大象传媒 - Radio 4 - All in the Mind

THE IMPACT ON CHILDREN OF APPEARING IN REALITY TV
If you go on a reality TV show these days you鈥檝e probably seen enough of these programmes by now to know that everyone鈥檚 going to see you and probably see you at your worst. And you could argue that knowing that and still choosing to appear, makes you fair game. But what if you鈥檙e still a child?
As reality TV shows pepper the schedules we look at the effect of starring in one of these programmes on young minds.
Claudia Hammond听speaks to the Melia family who appeared on Wife Swap in October. The family claim the children have suffering bullying, verbal and physical, since their appearance.
The Melia鈥檚 experience raises the question of how the whole range of reality TV programmes featuring children might be harming them. Claudia disusses the issue with:听Margot Sunderland, Director of the Centre for Child Mental Health in London; and Dr Cynthia McVey who lectures in psychology at Glasgow Caledonian University. She鈥檚 been involved in drawing up guidelines for the British Psychological Society for psychologists working for these kinds of programmes.

THE MAYTREE CENTRE
The Maytree Centre, a terraced house in North London, is an innovative suicide prevention initiative. Suicidal people can stay there听and receive respite care. Their stay is limited to four nights and guests cannot return. Claudia Hammond visits the centre and speaks to Nigel, who stayed at the centre six weeks ago, and the centre's director and co-founder, Paddy Bazeley.

Maytree was set up in 2002 at a time when suicide prevention became a central part of government policy for mental health. It has offered 4-night stays to more than 160 guests since then and to coincide with its third anniversary, Dr Stephen Briggs of the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust has completed a full Evaluation of the respite centre and a follow up study showing how guests fared after they left the Maytree.听 He explains his findings. The full report can be found on the Maytree website.