Despair: You don’t have to be elderly or infirm to put extra strain on accident and emergency departments this Christmas. In ‘suicide season’, all you need is depression.

Perhaps NHS bosses have been reading Vox Political because this site put out a similar warning almost three weeks ago.

NHS leaders are urging people to look in on elderly friends and neighbours over the Christmas period to ease pressures on hospital A&E departments, according to the BBC.

They’re saying loneliness and isolation can increase the risk of emergency hospital admissions at a time when accident and emergency departments are already facing their highest-ever demands.

In contrast to the Vox Political message, though, they’re saying people are more likely to report health problems in good time if they have someone to tell.

This blog was warning against the possibility that disabled or depressed people – no matter what their age or physical condition – might decide to take their own life in response to constant pressure from the government.

At a time of year that many consider to be ‘suicide season’, this seems a more pressing concern.

The intention of the NHS announcement is good, though.

It’s just a shame that they’re obscuring the facts that make it necessary.

Follow me on Twitter: @MidWalesMike

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