Life-distress issues reveal a social and not just a health-care problem

To which type of “deeply rewarding” does Brendan Kelly (Irish Examiner, Letters, August 10) refer in his sturdy apologia for current response practices regarding life-distress issues?

‘Big Pharma’ reaps plenty of lucre-reward in this zone, and the all-too-complicit medical practitioners aren’t left short-of-pocket either.

The two are inextricably woven, joined at the hip to sustain the relentless gravy train which continues to give and give.

Such corruptive realities have been well-documented by informed commentators over recent years.

But, strangely, the distortions continue. Possession is, as they say, nine tenths of the law, so change is unlikely.

Brendan Kelly is at pains to illuminate the many adverse social connotations that contribute to life-distress. These are complex sociological scenarios, with familial, communal and societal dynamics. They are not biomedical.

By Kelly’s own logic-trajectory, one has to cry out as to why is it ever considered a medicalised ‘health care’ problem in the first instance.

Jim Cosgrove,

Lismore,

Co Waterford