The interaction between physical and mental health has been attracting increasing attention across the political spectrum. Last year, the government recognised the importance of the issue with its mental health strategy “No health without mental health.” And more recently, Andy Burnham chose integration of mental and physical health care as the subject of his first major speech since returning to the health portfolio. more…

The year has barely started, but it is a fairly safe bet that one of the stand-out albums of 2012 will be Leonard Cohen’s Old Ideas. For the many (including me!) allergic to the bedsit misery of his early work, there is reassurance about what old age can bring us in the drollery, bite, and deft characterisation of his late albums. Adversity was the trigger for this late outpouring: after his manager absconded with his savings, an older, wiser, (and mercifully wittier) Leonard set out on the road again.

For his new album, the 77 year old enmeshed himself with a handful of seasoned musicians. The textures combine a paradoxical mix of economy and lushness, particularly through the contrast between the ethereal voices of his regular collaborators (back-up singer seems an ungenerous and insufficient descriptor here) and the gravelly-voiced poet.

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Reality is created by the language we use. Language creates reality rather than describing it; that is the consistent message from Ludwig Wittgenstein, Benjamin Lee Whorf, and John R Searle. If we want to change reality one way is to change the language used, and for this reason we ban, or try to ban, the use of the terms primary, secondary, acute, and community in the workshops we run, like the workshop with great participants from West Berkshire that was held on the 2 February. more…

I’ve had a brainwave. It’s a proposal that could be implemented today and save the UK 5000 lives a year (at a rough guess.) The proposal is to stop all escalators immediately.

I must confess that my brainwave, brilliant and simple as it is, has ignoble origins. Living in London and travelling regularly on the tube, I get irritated by the fact that very few people walk on escalators. But at least on the London tube there is the ancient tradition of standing on the right if you are not walking, which does allow the type As like me (those who flush the loo before they finish peeing) to climb the stairs two at a time. In the US, even in New York, nobody walks on escalators—providing the inspiration for a Youtube video in which two people “stuck” on an escalator that stops shouts for help.   more…