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Labour Manifesto - Pledge Concern


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All of the parties have promised to improve things for mental health in their manifesto's, and in our latest members magazine we have bullet pointed each and every point (it's a pretty big list). They're all positive, some are more detailed than others.  Labour's is positive too, but when compiling the content I remember seeing this one point and being slightly concerned. 

Quote

Choice is important in a modern NHS, and patients who receive their therapy of choice have better outcomes. Labour will therefore ask
the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to evaluate the potential for increasing the range of evidence based psychological
therapies on offer.

Now it does clearly say they will evaluate the potential for increasing 'evidence' therapies. I agree choice is important, but we have to be realistic too in that other therapies rarely work (for OCD).  So that's my concern, there are lots of therapies with some evidence to suggest might help OCD, but in reality is unlikely to make a difference.   A lot of mental health professionals seem to have issues with CBT, and already canvass for things like counselling to be recommended more frequently.   My worry is that if this manifesto pledge is implemented (by any party) could there be political pressure to bring more therapies into NICE recommendations?

 

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I agree with your concern Ashley. 

Whilst there are some useful concepts out there which can be supplementary help for mental illnesses, for me, unless we understand why we think as we do in OCD,  and why and how we need to change it - and we need cognitive behavioural therapy to do that - these other things have no value. 

E.g.I myself get great value from The Four Steps, Mindfulness, Love Kindness Meditation, Positive Emotion Generation Relaxation and Meditation and Creative Visualisation - but none of these are a specific treatment for OCD; they aid anxiety responses and changing negative thinking patterns though, and therefore assist CBT. And all of these can be done by self-help.

Edited by taurean
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We have to remember the manifesto isn't talking specifically about OCD, but mental health in general. So whereas the only evidence-based therapy for OCD is CBT, there are other psychological therapies proven to help other conditions.

eg. Habit Reversal Therapy for Tourettes, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for borderline personality disorder, EMDR for acute PTSD and prevention of PTSD in traumatised individuals...(note I made the distinction of acute and prevention, a time factor all too often ignored by therapists jumping on the bandwagon. :dry: ) 

At least they're acknowledging psychological therapy as the way to go and not advocating more drug research or hospital places etc. 

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Presumably the precursor to "increasing the range of evidence based psychological therapies on offer" is increasing research.  Which costs money. The OCD Guidelines are on the static list because there is no new research, not because NICE hasn't evaluated the potential for increasing the range of evidenced based psychological therapies on offer? If there was new research with any significant results, when the Guidelines are reviewed then surely the new findings would be implemented... ??  That's how I understood it anyway

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There's lots of research on OCD and anxiety disorders going on, seekingERP. You can search for it easily online or check out some of the psychology journals.

In short (for anyone not keen on critically reading medical research papers)  it concludes the treatment for OCD is CBT, CBT, CBT. :) 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Mmm, interesting thoughts.  Being a child of the seventies and influenced by the whole counterculture thing that has been marking its fiftieth anniversary lately (San Francisco 1967 saw that first coming together of alternative lifestyles, activism and new ways of thinking), I am interested in the various ways that different and alternative  therapies can help people with OCD.  But I am not so naïve as to think that we can replace evidential based therapies with simplistic solutions like counselling.  CBT, alongside Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and good medication (where appropriate) are the most effective treatments for OCD spectrum disorders.  Even "mindfulness" which is trotted out by some NHS practitioners as a panacea for everything, doesn't work on its own for OCD (I know, I've tried!), it needs a CBT understanding and component to work.  :yes:

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I think we should all take manifesto pledges with a pinch of salt anyway.

The political U-turn is now so commonplace that I almost expect it to happen, on just about any issue.

Be interesting to see, in terms of legislation intent, what actually makes it onto the hallowed vellum of the Queen's speech this time around, and what relationship that might have to what was in that Tory manifesto. 

And of course, from the labour manifesto point of view, theirs was win win. Put what appeals in, especially to the young and old. 

If you get elected, seek to implement it, worry more about the mechanics of how to pay for it. 

If it's not possible, just do a U-turn :lol:

I think the labour position on certain key areas will always be sound mind you, and they are particularly concerned I think about health issues and obtaining treatment for all. 

Edited by taurean
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