I thought rape and kidnapping were criminal offences

The last time I checked, kidnapping and rape were designated as criminal acts. You'd go to prision for kidnap or rape. Not a psychiatric institution.

But Josef Fritzl, who pleaded guilty to kidnap and rape is going to a psychiatric institution. Why not prison? I spose there will be the psychiatric mumbo jumbo about his mental state, that he is mentally unstable, and all that stuff. But he's a criminal and should be in prison.

Or is it that the psychiatric institution can make a few bucks out of him?

How d'you know that then?

Every now and then, a real beauty comes along that begs to be asked the question: how d'you know that then? High speed brains are in the genes was the story covered in the New Scientist. The story also states, alongside the waffle, that attention deficit disorder is associated with 'degraded myelin.' How d'you know that then?

There's also a pretty picture that goes with the story, a picture that has some cute colours on it, and some numbers on it as well that are supposed to denote what bit of the brain does what. Looks like a page out of a kid's colouring book to me. But hey, who am I to pass comment when we've got 'experts' to tell us.

Please, please, please be mentally ill

Saw this story on http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ about the private hospital chain, the Priory Group. It was headlined Priory Warns Of 'Recession-Depression' Escalation. Using a nice bit of alliteration, the Group have warned it's going to get really gloomy in these credit crunch times.

I think the story should be reworded: Priory Group desperately hopes people will get mentally ill so the hospitals can fill their beds, and bleed the health policies dry. So despite the doom and gloom, there are innovative ways to beat the credit crunch.

Be depressed today, help the Priory Group fill a bed, and help the Group come through the credit crunch. They're counting on you, and you, and you, and you, and you...

Psychiatric nurse jailed for rape

The Argus covered the story of psychiatric nurse Michael Crossland who was jailed for 15 years after raping two patients.

Good job there's now a statute that covers this kind of degraded and sick behaviour. Many in a similar position to Crossland have got away with it in the past because the patient 'agreed'.

Mr Crossland's now got 15 years to contemplate where it all went wrong.

Exposed for exposing himself

Psychiatric nurse Spencer Lowe has been exposed for exposing himself.

The Sun and the Birmingham Mail exposed him after his bosses at the Nursing and Midwifery Council learned of his pervie activities. He was exposed for repeatedly flashing, touching himself in front of other staff, asking them to measure his manhood and for telling a fellow worker she "looked good enough to eat", adding he often imagined her in "bright red lace underwear".

Not much else you can say really, except 'you dirty old man'.

Psychiatry: posh words about the bleedin' obvious

Joseph Clark stabbed disabled Martin Cox 13 times in the chest before leaving his body in a pool of blood in the hallway of a Torquay flat. Clark was sentenced to a minimum of 15 years in prison for murder.

What got me thinking was the following paragraph: "two psychiatric reports found Clark had an anti-social personality disorder and exhibited a 'callous unconcern' for the feelings of others and a low provocation threshold." Wonder how much that 'shrink-think' cost?

I reckon anyone could come to the conclusion Clark had a 'callous unconcern' for the feelings of others, and that he loses his rag easily. As for the anti-social personality disorder, the personality disorder bit is what the shrinks call it so that's pretty dubious. As for the anti-social bit, it's not rocket science working that one out. So why the shrink reports?

Serial Wafflers

More rumblings have surfaced about Peter Sutcliffe and reports that he could be 'moving house' which were then scuppered by more reports that he wasn't 'moving'. The BBC has now posted a story: Can serial killers be rehabilitated?

It's an example of how mental health professionals can't agree on shrink-think. There are two of them quoted who can't agree on whether Sutcliffe can be rehabilitated.

Looks like a space-filler story as it doesn't mean anything. I don't expect either of the 'experts' have met Sutcliffe so I reckon they haven't got a clue what they're talking about. Aload of hot air that gets bandied around as authoritative.

I think it's a case of serial wafflers...