Coming soon; BBC Radio 4 investigation into IAPT Sep 2019

Dr Mike Scott (CBT watch):

When You Do Nothing, Repeated Testing Will Likely Indicate ‘Recovery’ or ‘Remission’ At Some Point

from Comments:

reply

so paper with Keith Geraghty also on the way.

http://www.cbtwatch.com/when-you-do...recovery-or-remission-at-some-point/#comments

eta: dates as per next post

 

Thanks for flagging this up @Sly Saint

On 18 September, Mike Scott posted dates in the Comments to his blog:

"The broadcasts are as below

Broadcasts

Next Tuesday
20:00
BBC RADIO 4

Sun 29 Sep 2019
17:00
BBC RADIO 4

Will do a blog"

 

The therapy business
File on 4
BBC reporter Jordan Dunbar (pictured) investigates the therapy industry after a bad experience when he sought help for his mental health in the private sector.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0008nxl

(same prog both dates/times ie Tues 24th Sep 20.00, Sun 29 Sep 17.00)

 

I wonder what arguments the evangelists of IAPT will use when it starts getting too obvious that the whole thing is a massive dumpster fire. Eventually the people who expect savings will start getting antsy about not getting anything for their money and being annoyed at growing discontent. Morale will also drop precipitously when success has to be faked with cherry-picking and selective reporting that simply ignores anything bad.

My guess is probably argue the project should be expanded even further, that the failure is simply because the implementation is too timid. Wonder if it will lead to attempts at making it coercive, probably at some point. Question is how people react to that, but money will likely be the deciding factor in the end.

But more and more I think it's obvious that all the circling-the-wagon about the abysmal psychosocial research in ME is entirely caused by us being the proving grounds for this. Showing failure is simply unacceptable since our "success" is the very foundation of the project.

At least Icarus actually flew. This bloated carcass can't even get off the ground.

 

On tonight.

http://www.cbtwatch.com/bbc-investigates-the-therapy-business/

(see previous post for link)

 

It's on now, and will probably appear soon as a podcast to download here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006th08/episodes/downloads

 

What happened?

 

So far they are talking about bad experiences of therapy as an individual thing i.e. what happens if someone has a psych problem and they aren't happy with a therapy session or a course of therapy. It's more about how to deal with "bad therapists" and so far how to find one that is registered and how to complain.

Problems navigating the process. Choosing a therapist who meets BACP standards.

Now a woman who was sexually abused as a child and now sexually abused by a therapist. The focus is on private therapists. Her therapist was sacked by the NHS but still sees private patients at £60 ph.

As there is a long waiting list on the NHS people are paying to see private ones.

Now onto regulation. People are calling themselves psychotherapists or therapists without qualification. Complainers are not believed.

Now saying how many NHS beds are being occupied by people needing psych care. Film from 1966.


CBT - training can be bought online and "accredited" for £29.00

The presenter did an "advanced diploma" and when he failed it gave him the correct answers to write down and try again.

The course tells him how to get patients

Back onto regulation. Complaints process for membership bodies found wanting. People can be diagnosed with a personality disorder to turn a blind eye on complaints.

Now on to attitudes. Film from 1966 saying how many NHS beds are being occupied by people needing mental care....

Back to online fake therapists/therapies. Presenter has bought online apps to treat insomnia. No one takes ownership. "wild west".

The program so far doesn't sound at all like the original description. Maybe the wrong dates given?

 

No mention of IAPT, no 'interview' with Mike Scott.
Mostly about lack of regulation of private therapists and patients who have suffered as a consequence.
In fact he was very complementary about the NHS service (said he enjoyed CBT) in that at least you knew the therapists were 'properly trained' and had the relevent qualifications. The only real criticism was about waiting times for treatment.

But it was mostly about the fact that anyone can set themselves up as a private psychotherapist and that there was no real mechanism for redress.

The only parallel I see for us is with the quacks who claim to be able to treat ME and businesses like the LP and OHC.

 

Mike has written about this on his website (as a comment response):

http://www.cbtwatch.com/bbc-investigates-the-therapy-business/#comments

 

Afraid Mike failed to take account of a significant factor. It is the BBC. They usually live down to expectations.

 

He is in good company. Jane Colby is invariably edited out too.

 

IAPT is both NHS England's and the DWP's 'baby'. It will take a lot of work to publically expose the problems inherent in the IAPT model.

In the meantime it won't just be those with 'medically unexplained symptoms' being damaged by the lack of proper medical care, but also those with serious and significant mental health problems will be suffering from increasingly inappropriate services and diminishing effective ones. These are the 2 sides to the same coin - money will be taken from other mental health services (such as those supporting the most severely affected needing longterm services) to support the IAPT expansion. All to give the appearance the government is 'putting mental health on a par with physical health'.

Welcome to the brave new world of modern England.

 

It probably made no difference, but imo it's worth not giving any advance warning to powerful figures if you think that there's going to be a media story critical of them, especially at an institution like the BBC.

 

Doesn't look like an investigation but rather as commentary bordering on promotional.

 

Yes, it was almost as if he was promoting the need for an expansion of IAPT, since IAPT is the only way left for patients in England with mild-moderate mental health conditions (that is those under primary, rather than secondary or tertiary care) to receive NHS pyschological therapies.

The final production may not have had sinister undertones in itself - if it wasn't for the fact that we know the presenter had formally interviewed Mike Scott as part of the original recordings for this broadcast. I expect the editing out of any IAPT critque has shocked us less than Mike himself - it's just 'business as usual' to us!

 

This is exactly what happened to a dear friend of mine who has severe & enduring psychological injury - trauma related. She was having psychotherapy which she said was really helping & had lead to some easily observable changes & improvements, but in the middle of the process they disbanded the service (providing long term therapy for those with more complex issues) to make way for IAPT.
All the therapists were made redundant in favour of employing less expensive & less well trained/experienced people. And she was just abandoned because at assessment by the new service she was deemed 'too complex' for the new short-term-therapy-only service, and there isn't anything else, so she's without anything at all.