Hi Frances

I’d read your other posts and wondered if your book had arrived! I’m looking forward to finding out the July book too, it’s forcing me to make the time to read!

Zoe 😊

Finally got my book im about half way through it, not sure it will be a favourite (I think it jumps back and forth too much for my simple braincell). Any ideas what the next book will be since we are nearly in July 🙂
Lots of love
Francesxx

Hi Arlene

That’s further than I’ve got! Maybe this summer I will get some time to plan something at least.

Zoe

Hi Arlene

Possibly not but while there’s less funding there’s less ‘research’ able to happen, so less help can be given… We should at least be trying to help those with mental health issues to lead happier, if not more productive, lives.

Zoe

Hi Zoe,

I also found it much easier once I’d seen a photo of ‘the quilt’. I’ve got as far as buying some fabric for the centre panel – and that’s it….

Arlene

Hi Zoe,

I would agree – modern mental health issues seem to be becoming ever more acute, and while there’s a lack of money, I also wonder whether we know how to fix them?

Arlene

I didn’t mind the cassette tape and looked forward to the chapters where we found out about Maria’s life in her own words. I enjoyed the book but I didn’t like Caroline much. Seeing the quilt on Liz Trenow’s website helped me, I couldn’t understand why they were having so much trouble getting to the ‘lozenges’. I think I’d like to have a go making…[Read more]

I think society is more tolerant of some issues today. I don’t think there is enough support given (money from the government to use in the community, not institutions) for modern mental health issues.

Maria, that’s absolutely fascinating! I’ve seen a couple of documentaries which indicated that this practice wasn’t uncommon, but it’s always interesting to know of a first-hand source. I find it frightening that such things ever occurred – and presumably were though to be ‘for the best’ at the time.
I wonder if there are similar modern…[Read more]

Maria,
Such a waste, over something that must have been tough enough for them in the first place without there families locking them up, really heartbreaking.

Lots of love
Francesxx

I enjoyed this book.
Really sad thing is that when I was a medical student doing my psychiatry block there still were mental hospital patients then in their 80s (1981/2) who had been admitted by their families because they were unmarried and pregnant . At around this time ‘care in the community’ was being talked about, my teachers pointed out tha…[Read more]

Sorry Arlene,
Mine is still not here, think its coming by carrier pigeon 🙂

Interesting points, Heather. I have to admit that the use of the cassette recorder was, as you say ‘a little clunky (I found myself wondering why the interviewer hadn’t used a dictaphone, and why the interviews weren’t transcribed in the first place if they were for a Ph.D.!). However, I did enjoy the different narrative voices. Sometimes it…[Read more]