LTD Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 A former mental hospital up the road from me (in Burntwood, West Mids) was converted a few years ago into executive appartments - im not making it up! It is a really nice building actually. Iain Sinclair's London Orbital, while heavy going in places, has a good bit on the mental institutions outside London (Epsom area I think) being closed down and converted into residential estates. Also a fair amount of info on the connections between Labour politicians and their developer friends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Realistbear Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 (edited) http://www.clinical-depression.co.uk/Depre...ation/facts.htm MAJOR DEPRESSION is a huge problem and it is growing. By looking at the statistics we can clear up common misconceptions and make it easier to tackle major depression at its root. Major depression is the No.1 psychological disorder in the western world.(1) It is growing in all age groups, in virtually every community, and the growth is seen most in the young, especially teens. At the rate of increase, it will be the 2nd most disabling condition in the world by 2020, behind heart disease. Depression is a problem worldwide with enormous rates of growth. 10 times more people suffer from major depression now than in 1945 Why? The love of many has grown cold. Materialsim has replaced care and love for our neighbours. NuLabour's dog-eat-dog world of HPI and MEW sums up where we are as a people. Edited March 9, 2006 by Realistbear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpd Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Yes realistbear is correct there in his/her analysis IMO. Over the last twenty years the notion of caring for each other has become almost to be a sign of a character deficiency - a weakness (when in fact it is the sign of quite the opposite). A social conscience and compassion are what separates us from animals; when we lose these qualities (and in many cases it seems we have), we are lost. It's interesting to see the increase in the press of the terms 'alpha male' and 'alpha female' (have you noticed this?). The fact that these are terms used to describe the dominant members of low-functioning animal packs says it all really - we are regressing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DEATH Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 I don't know if this counts but some guy in Nottingham lived in some falling down house in total disrepair. He cooked all his meals on an old electric fire! He left over £2Million in his will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saving For a Space Ship Posted March 9, 2006 Author Share Posted March 9, 2006 I assume that mental hospitals must reduce house prices in the adjacent vicinity, & new ones suffer from a 'NIMBY' effect when trying to get built. Personally, I would not like to live in such a place & would expect a price reduction in the flat compared to say a warehouse conversion. There's an ex-asylum (cylindrical building) flats block on the Camberwell /Peckham border, which I found it a bit spooky. Maybe with the Maudsley in Camberwell, Sth London down the road being on of the biggest it makes no difference to many. There is an interesting historical list & study of old asylums & mental institutions here http://www.mdx.ac.uk/www/study/4Asylums.htm many of which have now been coverted to flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
right_freds_dead Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 i think the re-introduction of the productive 'workhouse' for the insane and the infirm would be a good idea. padded cells, straight jackets and the like. + a large green warning star on your ID card, warning insurance companies to stay away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeless Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Boscombe is the pits. Only go there in the daytime. It's the dumping ground for misfits. It will take more than a little redevelopment at the pier to turn it around!! MY KINDA TOWN, I DARE SAY I WOULD FIT IN WELL I think a major reason there are many more loonies about now is because of care in the community.This actually costs a huge amount of money.ie you take 2 or 3 loonies that years ago would have been locked up in one of the mental institutions that are now flats, and you rent them a very nice house, you give them a pair of round the clock carers 24/7.The house gets its own manager, many experts trot in and out daily leaving there invoice behind.And if anything and i mean absoulutely anything is even out of place they hire in a tradesman at top rates to fix it.( i know becuase i do some work for quite a few of them). Thus each of these residents probably cost 3/4,000 per week in costs incurred in keeping them in the community. Depression is growing at such a great rate because its one of the only things doctors cant prove, hence its used as a way to play the system now.All the lazy sods that never ever worked in there lives were scared and paniced when the dole office forced them all into schemes and training if they didint get a job.Many had not worked 5.10.15.20 years without any harrasment before.But now they were being forced to hence they all went on the depression.This is the reason there are 7 million on the sick in the uk now and only 1 million on the dole.Thats 8 million people which is about the long time average since the early 80s of the working age inactive.People that want to work will always find work, and people that dont will always find a way to not work.All the massive waste on these schemes and training and interviews and alkl the rest of the crap is just about the unemployment office workers justifying there jobs when there clientelle has dropped from 3 million to 1 million.The more the figures drop the more they will harrass the ones left under some wild scheme to justify there existance instead of redundancies. This country is the utter pits, its full from top to bottom with people with no intrest in improvment, any half mad eejit could strip out about 3/4 of government paper shufflers overnight with nmo decrease in productivity.This is the sole reason we are so low down the productivity tables as compared to many other countries.Others wouldnt put up with the paper shufflers, though im sure industry gets the blame for this when infact industry in this country is very very efficient its productivity levels are just pulled down by adding the un-needed paper shufflers. Ya know it costs 500 pounds to issue every 100 pounds in benifit?,We need to dismantle this welfare dependent and government dependent jobs state we have created in the most brutal way, then perhaps these people will start to look around at how they can make a living via free enterprise again. rant over Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Yes realistbear is correct there in his/her analysis IMO. Over the last twenty years the notion of caring for each other has become almost to be a sign of a character deficiency - a weakness (when in fact it is the sign of quite the opposite). A social conscience and compassion are what separates us from animals; when we lose these qualities (and in many cases it seems we have), we are lost. You can have a hug. We need to dismantle this welfare dependent and government dependent jobs state I agree. The welfare state started after the second world war, when this country was decimated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bart of Darkness Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 What, so that people can watch unsolved crimes? Maybe the police can have the CCTV images piped directly into their canteens, that way they need never go out at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuyingBear Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Maybe the police can have the CCTV images piped directly into their canteens, that way they need never go out at all. It's already done, they just watch the evening news. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pyewackitt Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 How about crime? In the last few weeks I've heard a few friends and colleagues have problems with break-ins, vandalism etc. I know this stuff happens all the time, there just seems to be more of it about at the moment. I'd definitely expect crime to rise as the economy tanks. CCTV business anyone? How else do you expect investors to cover mortgage repayments when rents won't! We're entering a new paradigm where no-one is too posh to steal... and it'll be a new ITV show presented by Tara Palming Tomkinson. - Pye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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