets here where being on call is part of the job, my DiL manages car parking services and often get scalled at 10pm and asked to sort something out and it's often not a quick fix either. 

I wonder how much increased screen time plays a part too? It's well known that the light from screens stimulates the brain into staying awake, this can't be a good thing? Everything seems so hyper all the time, so many people are a sense of offence looking for somewhere to manifest, I think everybody must be self censoring a lot of the time, either that or being wound up by all the nastiness out there. 

I don't know how this review will effect us, maybe a lot, maybe very little, but if they're serious about helping any sort of mental health problem then they will have to resourse help properly and maybe stop thinking about ND as a mental health problem, but something else, whatever they come up with it needs to be properly thought through and funded with a range of options.

It was featured on the 6 O'clock news just now and it seems not just aimed at people like us but people with anxiety and depression too. Personally I think that people are pushed towards "talking therapies" whereas years ago you'd have "mothers little helper" aka valium, I remember whole estate of zombie mums wandering around hardly able to function because of the amounts of stuff they were being prescribed, the problems not new by any means, we just talk about it more. It used to be a running joke at uni, that you'd go to see the nurse with a cold and come out with anti-depressants! She'd ask if you were feeling miserable and when you said yes out would come the presecription, no acknowlegdement that colds do make you feel miserable.

I think many talking therapies are inappropriate for the conditions people go with, how many people here have had problems with CBT? Or have found that thees no knowlegde of any ND's? The NHS like's the CBT model, because it's fairly short and fits in better with the drug regimes they're used too.

I do think that more people are being diagnosed as ND, often because their children are and so the parent seeks diagnosis for themselves. I think the world has speeded up and we have less personal space that before and as we all know having our space is really important. It shouldn't be the case that the government have to think about legislating to allow people to turn off thier work phone when they're at home, we're not talking about on call doctors or vets here where being on call is part of the job, my DiL manages car parking services and often get scalled at 10pm and asked to sort something out and it's often not a quick fix either. 

I wonder how much increased screen time plays a part too? It's well known that the light from screens stimulates the brain into staying awake, this can't be a good thing? Everything seems so hyper all the time, so many people are a sense of offence looking for somewhere to manifest, I think everybody must be self censoring a lot of the time, either that or being wound up by all the nastiness out there. 

I don't know how this review will effect us, maybe a lot, maybe very little, but if they're serious about helping any sort of mental health problem then they will have to resourse help properly and maybe stop thinking about ND as a mental health problem, but something else, whatever they come up with it needs to be properly thought through and funded with a range of options.

Last year 8.7 million on antidepressants in England, 1 in 7 (including children).

That is rising too.

Regarding mental health in general, I think that some of it is related to finance being easy to get, then getting into difficulties. However reading your comment, perhaps it is also in light of how the world has changed a lot from the pandemic onwards, with one thing after another to worry about.

TheCatWoman said:

not just aimed at people like us but people with anxiety and depression too.

I would say that describes 'us' very well.

I suspect that anxiety and depression  more often than not go hand in hand with autism.