View Full Version : House of Hypochondriacs - so angry at Channel 4!
snowflake293
22-11-15, 09:01
Hi everyone
Has anyone seen the preview for this?! I am fuming! "can these healthcare drains become healthcare heroes" I am so, so angry and upset by this and I was wondering if anyone else has seen this and how you feel about it?
I would like to do something about it, like email Channel 4 or something!
Aaaarrrggghhh!!!
xx
Hi snowflake, I have seen this advertised and initially I was angry. However, I will give it the benefit of the doubt and see how us 'drains' are actually portrayed by the end of the documentary. Hopefully it will make people realise that it can be as debilitating and exhausting as a 'true illness'!! If not I shall absolutely share your fury :mad:
An extract from the programme:
Of the annual £100billion spent on the NHS, an estimated £2billion is spent on hypochondriacs. In House of Hypochondriacs (wt) Dr Christian Jessen will put two hypochondriacs to work in the NHS in the hope of transforming them into healthcare assets.
The rise in hypochondria, or health anxiety as it is now medically known, is linked to the ease of access of ‘Dr Google’, leading people to self-diagnose and demand treatment and scans for an array of ailments they don’t actually have. Not only are their lives dominated by their anxiety but those of their families are sorely tested as well.
The 1x60’ programme made by Fresh One in association Rubber Glove Productions,:ohmy: will see the two hypochondriacs undergo exposure therapy as they face their fears working for the NHS. They will come face to face with a variety of situations, from GP surgeries to A+E and specialist hospital wards, the hypochondriacs will witness the pressure they put the NHS under with the aim of improving their condition.
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Of course us that suffer anxiety will as a result of this programme either get dismissed by our doctors or given even less time.
Not to be too dramatic but I nearly died as my doctor knowing I have a list every time I see her didn't take me seriously enough when I told her the symptoms which I was experiencing, and I didn't know at the time that they were symptoms of a heart attack.
Furthermore, generally speaking the older one gets the more real health problems could be likely and that can't be dealt with in under 10 minutes by a doctor and again at the back of their mind they know that one is a person that has anxiety, and that shouldn't but does often sway them in their conclusions.
MyNameIsTerry
22-11-15, 09:50
Yep, I bet there will be more threads too:
http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=176517
I saw the ad tonight and thought it looked pretty suspicious given how they were talking. They didn't seem bothered which is a stark contrast to this place and a year of weekly meetings face-to-face I had with other anxiety sufferers, but I guess that could be the editing.
If they throw them in the deep end and they do it easily, you know they are caerfully "chosen". :winks:
CH4's TV company that produced Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners caused OCD UK to complain about them as did Dr Paul Salkovskis, a leading specialist. They even asked him to join the programme and he refused until they addressed the concerns raised. It's car crash.
So, why not complain if they trivialise it? It's stigma.
---------- Post added at 09:50 ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 ----------
An extract from the programme:
Of the annual £100billion spent on the NHS, an estimated £2billion is spent on hypochondriacs. In House of Hypochondriacs (wt) Dr Christian Jessen will put two hypochondriacs to work in the NHS in the hope of transforming them into healthcare assets.
The rise in hypochondria, or health anxiety as it is now medically known, is linked to the ease of access of ‘Dr Google’, leading people to self-diagnose and demand treatment and scans for an array of ailments they don’t actually have. Not only are their lives dominated by their anxiety but those of their families are sorely tested as well.
The 1x60’ programme made by Fresh One in association Rubber Glove Productions,:ohmy: will see the two hypochondriacs undergo exposure therapy as they face their fears working for the NHS. They will come face to face with a variety of situations, from GP surgeries to A+E and specialist hospital wards, the hypochondriacs will witness the pressure they put the NHS under with the aim of improving their condition.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course us that suffer anxiety will as a result of this programme either get dismissed by our doctors or given even less time.
Not to be too dramatic but I nearly died as my doctor knowing I have a list every time I see her didn't take me seriously enough when I told her the symptoms which I was experiencing, and I didn't know at the time that they were symptoms of a heart attack.
Furthermore, generally speaking the older one gets the more real health problems could be likely and that can't be dealt with in under 10 minutes by a doctor and again at the back of their mind they know that one is a person that has anxiety, and that shouldn't but does often sway them in their conclusions.
So, when will they be getting the substance misusers to work in these places so can see how much they cost the NHS? But then addictions are more credible aren't they? :winks::whistles:
You've got to laugh at the fact they've got the HA bit wrong anyway and also the fact that they seem keen to press home the point that GP's really have no say in the tests they send us for...apparentely it's all up to the patient. :doh: Isn't that just spin to favour the NHS over the patient? They are good at spin afterall.
I wonder if we can look forward to older people being blamed for their massive drain on the NHS? Of course not, grey power is well organised and they would be marching on Downing Street if they get attacked.
snowflake293
22-11-15, 10:31
Thanks for the replies, good to know I am not the only one who thinks this is out of order! I had issues with Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners too and Supersize VS Superskinny. What really gets me though is thinking about how bad I felt a few months ago, I was at such a low point and my health anxiety was destroying my life! I needed NHS help to get better - why should I be seen as a drain? Really upsetting! If anyone thinks health anxiety is some sort of life style choice they should take a walk in our shoes. Sorry for the rant, but it has wound me up so much. I doubt I'll even be able to watch it!
MyNameIsTerry
22-11-15, 10:35
It won't even be aimed at people on here, it will be an incite for the people with no mental health disorders. Those same people who walk away from OCD programmes thinking it's all still about washing, hoarding & checking :doh: apart from the better one ITV did.
Some of them are even worse such as the ones where they take an obsessive compulsive cleaner and put them in a property of a hoarder so they can clean it up for them! If you said put an alcoholic in the house of someone who has too much booze and can't get rid of it there would be outrage.
I'm not watching it because the ad for it had the C word in it which triggered my anxiety. :doh:
I think pulisa mentioned this the other day.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/dr-christian-jessen-meet-channel-6097785
I totally understand your anger. It is another one of those so-called topical, 'public-interest' programmes that is just pure trash-talk tv, and designed to get the viewer treating vulnerable mental health sufferers like a freak show.
The tv producers should focus on THE REAL cause of NHS spending on unnecessary tests and procedures, that being THE GP's OF THIS COUNTRY, who instead of dealing with a HA sufferers true need for help and therapy, just palm them off with tests and invasive procedures that they probably are well aware they don't really need, and are simply doing it to get shot of them!!!!!
Yet again, mental health sufferers are just being exhibited as a sideshow, and frankly that Christian Jessen as a so-called medical professional himself, should be ashamed for getting involved in this utter balls. :curse:
MyNameIsTerry
22-11-15, 11:42
I think pulisa mentioned this the other day.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/dr-christian-jessen-meet-channel-6097785
What a pillock.
I think any solicitor would be advising him not to get drawn into conversations that could compromise his reputation or career.
All about the ego. But the thing is in the celebrity world all publicity is good...Robbie Williams relaunched a successful career off the back of addiction afterall. :whistles:
I once met him in the toilets at Piccadilly Circus :) oh no it wasn't him it was George Michael
He's a pretentious tw*t of the first order.
I had the pleasure of slagging him off on live C4 TV (it was a few years ago, on a Saturday afternoon so no one was watching) about the Supersize v Superskinny "programme". I felt better afterwards but he was still smirking
MyNameIsTerry
22-11-15, 11:50
I once met him in the toilets at Piccadilly Circus :) oh no it wasn't him it was George Michael
If we didn't know you were a happily married man we would be worried about you. :winks:
---------- Post added at 11:50 ---------- Previous post was at 11:49 ----------
He's a pretentious tw*t of the first order.
I had the pleasure of slagging him off on live C4 TV (it was a few years ago, on a Saturday afternoon so no one was watching) about the Supersize v Superskinny "programme". I felt better afterwards but he was still smirking
Be careful, with all this celebrity contact you will be getting a phonecall to appear on aftershows for reality TV shows. :D
I am stunned after reading that Mirror story.
What.....a......knob.
This guy is a doctor??? He will be yet another disgrace of a clinician that the GMC just close ranks for and allow to keep his registration, I have no doubt at all.
How thick is he anyway? He is a high profile medical person and he is sleazing around on social media/dating sites talking about drug use, real or imagined?
I am amazed he got past reception class, let alone medical school.
Sorry to confuse Terry with George Michael, i am having a very stressful day:shades:
Not worth getting angry over.
I actually find it hard to believe that health anxiety costs £2billion a year. Are they counting every person who is just a little bit worried and wants blood tests? Who knows.
I'm sure alcohol related issues cost the NHS far, far more. Sorry, I guess binge drinking and passing out is 'normal' whilst being concerned about your health due to a mental illness is something to be laughed at.
I hate this country.
Bonnibelle
22-11-15, 22:01
What makes me angry is if there was more funding into the mental health care system less people would be struggling with anxiety! ! So why make us feel bad for feeling anxious when we're given very little help from the nhs.
In my case I was given meds and not even referred to the mental health team for an assessment, I had to make my gp do it. I got assessed and told the waiting list for cbt was 18 months. I ended up paying private for cbt. My son is struggling with panic attack and the children's mental health team have refused to help him and have said because I am experienced I can help him more than they can. This country is one big let down in the mental health care system.
I had never heard of this, guess it doesn't air in the USA. Either way from reading about it on here I would be frustrated and offended myself. I haven't seen it though so I can't make a full assessment.
We do have some here that make a sideshow out of mental illness - like Hoarders, The OCD Project (I don't think it's on anymore), and all of the Couples Therapy ones. It bothers me and I don't watch them. Especially my own mental health issues but also from working in the mental health field, I can't watch those and think about all the people I know who are honestly suffering and doing the best they can to get by.
MyNameIsTerry
23-11-15, 05:52
I had never heard of this, guess it doesn't air in the USA. Either way from reading about it on here I would be frustrated and offended myself. I haven't seen it though so I can't make a full assessment.
We do have some here that make a sideshow out of mental illness - like Hoarders, The OCD Project (I don't think it's on anymore), and all of the Couples Therapy ones. It bothers me and I don't watch them. Especially my own mental health issues but also from working in the mental health field, I can't watch those and think about all the people I know who are honestly suffering and doing the best they can to get by.
I've seen a bit of the US OCD ones about cleaning and hoarding and they were very poor. Obviously trivialising but people like to watch the freak shows, hence why reality TV is so popular. It's more a shame that the standards bodies allow these programmes because I don't blame the companies themselves as much since many just want to make money.
---------- Post added at 05:52 ---------- Previous post was at 05:47 ----------
I'm sure alcohol related issues cost the NHS far, far more. Sorry, I guess binge drinking and passing out is 'normal' whilst being concerned about your health due to a mental illness is something to be laughed at.
Yes, the "NHS drunk taxi" must cost us a fortune. When I was young people were just as bad BUT they walked home and went to work the next day...and I'm only 39!
The NHS is a joke anyway, they waste money all the time. My local hospital kept a consultant on paid suspension pending investigation for 12 months and they had to bring people in to cover his role. This cost the hospital £500k. We only know about it because the local newspaper ran a frontpage on it and within weeks the consultant resigned under full pay ane they never completed the investigation. So, now 100 patients are in a case with a solicitors to sue for damages due to his actions but thats another story not for the HA board.
12 months and still no action. They paid out £500k! So, who is wasting NHS money then?
There were various senior execs the papers reported last year who had been made redundant and paid off yet we re-employed within the NHS. More wasted money.
daisyflower
23-11-15, 12:47
It's also programmes like this that reinforce the idea that all people with health anxiety run to the doctor for every little headache demanding a scan or blood tests. There are MANY people with health anxiety, myself included, who are the opposite and who fear doctors and tests of any kind. Calling all 'hypochondriacs' a 'drain' is simply not understanding the complexity of mental illness.
dizzy daisy
23-11-15, 14:04
I'm another avoider. Yes it's just nasty calling people a drain. It's a legitimate disorder and deserves treatment as much as any other. Xxxx
I totally agree, I saw this advert last night and was really shocked to hear them call us 'drains', health anxiety is a mental illness and is just as much of an illness as a physical one. interested to see what the show will portray!
Do they call smokers 'drains'? The obese? Those who haven't paid a penny in tax since leaving school, all of whom have the power to actually DO something to change that, whereas mental health sufferers struggle (mostly without any support)?
This country makes me sick. They need to take their heads out of their backsides, stop unfairly seeking out and scapegoating easy targets, and look at who THE REAL drains on the NHS are.
MyNameIsTerry
24-11-15, 06:42
Well they did try to guilt trip obese people not so long ago and they wanted to penalise people who didn't look after their health like smokers when it comes to transplants but as ever with something physical, it makes national headlines and they get slated big time. Mental health is an easier target because they see it something you can live with that won't harm you yet they also tell people about the dangers of too much long term stress...and I lived for stress before this and I can tell you with certainty that anxiety is far far worse than any level fo stress yet they still refuse to make the link and prioritise mental health due to how it impacts physical health.
Debs, don't forget all the companies using the loopholes in the tax laws (and the celebrities, rich, etc) to avoid paying billions that we could use in the NHS. But hey, we are all the drains and that measley 2 billion and likely the >100 billion the NHS has for us could easily be covered by these people paying their way in life.
---------- Post added at 06:38 ---------- Previous post was at 06:37 ----------
It's also programmes like this that reinforce the idea that all people with health anxiety run to the doctor for every little headache demanding a scan or blood tests. There are MANY people with health anxiety, myself included, who are the opposite and who fear doctors and tests of any kind. Calling all 'hypochondriacs' a 'drain' is simply not understanding the complexity of mental illness.
Thats a very good point and I suspect it will be missed completely as it doesn't serve the NHS's purpose.
---------- Post added at 06:42 ---------- Previous post was at 06:38 ----------
I actually find it hard to believe that health anxiety costs £2billion a year. Are they counting every person who is just a little bit worried and wants blood tests? Who knows.
I've seen mental health spending quoted at £105 billion in some years and thats obviously not enough. So, perhaps 2 billion is possible?
But there is also a very good chance you are right about "worriers" rather than anxiety disorder sufferers becuse the NHS is quite adept at spin. Just watch any old programme like a comedy from the 80's and the things being said about the NHS issues now were being said back then too.
The problem with the NHS is general terms with regards to the whole spectrum of mental health illness is that despite being underfunded and a huge diversity across the country with regards to length of therapy or type of therapy or even which drugs are issued, most of the therapists are pretty poor IMO
---------- Post added at 08:39 ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 ----------
Do they call smokers 'drains'? The obese? Those who haven't paid a penny in tax since leaving school, all of whom have the power to actually DO something to change that, whereas mental health sufferers struggle (mostly without any support)?
This country makes me sick. They need to take their heads out of their backsides, stop unfairly seeking out and scapegoating easy targets, and look at who THE REAL drains on the NHS are.
What about those who nearly tattoo their whole body and then want the NHS to remove them for free.:ohmy: and the list goes on. I don't want to go political but when I had another heart scare a few weeks ago I was in A & E for 7 hours, every conceivable test was performed including a blood test to monitor the heart which is then repeated three hours later purely because of my age and having had a heart attack, so I waited in a room with 8 other people of a different non european nationality and none of the adults spoke a word of Englisk so I spoke to the youngest who was a 16 year old boy, who told me they were one big family who had all been living in the UK in London for 2 months.
I thought all this had been stopped.
MyNameIsTerry
24-11-15, 08:50
Sorry to hear you had a heart scare recently, ricardo. I trust everything is all ok now?
We can add on those boob jobs for vanity that take place, not for a legitimate medical reason (physical, mental or both). The NHS can't point the finger at patients when they haven't got control of their own people.
Most GPs waiting rooms are filled with the "worried well", OAPs and mothers ,babies and toddlers who are running around looking as right as rain. A lot of old people just class going to the doctor's as a social outing which is very sad but a drain on resources nonetheless. People with HA shouldn't be offered tests to "put their minds at rest"- doctors should be the ones to decide whether they are necessary not the patients. Doctors play a big part in fuelling and aiding and abetting HA.
MyNameIsTerry
24-11-15, 09:07
Yes pulisa, I agree 100% with you on that over tests. Whilst I don't have HA, I do have OCD so I know exactly how damaging any compulsive action is to my disorder. It's not acceptable for GP's to simply test people but part of me thinks they do this because otherwise they will have to spend more time working with you. I wonder whether they know HA a little better than we think and some of them abuse this by knowingly spending a bit on tests as they know it will get rid of you?
I can remember CPE1978 saying he preferred his GP's approach as he would refuse tests. My GP's are all like that, they do them only when needed. I've seen it argued on here before that GP's do it because if they got something wrong they would be in trouble so it's to cover themselves legally. I don't agree with that, it's not a contract they are working through or some industry regulation proposals, it's expected in their profession that they don't have to check every minute detail to make a diagnosis because the detail may be costly and largely pointless. There are exceptions at times that blur this where GP's make bad calls but I don't think a kneejerk reaction to test everyone for everything is appropriate either and as you say, it's damaging to the patient in the majority of HA cases.
Most GPs waiting rooms are filled with the "worried well", OAPs and mothers ,babies and toddlers who are running around looking as right as rain. A lot of old people just class going to the doctor's as a social outing which is very sad but a drain on resources nonetheless. People with HA shouldn't be offered tests to "put their minds at rest"- doctors should be the ones to decide whether they are necessary not the patients. Doctors play a big part in fuelling and aiding and abetting HA.
I mentioned before that 61000 appointments are missed daily in the UK. I would start charging a nominal fee to see you GP the exception being under eighteens and O AP's.
---------- Post added at 09:33 ---------- Previous post was at 09:32 ----------
Sorry to hear you had a heart scare recently, ricardo. I trust everything is all ok now?
We can add on those boob jobs for vanity that take place, not for a legitimate medical reason (physical, mental or both). The NHS can't point the finger at patients when they haven't got control of their own people.
Yes thanks Terry but one thing for sure is that I won't be having a boob job to increase or decrease. :)
MyNameIsTerry
24-11-15, 09:47
Yes thanks Terry but one thing for sure is that I won't be having a boob job to increase or decrease. :)
Thats good to hear...both of them. :winks: I bet that bought back some unpleasant memories so I hope you can get things back to normal.
I don't need a boob job for a increase, I'm managing to go up a few cup sizes all on my own :ohmy::D
I have literally just come back from St.Georges Hospital as I am starting some quite complex teeth restoration but through the Private section of the hospital as the NHS do not do implants.
The Head of the team told me as an entire hospital that they get a budget of 730 million pounds and 8% of appointments are missed without any of the people ever informing the hospital.
Now if you mutiply just the percentage throughout the UK that is a lot of wasted money.
Female healthanxiety
24-11-15, 12:59
Well..... The hospital they are shooting it in is my local..... St Georges hospital, And this is where I always go, so am sure I'm included!
It is annoying, they tell us to worry about our health on adverts and then when we do; they criticise and label.
How about the hospital wrongly diagnosing me with a blood clot, when one of their doctors adding up my stats wrong- I suppose they won't do a documentary about negligence.
I'm very interested to watch this tonight! (I hope I'm not on it) :unsure:
Well..... The hospital they are shooting it in is my local..... St Georges hospital, And this is where I always go, so am sure I'm included!
It is annoying, they tell us to worry about our health on adverts and then when we do; they criticise and label.
How about the hospital wrongly diagnosing me with a blood clot, when one of their doctors adding up my stats wrong- I suppose they won't do a documentary about negligence.
I'm very interested to watch this tonight! (I hope I'm not on it) :unsure:
If you are refering to St.Georges Hospital, I have just mentioned, I am sorry to hear that they wrongly diagnosed you with a blood clot, but with 7000 staff they are sometimes going to make mistakes, sometimes because they are stressed through working extremely long hours and unfortunately sometimes by a wrong diagnosis.
I can only say the cardiac team which is regarded as one of the best in the world,saved my life, and I will be eternally grateful.
Female healthanxiety
24-11-15, 13:40
Hi Ricardo,
I know I may have been unlucky, but these errors should not have happened, I was even medicated for 5 days before they knew, plus I'd been seen by about 6 different consultants.
I'm glad the cardiovascular department have been thorough with you, it's good to know. I hope your good health continues :-)
Gonna watch this tonight but so far it seems like HA sufferers are gonna be labeled as time wasters - some people might just feel too embarrassed to seek medical advice after watching this and end up suffering for real because they think they aren't gonna be taken seriously or think that medical professionals will take a dim view of them.
I haven't been on here for many months but this programme has prompted me to see how things are over here.
I feel like I am literally watching myself 2 years ago. I think we're meant to be annoyed at these people, but I've walked in their shoes and feel nothing but sympathy for them.
jennielouises
24-11-15, 21:16
I haven't been on here for a while as I'm a recovering emetophobic. This programme made me come on to see if anyone was talking about it. I'm disgusted. For me it's about them lumping an emetophobic in the same boat as HA when they are different disorders. Exposure therapy doesn't work! How dare they suggest people who have genuine mental health disorders are a drain and making a mockery of it. The only person who is a none HA sufferer is the woman with cancer. She understands that it's a real illness. Feel like complaining to channel 4
I think the producers should identify between hypochondriacs and those with obsessive OCD
jennielouises
24-11-15, 21:18
I think the producers should identify between hypochondriacs and those with obsessive OCD
I agree. Emetophobia is more like ocd than HA. Disgusted at channel 4
It is annoying, they tell us to worry about our health on adverts and then when we do; they criticise and label.
This ... is so very very true .....
I work from home & often have the telly on in the back ground .... (though, I've started putting it off .... too much of a trigger) ... every 2nd advert is "1 in 3 will get C ... " .... "Do you know the signs of a stroke" .... and many many more .... I can't even pick up a prescription from the chemist as the bag from the chemist that the meds come in is all about "C" .... sends me into a panic as soon as I pick it up.
Have to say though - my dr's are good and have said many times to me that HA is an illness and needs to be treated.
If only if was so easy .... 1 weeks of working with the NHS & you're cured .... I'd be delighted working beside Drs all day.
xxxx
snowflake293
24-11-15, 21:54
Well I watched it and was quite surprised... I think they sort of managed to get across how debilitating HA can be. I found the bit with the girl who went to see the woman with breast cancer really moving. To be honest though, I think a lot of people watched that and probably thought they were all time wasters! I dont think they got it across enough how awful it is suffering with HA. I dont like Christian Jessen much and I don't agree with that Supersize V Superskinny show that used to be on either.
itoldyouiwasill
24-11-15, 22:26
Made for a pretty grim evening watching this tonight whilst following the # on Twitter...it seems the current level of understanding and compassion that is offered to sufferers of depression hasn't quite stretched across to health anxiety folk as of yet.
I was somewhat confused as to why the lady with OCD was shoehorned into the programme as her issue was obviously not really related to health anxiety/somatoform or hypochondria...strange.
On balance I thought the programme was OK. I didn't like the plinky plonky music and some of the generalisations but I suppose you have to accept that CH4 are making a mainstream entertainment programme so there are always going to be elements that are dumbed down.
I did think the part when they met the lady with breast cancer was quite telling as it is actually very true that should anybody actually be diagnosed with something (I know from experience) that they fear then the way they react will probably be a million miles away from what they expected. This serves to reinforce that fear itself is the driving force rather than the reality of what we fear.
MyNameIsTerry
24-11-15, 23:15
I think the producers should identify between hypochondriacs and those with obsessive OCD
I agree. I didn't watch it though. I think sometimes it gets very complicated understanding whether it's a Somatoform Disorder, OCD or GAD. This board is a prime example of that.
The following consists of my comments on the programme posted on my blog. I have to say that Dr Christian didn't like my comments much and quite a heated exchange followed on Twitter!
*
As if having Hypochondria isn’t bad enough for those suffering from it, now we have a Channel 4 documentary that reminds sufferers just how much they cost the NHS because of their condition. Yes, that’s right. Some idiot came up with the idea of making a documentary that makes people feel guilty of having a mental health condition.
At a time when mental health charities are doing their best to educate the public on the issue and to try to eradicate stigma, here’s a programme that is only likely to increase it. And, at a time when there is encouragement to treat the mentally ill with the same respect as those with the physically ill, here is a show that does exactly the opposite. Nobody asks for a mental health condition any more than they ask for a physical one, so can you imagine a documentary trying to “heal” cancer patients by telling them how much they cost the health system? Didn’t think so.
The style of the programme hardly helps. What kind of music do we have? Well, comedic music of course. This is, after all, people who think they’re ill when they’re well – what a laugh, right? Wrong. And then we have the smarmy “Dr Christian” reminding hypochondriacs that they are going to the doctors when they are “well.” They’re not well, you bloody idiot, they have hypochondria. And you call yourself a doctor? He tells one of them that a lot of their problem is down to confidence. Errr…I don’t think so.
And what’s the response to this awful programme? Well, Twitter became awash with comments such as “and it’s because of people like this that stop people like myself who NEED an op getting it and waiting weeks for it.” And “no wonder genuine ill people can’t get Dr appointments with people like this.” And “I’m finding it hard to feel sorry for these people when I’m in actual serious pain.” Ah yes, the wonders that a documentary can do in educating an already ignorant public. Or not.
The programme should have highlighted how little help is available to people with hypochondria because of the disparity between treatment for mental health issues and physical health issues. Would counselling help, for example, and go on to save the NHS money in the future? Possibly, but then most people are only entitled to seven sessions on the NHS before they have to stop – whether the work is finished or not – and this goes for any mental health condition. Imagine that if it was a physical health condition: “You can have seven doses of chemo but if hasn’t worked completely by then, well that’s too bad.”
Instead of being a useful piece of education for those without the condition, House of Hypochondriacs shows sufferers to be some kind of freak show, reiterating their health is actually fine (when clearly it isn’t), and failing to highlight the lack of help available to them to help them to help their selves. Hot on the heels of documentaries that stigmatise those on benefits, and that makes those with OCD look like buffoons, here we have Channel 4 coming up with their treatise on hypochondria. Did this really seem like a good idea to anyone – or does it not matter providing the viewing figures are there? This is irresponsible programming at its worse, and in 2015 there is no excuse.
MyNameIsTerry
24-11-15, 23:26
I agree. Emetophobia is more like ocd than HA. Disgusted at channel 4
Emetophobia seems better in it's current form, it's not like OCD for me. OCD has forms that fall under what people refer to as HA but we have to remember that HA is not a diagnosable condition, it's a term used that people find easier to understand hence why the waters get muddied since there are differences between sufferers due to their actual diagnosed disorder. But putting an emetophobic in a programme like this is stupid, it's very different.
It all sounds like a mishmash from you guys are saying so it's hardly going to help people understand but let's face it, it's about the NHS not anxiety.
---------- Post added at 23:26 ---------- Previous post was at 23:21 ----------
Excellent blog post, darinfan.
I hope the resulting heated exchange showed them for being part of stigma.
Well, I tried. Sadly he seems to think that he made a fair programme - despite the fact that by placing the hypochondriacs with people who are "really ill" he did the equivalent of telling someone with depression to "snap out of it." Plus there was no discussion or willingness to admit that the programme should have shown how the NHS was failing to treat the hypochondria in any meaningful way.
MyNameIsTerry
25-11-15, 06:31
If you Google (:ohmy::D) House of Hypochondriacs, this thread is on page 1 right underneath the news about the programme. That might explain why there were so many non members reading this thread earlier.
I was having a look to see what the fallout is on a couple of forums and it's typically mixed with some of the usual idiotic people you find on newspaper sites spewing bile. But this one was interesting as it shows how a bunch of mixed people, sufferers and non sufferers, reacted and I'm pleased to say they are all rational and very supportive of mental health matters:
http://community.babycentre.co.uk/post/a28728655/the_house_of_hypochondriacs
---------- Post added at 06:31 ---------- Previous post was at 06:19 ----------
Well, I tried. Sadly he seems to think that he made a fair programme - despite the fact that by placing the hypochondriacs with people who are "really ill" he did the equivalent of telling someone with depression to "snap out of it." Plus there was no discussion or willingness to admit that the programme should have shown how the NHS was failing to treat the hypochondria in any meaningful way.
He did do a good job at showing stigma then, the kind that is promoted by poor GP's.
I don't like this type of exposure experiment and not because it is basically "flooding", an old technique that so often fails (and isn't even in NICE guidance unlike ERP) but the fact it takes people who are struggling and puts them in front of a cancer sufferer to say "see, this is a REAL illness, you could be much worse off".
That may be helpful when you take a young offender into an adult prison to talk to more serious offenders to try to shake some sense into them but it doesn't work with mental health. How many people on this forum know they have an irrational anxiety disorder problem? I would say probably all or nearly all at least. Only a small % of people I've seen on here since being here seem to suggest a lack of belief they have a mental health problem and I think the people I'm thinking of stick out like a sore thumb (excuse the poor reference! :doh:) on here as they tend to generate frustration at their lack of being able to listen although some could suffer from more complex disorders which could be causing this e.g. personality disorders.
All sitting with a cancer sufferer is going to do is either give you the kick up the bum you need or make you feel even worse about yourself. Thats a very risky strategy to me. Some people respond to the stick, others take it to heart and add to their negative self directed thinking.
Jessen can look smug (as ever) and delude himself that he has broken down some stigma and highlighted a problem but as you say they have purposely masked a problem that is known in national media, lack of spending in this area. Anyone with half a brain cell (which rules out a lot of the Twitter morons you have mentioned earlier) knows that these people are being dumped in the system and left there. If they don't, they can't have read much news about health in the last few years as it's well known.
Jessen takes no responsibility for the public backlash that the people who went on the show now face or anyone else that gets caught up in the firing line while the unhinged morons of social media throw nasty insults around. How is that going to help someone with mental health problems? Jessen should know that these problems affect a lot more than just your anxiety levels e.g. self confidence, self worth, self esteem, etc and all the hate now directed at those people, and all other sufferers, is more damaging than anything the programme could have acheived and this sits firmly with what they set out to do which was not help anyone, only add to the moaning about the NHS.
Jessen's only interested in his pay cheque and Channel 4 just want publicity-negative or positive. It's called entertainment and this programme embodies all that is bad about freak show TV.
MyNameIsTerry
25-11-15, 09:04
I think Channel 4 should stick to that cab office one and that bizarre one where they filmed inside a public toilet. The latter seems more their level. God help us if Channel 5 do anything!
I think Channel 4 should stick to that cab office one and that bizarre one where they filmed inside a public toilet. The latter seems more their level. God help us if Channel 5 do anything!
They've spent their budget on Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother-enough said:D
I think the only relevent point was that millions of people go to their doctors for (top of the list) constipation, then reflux and blocked noses. This was just mentioned in passing and could be dealt with by a pharmacist but that doesn't mean they are hypocondriacs.
The full meaning of the word never came across in the entire programme.
That walk the young lady did with DrJessen reminded me of the Speakmans, with his 5 minute miracle cure.
Doctors generally don't under mental health issues and therefore this programme however much researched was never going to work.
itoldyouiwasill
25-11-15, 09:33
The following consists of my comments on the programme posted on my blog. I have to say that Dr Christian didn't like my comments much and quite a heated exchange followed on Twitter!
*
As if having Hypochondria isn’t bad enough for those suffering from it, now we have a Channel 4 documentary that reminds sufferers just how much they cost the NHS because of their condition. Yes, that’s right. Some idiot came up with the idea of making a documentary that makes people feel guilty of having a mental health condition.
At a time when mental health charities are doing their best to educate the public on the issue and to try to eradicate stigma, here’s a programme that is only likely to increase it. And, at a time when there is encouragement to treat the mentally ill with the same respect as those with the physically ill, here is a show that does exactly the opposite. Nobody asks for a mental health condition any more than they ask for a physical one, so can you imagine a documentary trying to “heal” cancer patients by telling them how much they cost the health system? Didn’t think so.
The style of the programme hardly helps. What kind of music do we have? Well, comedic music of course. This is, after all, people who think they’re ill when they’re well – what a laugh, right? Wrong. And then we have the smarmy “Dr Christian” reminding hypochondriacs that they are going to the doctors when they are “well.” They’re not well, you bloody idiot, they have hypochondria. And you call yourself a doctor? He tells one of them that a lot of their problem is down to confidence. Errr…I don’t think so.
And what’s the response to this awful programme? Well, Twitter became awash with comments such as “and it’s because of people like this that stop people like myself who NEED an op getting it and waiting weeks for it.” And “no wonder genuine ill people can’t get Dr appointments with people like this.” And “I’m finding it hard to feel sorry for these people when I’m in actual serious pain.” Ah yes, the wonders that a documentary can do in educating an already ignorant public. Or not.
The programme should have highlighted how little help is available to people with hypochondria because of the disparity between treatment for mental health issues and physical health issues. Would counselling help, for example, and go on to save the NHS money in the future? Possibly, but then most people are only entitled to seven sessions on the NHS before they have to stop – whether the work is finished or not – and this goes for any mental health condition. Imagine that if it was a physical health condition: “You can have seven doses of chemo but if hasn’t worked completely by then, well that’s too bad.”
Instead of being a useful piece of education for those without the condition, House of Hypochondriacs shows sufferers to be some kind of freak show, reiterating their health is actually fine (when clearly it isn’t), and failing to highlight the lack of help available to them to help them to help their selves. Hot on the heels of documentaries that stigmatise those on benefits, and that makes those with OCD look like buffoons, here we have Channel 4 coming up with their treatise on hypochondria. Did this really seem like a good idea to anyone – or does it not matter providing the viewing figures are there? This is irresponsible programming at its worse, and in 2015 there is no excuse.
I would take some issue with that.
I think a loss of confidence and the loss of the ability to self soothe is actually a key component of health anxiety. I was in the process of getting information together for a book about health anxiety about 4 years ago and this involved a huge amount of interviews, personal testimonies and statistical number crunching. One of the things to come out of this was that the HUGE majority of people who catastrophised symptoms to serious illness, disease etc felt that they knew on a fundamental level that they were ok and that if they just sat with the symptom they would pass when good and ready....the problem was they had lost the confidence in their judgement and confidence in their ability to sit with uncertainty for any given time frame.
I don't think that is the full picture for one moment as there are obviously a plethora of factors that firstly trigger health anxiety and also enable it to become a chronic condition.
I have revisited the shows # on twitter this morning and it is just as disappointing as last night. Whilst the programme had a number of faults I think regardless of how the subject matter was presented you would still get the same ill informed and misjudged comments...one thing that struck me was how so may people equated this with benefit claiming and not working when the reality is that health anxiety has no statistical preference for any socio-economical background.
I do think that the main problem is that we are looking at this from the inside whilst the general public who we must remember viewed this show as an entertainment vehicle really have no knowledge or understanding of the condition and to an outsider it does appear totally irrational and ludicrous. I recall years ago watching a programme about body dysmorphia and a young girl was on it who was extremely attractive but she was convinced she was ugly...this was before my health anxiety days and I just couldn't understand how the couldn't see the reality of her situation, I'd imagine this is how a huge number of the general public viewed health anxiety last night.
daisyflower
25-11-15, 10:05
I didn't watch the programme but from what I can decipher, the doctor took people with health anxiety to meet people with cancer in the hope they would snap out of it? Forgive me if I'm mistaken as, like I said, I didn't watch it. If this is true, I don't see the difference between this technique and taking a person with depression to visit a person who has just lost her children in a car crash and saying, 'this person really has something to be depressed about and they are coping better than you. You don't, now snap out of it.' The general public would have a problem with this as depression has been given so much media attention that people are generally very sympathetic about it.
Instead of painting a picture of health anxiety to be a self obsessed, self pitying, laughable condition, how about actually portraying what a single day is like in the life of someone suffering from this mental illness. How about the person who can't eat as their stomach as constantly in knots and they are literally wasting away. How about the girl who goes the toilet in uni and feels a lump in her groin and spends the next half an hour crying in the cubicle, scared to go out to her friends because she is so wracked with fear. How about the husband who is still awake at 3am, online on Google and forums, crying because he's just found a worrying symptom and is terrified that maybe his cancer has returned and he is going to leave his wife and kids. How about the person who can't enjoy anything in life as they are so convinced they are going to die and are too afraid to go to the doctor. Wouldn't be so funny with comical music then, would it
itoldyouiwasill
25-11-15, 10:41
I didn't watch the programme but from what I can decipher, the doctor took people with health anxiety to meet people with cancer in the hope they would snap out of it? Forgive me if I'm mistaken as, like I said, I didn't watch it. If this is true, I don't see the difference between this technique and taking a person with depression to visit a person who has just lost her children in a car crash and saying, 'this person really has something to be depressed about and they are coping better than you. You don't, now snap out of it.' The general public would have a problem with this as depression has been given so much media attention that people are generally very sympathetic about it.
Instead of painting a picture of health anxiety to be a self obsessed, self pitying, laughable condition, how about actually portraying what a single day is like in the life of someone suffering from this mental illness. How about the person who can't eat as their stomach as constantly in knots and they are literally wasting away. How about the girl who goes the toilet in uni and feels a lump in her groin and spends the next half an hour crying in the cubicle, scared to go out to her friends because she is so wracked with fear. How about the husband who is still awake at 3am, online on Google and forums, crying because he's just found a worrying symptom and is terrified that maybe his cancer has returned and he is going to leave his wife and kids. How about the person who can't enjoy anything in life as they are so convinced they are going to die and are too afraid to go to the doctor. Wouldn't be so funny with comical music then, would it
No, I don't think that was the case at all. I didn't think it was suggested that the lady with the cancer phobia just 'snap out of it' after meeting the lady with breast cancer but rather it was to show one reality of cancer. Most health anxiety sufferers would see cancer as an automatic death sentence and fail to see that cancer is a disease that many people can and do live with. My health anxiety used to revolve mainly around neurological symptoms and once recovered this particular area became a 'specialist subject' for me. A good example is MS which is a very popular worry/fixation for health anxiety sufferers and when they picture MS they see a patient in a wheelchair or confined to their home with a total loss of function and terrible quality of life. The reality is that MS is an incredibly complex issue and the vast majority of people who have it manage their lives and are able to do just as much as the average joe. I think the point of the meeting with the lady with breast cancer was to put a human face to cancer and to illustrate that whilst the lady did indeed have the disease then that did not mean she was doomed to an inevitable death.
I think that this goes back to something I mentioned earlier in the thread. All forms of anxiety are all fundamentally based on fear and this is a large part of health anxiety...I don't think you will 'cure' health anxiety by showing a sufferer that the thing they fear isn't necessarily as bad as they feared but it is one tool that can be applied in a host of cognitive and behavioural techniques. As I mentioned previously it is actually amazing how many people do find an inner strength and totally different attitude to a health related adversity than they imagined they would.
snowflake293
25-11-15, 11:57
I dont like them using the word 'hypochondria' either. For me, when people say hypochondria is makes me feel like they think the person actually enjoys or relishes being ill. Health anxiety is not that at all, it is like a horrible demon that lives in side your brain and changes how you see things and think and act. I hate getting sick cause everything I assume its gonna kill me.
I didn't watch the programme. Frankly, I would rather poke my own eyes out with a fork, as I know that it would only get me irate, raising my stress levels even higher.
From the feedback I have read here, I am glad I didn't change my mind!! :wacko:
MyNameIsTerry
25-11-15, 14:26
I dont like them using the word 'hypochondria' either. For me, when people say hypochondria is makes me feel like they think the person actually enjoys or relishes being ill. Health anxiety is not that at all, it is like a horrible demon that lives in side your brain and changes how you see things and think and act. I hate getting sick cause everything I assume its gonna kill me.
I'm guessing they did that because the public would understand what it meant. The term is irrelevant in diagnosis terms since it could only apply to one of the Somatoform Disorders anyway.
snowflake293
25-11-15, 14:30
I'm guessing they did that because the public would understand what it meant. The term is irrelevant in diagnosis terms since it could only apply to one of the Somatoform Disorders anyway.
That would make sense. Its a shame they couldnt just use 'health anxiety' all through the show though cause thats what they were suffering with (apart from the woman who left who I think possibly had OCD or something different than HA) I will have to Google Somatoform Disorders ;)
jennielouises
25-11-15, 14:43
I was somewhat confused as to why the lady with OCD was shoehorned into the programme as her issue was obviously not really related to health anxiety/somatoform or hypochondria...strange..
She didn't have ocd. She had Emetophobia. It's not the same thing, it just has similar traits. I know as I was misdiagnosed
---------- Post added at 14:40 ---------- Previous post was at 14:31 ----------
Emetophobia seems better in it's current form, it's not like OCD for me.
I don't want to start a debate but are you saying that having Emetophobia is better than having OCD?
---------- Post added at 14:43 ---------- Previous post was at 14:40 ----------
apart from the woman who left who I think possibly had OCD or something different than HA)
She had emetophobia and should never have been on a show about people suffering with HA. I am writing a post on my blog at the moment about it. There was no way she was going to be cured by exposure (not that it would really do any good to the HA sufferers either). Emet doesn't work in the same way. It is just some researcher who things that because it is about a fear of vomiting, it must be the same thing as HA.
MyNameIsTerry
25-11-15, 14:47
That would make sense. Its a shame they couldnt just use 'health anxiety' all through the show though cause thats what they were suffering with (apart from the woman who left who I think possibly had OCD or something different than HA) I will have to Google Somatoform Disorders ;)
It would have been a better way to explain it. HA may span 5+ different disorders making it complex to the average viewer but it would have been an ideal opportunity to use a term that is not associated with so much stigma like hypochondriac which conjures up old fashioned images of time wasters and weakness as that's how it was often portrayed.
However, would that have suited their agenda which seems more about "the drain" than it does about helping the people? Maybe I'm just cynical :winks:
I think the only relevent point was that millions of people go to their doctors for (top of the list) constipation, then reflux and blocked noses. This was just mentioned in passing and could be dealt with by a pharmacist but that doesn't mean they are hypocondriacs.
The full meaning of the word never came across in the entire programme.
That walk the young lady did with DrJessen reminded me of the Speakmans, with his 5 minute miracle cure.
Doctors generally don't under mental health issues and therefore this programme however much researched was never going to work.
At the same time, however, what do adverts on the TV tell us to do - go to the doctor if you have heartburn for more than a certain amount of time and to go if your bowel habits change. And catching something acid reflux disease, or GERD, and getting treatment for it is likely to help prevent something like Barrett's Oesophagus and cancers of that area - so even that part of the show was flawed by trivialising those ailments.
What I got from Twitter last night was that Dr Jessen was revelling in the publicity and actually urging people to turn Twitter into a war zone. "Now the time wasting time," he said. "What do you think?" You could almost feel him rubbing his hands in glee, knowing full well that people are now going to view hypochondriacs as time wasters, despite him slipping in every now and then that they have a serious issue - something he had to do in order to exonerate himself from responsibility.
Jessen has been in the media long enough to know full well exactly what effects his show would have on much of the population - those who have never had a mental health issue, and those who believe everything they read or hear. And he even admits his media savvy. When I told him to look at the many tweets against hypochondriacs since the start of his programme, he said "negative twitter comments are not a reason not to make a TV show. Or not TV show would be made. They always happen with any TV show." That may be true - there are always morons out there - but he clearly knew that the show would create the kind of response that it did, and sadly that is probably part of the reason why it was made. The quality of a documentary doesn't seem to be judged on how good it is any more, but how much it trends on Twitter.
MyNameIsTerry
25-11-15, 15:10
.
I don't want to start a debate but are you saying that having Emetophobia is better than having OCD?
No, my comment was based on the comment that ricardo made that HA should be broken down into the correct disorders, which is appropriate since they can differ in pattern, and you agreeing that Emetophobia was more like OCD which I don't think ricardo meant.
I have OCD and have spent a lot of time learning about it and it doesn't fit for me. OCD behaviour can be seen in many other disorders but it doesn't mean it is OCD. If a disorder is created to split something to a more appropriate one because it doesn't quite fit, it makes sense to do so to allow for a correctly tailored approach to treatment.
OCD isn't defined by it's obsession in the WHO diagnostic manual we use in the UK, it's diagnosed by the underlying cycle and doesn't mention it's many forms. OCD has known forms that fit into the umbrella term HA, a non medical condition since it straddles several that can also be very different to each other and in the case of GAD or OCD, not even have a health theme which keeps them out of HA for some sufferers. To put Emetophobia into OCD would make it a form, since we don't have a spectrum as such like the US manual seems to as Somatoform Disorders (including BDD) have a separate category to the one GAD and OCD fit into as well as others like hair pulling, skin picking, etc which also are defined in a separate group. So, if you moved Emetophobia to become a form it would simply be lost in diagnostic terms and be like a cancer theme to a Somatoform Disorder, which feels like a backward step to me as right not you have a clearer definition in the phobia category that seems to stand out (although I confess to not knowing whether it is then a form rather than a diagnostic all on it's own, I've not read the phobias section of the ICD-10)
It's obvious I'm not suggesting OCD is worse. Reread the full post and lead up.
---------- Post added at 15:10 ---------- Previous post was at 15:02 ----------
No, I don't think that was the case at all. I didn't think it was suggested that the lady with the cancer phobia just 'snap out of it' after meeting the lady with breast cancer but rather it was to show one reality of cancer. Most health anxiety sufferers would see cancer as an automatic death sentence and fail to see that cancer is a disease that many people can and do live with. My health anxiety used to revolve mainly around neurological symptoms and once recovered this particular area became a 'specialist subject' for me. A good example is MS which is a very popular worry/fixation for health anxiety sufferers and when they picture MS they see a patient in a wheelchair or confined to their home with a total loss of function and terrible quality of life. The reality is that MS is an incredibly complex issue and the vast majority of people who have it manage their lives and are able to do just as much as the average joe. I think the point of the meeting with the lady with breast cancer was to put a human face to cancer and to illustrate that whilst the lady did indeed have the disease then that did not mean she was doomed to an inevitable death.
I think that this goes back to something I mentioned earlier in the thread. All forms of anxiety are all fundamentally based on fear and this is a large part of health anxiety...I don't think you will 'cure' health anxiety by showing a sufferer that the thing they fear isn't necessarily as bad as they feared but it is one tool that can be applied in a host of cognitive and behavioural techniques. As I mentioned previously it is actually amazing how many people do find an inner strength and totally different attitude to a health related adversity than they imagined they would.
It doesn't address the core issue though, more tries to reduce the level of Cognitive Distortions since the treatment can cause a lot of anxiety thus still fuel the cycle. And it's still taking that depression sufferer to someone with the bereavement the previous poster gave an example of in order to show them how her situation can still be conquered when it could be more tangible than the current sufferer's which would feel irrelevant, and would never be contemplated.
jennielouises
25-11-15, 15:44
No, my comment was based on the comment that ricardo made that HA should be broken down into the correct disorders, which is appropriate since they can differ in pattern, and you agreeing that Emetophobia was more like OCD which I don't think ricardo meant.
I have OCD and have spent a lot of time learning about it and it doesn't fit for me. OCD behaviour can be seen in many other disorders but it doesn't mean it is OCD. If a disorder is created to split something to a more appropriate one because it doesn't quite fit, it makes sense to do so to allow for a correctly tailored approach to treatment.
It's obvious I'm not suggesting OCD is worse. Reread the full post and lead up.
---------- Post added at 15:10 ---------- Previous post was at 15:02 ----------
It doesn't address the core issue though, more tries to reduce the level of Cognitive Distortions since the treatment can cause a lot of anxiety thus still fuel the cycle. And it's still taking that depression sufferer to someone with the bereavement the previous poster gave an example of in order to show them how her situation can still be conquered when it could be more tangible than the current sufferer's which would feel irrelevant, and would never be contemplated.
Ok k get what you mean now.
The good news is twofold.
1. NMP gets a lot of mentions if you google the programme:D
2. This was Series 1 episode 1:lac:
Luckily it's episode 1 of a 3 part series on health and not on hypochondria.
Meanwhile the good Doc is now suggesting that those with hypochondria who liked the programme clearly know what they're talking about, whereas the rest of us do not. Sadly, he seems to take no responsibility for the stigma associated with the condition being made worse rather than better.
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itoldyouiwasill
25-11-15, 18:44
Luckily it's episode 1 of a 3 part series on health and not on hypochondria.
Meanwhile the good Doc is now suggesting that those with hypochondria who liked the programme clearly know what they're talking about, whereas the rest of us do not. Sadly, he seems to take no responsibility for the stigma associated with the condition being made worse rather than better.
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Yeah, I noticed a lot of ignorant and offensive tweets from that Angela woman as well. The icing on the cake for me was when she tweeted that she hoped that the health anxiety sufferer was ashamed of herself after meeting that 'lovely woman' who really did have cancer. FFS! :doh:
N.B I just actually checked out her twitter profile and her last tweet today is complaining that Paperchase in Milton Keynes rolled her wrapping paper instead of folding it. Her life must be truly something special.
Sadly she was one of many, though, and continues to be - the show is repeated tonight so we should expect more. Personally, I'd like to know what research Jessen has done into mental health conditions. Oddly, his website doesn't list any of his publications other than popular books...
MyNameIsTerry
25-11-15, 22:52
He may not have done any research, he's partly in a presenting role and their will be programme researchers he can rely on. However, if the agenda is not to portray something with education in mind and to make a programme for entertainment purposes, researchers won't care as their bosses are telling them a brief to work to.
You won't ever get away from Twitter morons, its a waste of energy to try. The real issue is the programme itself and the fact they are allowed to show it. Ofcom are there if people wish to complain and try to hold them to account, and show Jessen up, if the public wish to air their complaints.
MyNameIsTerry
26-11-15, 07:03
Anxiety United seem to have enjoyed it according to a Tweet.
But then I found Time To Change supporting the Corrie storyline with Steve and his depression (that one that appears & disappears, gets meds with no side effects and a GP referral got him therapy 7 days later :roflmao:) so maybe some of the charity types just like having the words on the screen and think less about the portayal? Corrie's was pathetic, the panic attacks especially with Steve's "oh, I feel a bit out of breath", no fear whatsoever!
This show was always going to get a lot of reaction and correct me if I am wrong but didn't the researchers post on here asking for volunteers, sometime back in July.
Without going int infinite details at a pinch I would say the man was a hypochondriac, one lady was basically agroaphobic and one had OCD.
The researchers/producer couldn't see that nor did Jensen, or maybe they didn't wan to see it, so as said many times before how can our own doctors try and treat us in a ten minute appointment and after a while we get labelled as every known symptom we say we have is anxiety and here's a prescription to pop a pill or they say they will get a referral typed out, 90% of the time for varying periods of CBT.
On reflection the whole theme of the programme was that the cost to the NHS was 2 billion a year, well they ought to look at the whole organisation.
Just slightly out of contect I was in A & E a few weeks ago,first time ever, which I mentioned before but no one asked me who my GP was or if I was even registered with a doctor in this country. They call that policing and they don't enforce it as they should, therefore so many people slip through the system and get all sorts of treatment. That percentage would interest me more.
I exchanged a couple of messages with one of the participants last night, and she said that she was disappointed that the documentary failed to even mention the events that had led to her condition. This, again, is simply C4 creating a documentary that has no interest in explaining a condition and a lot of interest in exploiting it.
MyNameIsTerry
26-11-15, 23:27
I bet they would have been quick to dismiss a former NHS employee who's HA came from their work and didn't get much support or therapy :winks:
Usually some level of back story is expected and is seen in all medical programmes. Not including elements that have led to it is a flaw.
Did anything help her though?
GirlAfraid23
28-11-15, 14:01
I actually tweeted Dr Christian Jessen -
JenFidge
@DoctorChristian disappointed with "hypochondriac" prog. As a health anxiety sufferer, I felt made it seem trivial and a drain on the NHS.
Dr Christian Jessen
@DoctorChristian
Nov 28
@Jen_Fidge sorry you think that. But there's a difference between 'costs money' and wastes money' -obesity, T2 diabetes etc all drain NHS
@Jen_Fidge: @DoctorChristian I did enjoy parts of it. But exposure therapy doesn't always help as has been proven. Focus on CBT may have been better.
I feel like I'm a little late to the party but I've only just got round to watching this on catchup.
I actually had the director of this show come to my house and interview me for it.
He was really keen for me to take part but I backed out last minute due to fearing what people would think of me.
All I can say is that I made the right decision because I thought the programme was so poorly done. Not once did I feel like it truly showed how debilitating health anxiety really is!
I actually tweeted Dr Christian Jessen -
JenFidge
@DoctorChristian disappointed with "hypochondriac" prog. As a health anxiety sufferer, I felt made it seem trivial and a drain on the NHS.
Dr Christian Jessen
@DoctorChristian
Nov 28
@Jen_Fidge sorry you think that. But there's a difference between 'costs money' and wastes money' -obesity, T2 diabetes etc all drain NHS
@Jen_Fidge: @DoctorChristian I did enjoy parts of it. But exposure therapy doesn't always help as has been proven. Focus on CBT may have been better.
Yes, there is a difference between "costs" and "wastes," but he knew very well that he was stirring up a hornet's nest by even providing those figures - and he's just trying to worm his way out of it by resorting to semantics. What's more, Channel 4 now have a history of producing documentaries seemingly intended purely to split communities and encourage the short-sighted and the bigoted on Twitter. It would have done no harm for Jessen to actually say on Twitter "I didn't make this programme so people could insult or laugh at sufferers. Try to understand this is a serious condition." Or, heaven forbid, "perhaps the tone of the programme wasn't as it should have been." But, no, all he did in the main to any criticism was come up with sarcastic remarks or made people out to be idiots. The intention of the programme was to get those watching with no experience of hypochondria to laugh or ridicule at sufferers or to get blame aimed at them. This was obvious from the moment the show started with the ridiculous comedy music that trivialised the whole issue from the outset.
MyNameIsTerry
29-11-15, 06:48
I actually tweeted Dr Christian Jessen -
JenFidge
@DoctorChristian disappointed with "hypochondriac" prog. As a health anxiety sufferer, I felt made it seem trivial and a drain on the NHS.
Dr Christian Jessen
@DoctorChristian
Nov 28
@Jen_Fidge sorry you think that. But there's a difference between 'costs money' and wastes money' -obesity, T2 diabetes etc all drain NHS
@Jen_Fidge: @DoctorChristian I did enjoy parts of it. But exposure therapy doesn't always help as has been proven. Focus on CBT may have been better.
GP's sending patients for tests they know they don't need also "drains" the NHS but I wonder how they would react if you made a programme stating that? If you decided to leave the detail out about the various mitigating factors that led to the process taking place and whether it was truly "waste" or potentially "value added".
If the NHS want to reduce that "drain" then get people help earlier and stop GP's sending people off just to get them out of their surgeries because they just want to get onto the next patient and have no time. I would like to see someone work out the costs involved there let alone the human impact!
When someone produces figures without understanding what they are made up of, it's just the kind of statistic that I was told right at the start of my economics study that I should never produce. It's high level for directors and the public but without the reasons behind that data it is completely meaningless. There can be many factors and I would like to see how large the pie slice is for GP's not being arsed and ordering tests just to get you out of the surgery. We will never see such a statistic though and lets face it, the whole spin is on the patient demanding tests when the reality is ONLY a doctor can refer you for them. :whistles: GP's everywhere absolved by spin.
Jessen is an entertainer who basks in the media spotlight and his sole job is to get the show talked about on Twitter and elsewhere. Good or bad publicity-Channel 4 don't care so long as the show gets noticed and ratings are positive.
There's a GP "behind the surgery door" reality show on Channel 5 at the moment with some surprisingly caring and time-generous GPs taking an encouraging interest in their patients' wellbeing....for the cameras of course.
I agree,Terry. Poor quality GPs are a huge drain on the NHS resources. Also those who can't communicate adequately in English. Patients do need to do a bit of research into their own ailments before visiting a GP these days as you need to guide them in the right direction and avoid unnecessary tests.
itoldyouiwasill
29-11-15, 14:51
Semi related to this but there was a show on BBC1 a couple of nights ago called something like Doctor in the House...the premise was basically that a GP moved in with a family for 24 hours in the hope of getting to the bottom of their health conditions.
In this episode there was a body builder chap who had suffered from back ache for years and had become addicted to painkillers although he was in denial about this. The chap visited a movement specialist who made huge progress with him but then interestingly is started to move away from the structural explanation for his pain to a more mind/body approach and he was eventually diagnosed with a form of body dysmorphia.
As soon as the show started I said to my wife that the chap was a blatant case of Tension Myositis Syndrome and stress illness was a likely explanation for his pain and anger. I thought the programme actually did a really good job of showing how a more holistic approach to health can bring rewards. Worth watching on iPlayer if missed.
ziggystardust
08-01-16, 02:12
I was in the program and didn't agree with it myself. At all.
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