FGM In Britain: Professional Culpability, Public Responsibility, Private Peril

FGM In Britain: Professional Culpability, Public Responsibility, Private Peril.

BRITAIN’S 100,000 MUTILATED WOMEN

Up to 100,000 women in Britain have undergone brutal sexual mutilations and medics in this country are offering to carry out these illegal operations

Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) involves the surgical removal of the external genitalia, and in some cases, the stitching of the vaginal opening and is widespread across large parts of Africa.

Here in Britain FGM is illegal and carries a prison sentence of up to 14 years.  FORWARD, a charity that campaigns against FGM reveals that an estimated 100,000 women in Britain have undergone FGM.  A further 24,000 girls are thought to be at risk of this agonising and dangerous procedure. Victims are often left in agony, open to infection, and sometimes struggling to walk or stand properly.

Waris Dirie, a former model who was mutilated as a child and is now a United Nations Ambassador for the abolition of the practice, said: ” If a white girl is abused the police come and break down the door.  If a black girl is mutilated, nobody takes care of her.  This is what I call racism.”

Please take action now.  Please share this blog to raise awareness of FGM.  Please contact your MP to put pressure on the Government to bring this horrific practice to an end.

Severe #abuse in childhood may treble risk of #schizophrenia. #mhuk

Severe #abuse in childhood may treble risk of #schizophrenia. #mhuk.

Guest Post by Beatrice Bray -Hypoparathyroidism : A Known Side Effect of Lithium

As I write this I am in lying in bed because I feel acute muscular pain and extreme tiredness.  I feel like this most of the time. I used to be a very active person but not now.

These symptoms are probably caused by hypoparathyroidism, an illness which is very rare amongst the general population but it is common amongst people who take Lithium, the drug routinely prescribed to people with bipolar disorder.

I have been taking Lithium for 26 years.  I was never warned of the risks of hypoparathyroidism.  For myself I would like to discuss this with my doctors but they refuse to talk.  I would also like some way to get the message out to other people who take Lithium that they need to be aware of this risk.   They should know the symptoms and they should be tested for hypoparathyroidism on a routine basis.  Their doctors also need to keep a watch for this illness.  This is a known side effect.

The symptoms of hypoparathyroidism can be confused with psychiatric symptoms.  They were in my case and that delayed the process of diagnosis.  Not all forms of lethargy and irrritability are caused by mental illness.  Such symptoms can have physical causes.