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#OTD in 1822, #ViscountCastlereagh, Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons, died by his own hand.
Thanks very much to those of you who have followed my #Castlereagh200 threads, looking at Castlereagh's career through the lens of mental health.
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#twitterstorians
Thanks very much to those of you who have followed my #Castlereagh200 threads, looking at Castlereagh's career through the lens of mental health.
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#twitterstorians
I was at a loss for how to mark the day after spending the last 2 years writing the research article on which all these tweets are based.
Maybe something more reflective is fitting.
I had always been interested in Castlereagh from a diplomatic and political standpoint...
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Maybe something more reflective is fitting.
I had always been interested in Castlereagh from a diplomatic and political standpoint...
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...and became increasingly interested in exploring the mental health aspect of his story because it was a challenging area that would combine history, politics, psychology, medicine, and other disciplines.
So I started researching in 2020.
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So I started researching in 2020.
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In the last few months of #Castlereagh200 threads we've covered a lot of ground, looking at many stressors that put Castlereagh's #MentalHealth at risk.
Now that we're only days from the bicentenary of his death, let's look at some conclusions.
#twitterstorians
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Now that we're only days from the bicentenary of his death, let's look at some conclusions.
#twitterstorians
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First, the stress on Castlereagh was cumulative and pervasive. The downward spiral that he experienced in the weeks preceding his suicide was only the final chapter in a story that had been developing for yrs. The overlap between the professional and the social made it worse.
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Castlereagh was arguably a successful policymaker. But what did that require? He had to be a strategist, a tactician, a courtier, a whip, an orator, a master of protocol, an ambassador, a traveller, a negotiator, a socialite, and a political campaigner.
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As we turn the corner into the week of August 12, I want to focus this #Castlereagh200 🧵 on a final area of #MentalHealth risk connected to the workplace: job insecurity.
Bear with me though--I turn this one on its head.
#ViscountCastlereagh #twitterstorians
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Bear with me though--I turn this one on its head.
#ViscountCastlereagh #twitterstorians
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If you've been following these #Castlereagh200 threads, you may call that I'm drawing from a risk framework that forms the basis for my upcoming article on Castlereagh and mental health. See the attached table, adapted from Boini, 2020 and Gollac et al, 2011.
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Job insecurity has long been recognized as a mental health risk. But was Castlereagh's job insecure? No.
Electorally he was in safe seats, only losing his home seat briefly in 1805. His position in Cabinet after 1812 was arguably more secure than Liverpool's.
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Electorally he was in safe seats, only losing his home seat briefly in 1805. His position in Cabinet after 1812 was arguably more secure than Liverpool's.
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For the next #Castlereagh200 thread, let's look at value conflicts.
Value conflicts contribute to chronic stress, and are a serious risk factor in #MentalHealth.
What kind of value conflicts did Castlereagh face throughout his career as a public servant?
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#twitterstorians
Value conflicts contribute to chronic stress, and are a serious risk factor in #MentalHealth.
What kind of value conflicts did Castlereagh face throughout his career as a public servant?
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#twitterstorians
Value conflicts can be internal (e.g. an individual having to choose between competing values at a personal level) or external (e.g. an individual's personal values conflicting with a competing value system in their professional or social environment).
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In the workplace, value conflicts can create the perception that a competing value system is keeping a person from achieving good or just outcomes, or can lead to ethical dilemmas. The tension can be difficult to identify, but pervasive and demoralizing.
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For the next instalment of my #Castlereagh200 threads looking at the career of Viscount Castlereagh through the lens of #MentalHealth, let's turn to another factor that has a significant impact on one's level of chronic stress: autonomy.
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#twitterstorians #HistParl #19thC
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#twitterstorians #HistParl #19thC
In this context, autonomy refers to one's ability to influence the pace, organization, or outcomes of their work. Ultimately, greater autonomy allows individuals to manage their work in ways that mitigate stress, improve well-being, and lead to greater pride in the outcomes.
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The traditional view of Castlereagh, articulated initially by CK Webster, has been that he had significant autonomy, mainly through his dominance of Britain’s foreign policy.
But let's unpack this a little bit...
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But let's unpack this a little bit...
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Following from my last #Castlereagh200 thread, which covered the personal attacks on Castlereagh in media, it makes sense to examine 2 other stressors that increased the emotional demand on Castlereagh: fear and emotional discordance.
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#twitterstorians #MentalHealth #HistParl
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#twitterstorians #MentalHealth #HistParl
Given the level of scorn heaped on Castlereagh in the radical press, it was predictable that these writings and imagery would inspire some to action and there was no shortage of threats to the Foreign Secretary's personal safety.
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Often, these threats took the form of street mobs. In 1815 it was necessary to have Castlereagh's house guarded by cavalry, and in 1818, after casting his vote in a by-election, Castlereagh was forced to barricade himself in a shop to avoid a crowd armed with bricks.
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Continuing with my series of threads for #Castlereagh200, looking at #ViscountCastlereagh's career through the lens of #MentalHealth. Let's turn to the second major area of risk for chronic stress in the workplace: emotional demand.
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CW: suicide, violence
#twitterstorians
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CW: suicide, violence
#twitterstorians
Specifically, I want to focus on a stressor that is important in politics: tension with the public. Research has shown that jobs where there is sustained tension with the public (e.g. public hostility) have higher levels of chronic stress, contributing to poor mental health.
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It's well known that Castlereagh was an unpopular politician (esp. within radical and reformist movements), but what is particularly striking about the printed attacks on Castlereagh in satires and pamphlets, apart from their frequency, is their highly personalised nature.
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The question for today's #Castlereagh200 thread: How did the interaction between social and professional spheres of life increase the risk to Viscount Castlereagh's #MentalHealth? 1/
#twitterstorians #HistParl
#twitterstorians #HistParl
The cumulative stress related to work can be reduced when a person has a number of elements in their life, and distinct separation between them--often termed ‘self-complexity’ (e.g. hobbies/interests/responsibilities that are separate from work, co-workers, and the workplace). 2/
Self-complexity can lead to greater mental resilience because it allows a person to isolate stress (i.e. they can 'leave stress at work,' or at home, etc.) With fewer elements, or less separation between elements, the risk to mental health increases. 3/
Next in my #Castlereagh200 series: What structural factors in govt contributed to the chronic stress on #ViscountCastlereagh while he was Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons? 1/
#twitterstorians #HistParl
#twitterstorians #HistParl
Reminder: chronic stress is a key factor in poor #MentalHealth, so structural factors that are organizationally ingrained and exacerbate stress are particularly problematic. 2/
One important structural factor was that there was no equivalent to a modern-day Chief Whip. The functions were dispersed between the patronage secretary to the Treasury (Charles Arbuthnot, L), the Treasury Whip (William Holmes, R), and the Leader of the House (Castlereagh). 3/
In my last thread for #Castlereagh200, I looked at how #ViscountCastlereagh's final weeks in 1822 linked to 19thC writing on what we now recognize as #MentalHealth.
Now let's return to the framework of individual risk factors for chronic stress. 1/
#twitterstorians #ParlHist
Now let's return to the framework of individual risk factors for chronic stress. 1/
#twitterstorians #ParlHist
Labour intensity (the volume, pressure, and complexity of work), and working time (length and unpredictability of working hours) are well-recognized in biographies of Castlereagh, so I'll zero in on a specific element: the consistent pressure on Castlereagh over a long period. 2/
It's difficult to capture the total demand on Castlereagh, but it is possible to establish a representative picture. I graphed the volume of contributions made by Castlereagh in the #HouseofCommons during each session from 1803-22. (full graph will be in the article) 3/
Here's the latest instalment of my threads on #ViscountCastlereagh and #MentalHealth under the hashtag #Castlereagh200.
In my last thread, I looked at how medical practitioners through the 19thC understood stress, and particularly the work of Charles Mills. 1/
In my last thread, I looked at how medical practitioners through the 19thC understood stress, and particularly the work of Charles Mills. 1/
Today, I'll use a passage from Mills's 1884 study of mental overwork among 'professional and public men' to consider Castlereagh's behaviour preceding his suicide on August 12, 1822--changes that bear strong similarities to what Mills identified as acute nervous exhaustion /2
Mills identified warning signs:
"excessive irritability of temper; depression of spirits; morbid impulses and fears; constantly recurring thoughts, phrases, or suspicions; sense of effort; impairment of memory and attention; and change in habits and methods of mental work." 3/
"excessive irritability of temper; depression of spirits; morbid impulses and fears; constantly recurring thoughts, phrases, or suspicions; sense of effort; impairment of memory and attention; and change in habits and methods of mental work." 3/
Using a modern framework to examine #ViscountCastlereagh's exposure to #MentalHealth risks raises historiographical questions. The way we experience chronic stress may not be the same way that those in the 18th/19thC experienced it. 1/
#Castlereagh200 #twitterstorians #HistParl
#Castlereagh200 #twitterstorians #HistParl
We have to consider broader historical understandings of #stress. The idea of mental exhaustion has a long history. A writer in Aristotle’s circle in c. 350 B.C.E identified ‘melancholia’ as an affliction that was particularly tied to learned men, including statesmen. 2/
Analysis of stress in the #19thC has identified drivers that are, in fact, quite similar to those of our own era, namely: working hours that were growing longer and more intense; the growth of information and new technologies; and anxiousness about an uncertain environment. 3/
How can we examine #ViscountCastlereagh's career through a mental health lens? Research has indicated that exposure to chronic stress is an important driver of poor mental health, and chronic stress manifests in many different ways. 1/
#Castlereagh200 #twitterstorians #HistParl
#Castlereagh200 #twitterstorians #HistParl
Several studies have proposed an overarching framework of six domains and 17 sub-domains of exposure to chronic stress (See table below adapted from Gollac et al 2011 and Boini et al 2020). 2/
Using this framework, we can begin to systematically assess Castlereagh's exposure to chronic stress and, by extension, the strain on his #MentalHealth. For the article, I examined all 7 domains, factoring in both professional and social dynamics. 3/3
Continuing my tweet series for #Castlereagh200, today's question: How does mental health factor into the different hypotheses that have been put forward to explain Castlereagh's suicide? 1/
#ViscountCastlereagh #twitterstorians #HistParl
(Img: BM)
#ViscountCastlereagh #twitterstorians #HistParl
(Img: BM)
Psychiatric analysis has concluded that Castlereagh likely suffered from recurrent major depressive disorder with psychotic symptoms. However there have also been other hypotheses, most notably neurosyphilis. 2/
The reality is that any specific diagnosis will remain uncertain given the inherent gaps in the historical record. But the lack of a specific diagnosis shouldn't hinder a broader discussion of Castlereagh’s mental health that could prove more generalisable. 3/
Some key questions 200 years on:
Castlereagh’s underlying mental health has been a secondary and incomplete consideration. What can we learn by making Castlereagh’s mental health a consistent thread of analysis? 1/3
#Castlereagh200 #ViscountCastlereagh
Castlereagh’s underlying mental health has been a secondary and incomplete consideration. What can we learn by making Castlereagh’s mental health a consistent thread of analysis? 1/3
#Castlereagh200 #ViscountCastlereagh
What role did social stressors play? How did social and professional stressors interact? What role did personal, professional, or societal expectations play? 2/3
#MentalHealth
#MentalHealth
Ultimately, Castlereagh’s struggle with mental health was more pervasive and complicated than past research has indicated. 3/3
In the last week I submitted my draft article on #ViscountCastlereagh and mental health to a journal for consideration. It's fitting timing, considering that August 2022 will mark 200 years since Castlereagh's suicide. 1/
#Castlereagh200
#Castlereagh200
To take 2 lines from the abstract:
1) Mental health is still a missing link in our understanding of both Castlereagh as a public and private figure, and the politics of his era. 2/
#MentalHealthAwareness
1) Mental health is still a missing link in our understanding of both Castlereagh as a public and private figure, and the politics of his era. 2/
#MentalHealthAwareness
2) Castlereagh continues to be relevant today because his story illustrates the need to understand the complexity of mental health risks in politics, and the types of persistent mental health risks that are still relevant to today’s politicians and civil servants.
