@jendaffin.bsky.social such an important talk today expanding on research conducted by Platform. Trauma is STILL not asked about When it is, it’s often denied or belittled. The diagnosis is used as a way to gatekeep care and deny services. It creates chronic dismissal and structural denial.

Huge thanks to @restraintreductionnetwork.org for inviting @jendaffin.bsky.social to speak at their conference last week, and to Jess Matthews for joining us there to share her story. The diagnosis of personality disorder can function as a restraint, limiting people’s power over their own lives.

This 👇

Community is a mental health intervention. Which is why we’re exploring trauma informed community development work here at @platfform.org The solutions to our mental health crisis are not within the NHS mental health systems gift to resolve. 💙

If we are going to reduce rates of mental ill health across our society we must take the billions back that's been handed over to the wealthy. Everything else is a sticking plaster. 🩹

Looking forward to being part of this @edpsy.bsky.social conference later this year. 👏

Government and politics, Violence and trauma Struggling with the silence - Gaza www.bps.org.uk/psychologist...

Please consider signing and sharing this open letter with over 600 signatures calling on the BPS and ACP to speak up about Palestine. “If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” - Desmond Tutu www.psychchange.org/palestine1.htm

We know the original austerity cuts cost people their lives. We know it led to overwhelm and then suicide. We need to learn from that. A robust social safety net is a mental health intervention.

Addiction is a response to feeling overwhelmed, without agency and disconnected from self and others. It is NOT a disease or failure in self discipline or character. It is most often better thought of as a trauma response.

Depression is a natural human emotion. Emotions are reactions to the events in our lives.

We know now that stimulant medication used for the diagnosis of ADHD has more negative effects than positive including worsening behaviour and stunting children's growth. We need clinicians to understand this and change treatment trends.

We know the original austerity cuts cost people their lives. We know it lead to overwhelm and then suicide. We need to learn from that. A robust safety net is a mental health intervention.

As I understand it the mental health bill will not do enough to end the torture and harm many experience whilst in inpatient services. Our treatment approach needs an urgent review too. We need an Act that puts human rights and dignity front and center. Nothing less.

Great to hear Sir James Mackey, CEO NHS England talking about sharing power and unlocking decision making! Alongside Lord Victor Adebowale CBE saying Austerity is an expensive way to run services. 👏👏👏

The evidence base is clear that depression is largely caused by our circumstances. Not chemical imbalances or genetics. It's our body in overwhelm, looking for safety, rest and a way out.

School violence is up - why? Anger is a threat reaponse. It comes from not feeling safe. What we’re witnessing is the result of the disruptions to our sense of safety from austerity, COVID and wealth inequality. It will only get worse unless we put the safety net back and address loneliness.

Health diagnosis is a clinical art based on observation and the patient's story as much as tests. Mental health diagnosis is like a Picasso. 🖼️ 🎨

Poverty is as much a cause as a consequence of mental ill health. It has been linked to experiences of what gets called psychosis too.

There is no evidence to support mental health first aid as an effective or useful training. When MHFA training was compared with no intervention, it may have little to no effect on improvements to mental health. #mentalhealthfirstaid #MHFA www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10....

We know poverty and mental ill heath are a vicious cycle - an increase in child poverty also leads to an increase in demand for NHS services. It makes no sense not to act preventatively. It’s a waste of opportunity for a good life and a waste of tax payers money. www.itv.com/news/2025-05...

Don’t go to therapy to resolve workplace stress from low pay and poor working conditions. Go to a union! 👏

“Lots of grownups are reaching out to people like us to try and understand what’s going on and get help. There are now so many people reaching out for support that waiting lists for things like child neurodevelopmental assessments are years.” @madintheuk.bsky.social madinireland.com/2025/05/why-...

Thank you A Disorder for Everyone for having us to speak about our campaign work challenging the use of the diagnosis of personality disorder. We met so many brilliant people today all with the same shocking experience. Enough is enough. Join our movement for change platfform.org/system-chang...

"Why we need to rethink the medical approach to children’s mental health" @jendaffin.bsky.social madinireland.com/2025/05/why-...

The idea depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in your brain is a myth. Depression is largely caused by our circumstances. The fact depression is one of the fastest growing issues of our time is a damning reflection on how we are organising society and treating each other.

Farage’s immigration hysteria is now setting Labour’s agenda. I’m seriously doubtful - to put it mildly - of the political wisdom of accepting and amplifying Reform’s migration myths 👇🏻

Mental ill health is not a personal failure. It is not about a lack of grit. It is caused by overwhelm from not having our basic physical and emotional needs met. That's a policy issue not an individual one. It’s the grown ups in charge who need to step up.

There are no specific genes for any of the mental disorders and it’s not about a chemical imbalance either. It’s far more complex than that.

Why do we organise community events? Research proves that connecting with people is good for our mental health. It gives us a sense of belonging, identity and purpose – all vital to help us thrive. What does community mean to you? Let us know here buff.ly/QEUtDeF and we'll share the results online.

There are more food banks than McDonald’s in the UK. Food insecurity is linked to mental ill health and must be urgently resolved.

In England in 2023/24 black people were 3.5x more likely than white people to be detained under the Mental Health Act and 7x more likely to be placed on a Community Treatment Order. There is little point improving access to mental health services if we are harming people when they get there.

It’s not a cost of living crisis it’s a inequality crisis and it’s costing us our mental health.

Growing inequality is rising hand in hand with mental ill health and additional learning needs. As rates of toxic stress increase our health decreases. We need a British wealth tax. Norway and Spain have done it. Plus the country with the highest wealth taxes in the developed world is Switzerland.

The continued use of the term personality disorder causes diagnostic overshadowing of adversity, trauma, exposure to toxic stress and the disruption these things can cause to our development also know as ‘cortico-limbic’ stress adaptations.

I’m so excited and pleased to see Wales on a journey towards a holistic and rights based approach to mental health. This is the solution for all the MH diagnosis including the scary sounding schizophrenia box.

The continued use of the term personality disorder leads to diagnostic overshadowing.

The diagnoses systems for mental ill health are rooted in injustice. The ideology is based on who is acceptable to society and therefore should be included and who should not. It all unfolds from there.

If the DSM lacks scientific validity and is nothing more than a category system decided by vote based judgment why would we apply validity to research outcomes based on the DSM criteria? It makes no sense.

There is little point reducing waiting times for mental health services if we are harming people when they get there.

Safe, secure affordable housing is a mental health intervention.

“The message couldn’t be clearer: You’re not unemployed because of political decisions or economic betrayal. You’re just unwell. Instead of jobs, we get wellbeing seminars. It reframes structural devastation as an individual problem.” www.compactmag.com/article/the-...

When society is less health we are less healthy. Physically and mentally. It’s not about being born with better genes. Our health is fundamentally determined by the conditions in with we are born, grow and live.

Social, economic and educational factors, the effects of social and physicals environments alongside access to healthcare, justice and equity all determine our mental health outcomes. It’s not about specific genetics or chemical imbalances. We’re far more complex than that!

From @elliebroughton.bsky.social: the stigmatising diagnosis of 'personality disorder,' and how's it being applied to under-18s. Our trauma-informed practice lead, @jendaffin.bsky.social, speaks out in the piece about how this diagnosis silences people's voices and hides root causes of distress.

Being lower in the social hierarchy worsens mental health, cardiovascular risks and death rates. Inequality and mental ill health in the UK continue to grow.

When a government has systematically eroded the conditions for good mental health & not put those back it’s harmful to take away the support people will desperately need to heal and recover from that. It will make the problem worse & drive up NHS and other public sector spending.

It’s so refreshing to hear the Public Health Wales Hapus campaign talking about a wellness integrated and holistic approach to mental wellbeing. Thank you for having me join your wonderful and impressive list of speakers all doing amazing things in this space 👏👏👏👏🙏

There is little point reducing waiting times for mental health suppprt if we are harming people when they get there. @novaramedia.com @platfform.org

What a brilliant event! Thank you @daringtodream.bsky.social and @hapuswales for welcoming me alongside you today with the support of Julie Morgan MS and Sarah Murphy MS. Our emotional health is fundamental to good health. Making space to talk including during times of illness is paramount. 💙👏👏👏👏