tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post5011026085606997825..comments2023-09-10T06:52:18.149-07:00Comments on Schizophrenia at the Schoolgate: Disability BenefitsSchizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-64320369997035046142013-01-10T09:38:14.987-08:002013-01-10T09:38:14.987-08:00Hi. Basically, I came a long way simply by partic...Hi. Basically, I came a long way simply by participating in life - by virtue of my children, I had a place in society, as a Mum. I wanted them to grow up to be confident - so I made a huge effort to take them out and about, to toddler groups and so on. I made friends at these places, went to their houses and on trips with them and so on - it helped my social anxiety a lot.<br /><br />I had an awful lot of residual fear though - I was a worrier and I used to catastrophise (I spent a lot of time winding myself up, wondering what was the worst that could happen in certain situations). My horizons narrowed drastically over the years - I wouldn't drive on dual carriageways or motorways, I avoided lots of social situations (when the kids wouldn't be there to give me a focus) ruled myself out of loads of things before I had even tried them. I had a lot of panic attacks - and eventually decided this was part of my personality.<br /><br />When I wrote my book a year and a half ago, this provided the catalyst for a lot of change. I felt very free - I had faced my worst fear, that people would find out that I had been labelled 'schizophrenic' and my life was subsequently not much different at all. I had booked a course of cognitive behavioural therapy on the NHS, in case I couldn't cope when the book was published - in fact there was such a long waiting list that the book had been out for many months before I got the therapy, and I had already coped, so that made me stronger.<br /><br />Then in the therapy itself, I was lucky to get a very knowledgeable practitioner, who turned out to be someone I felt able to trust. I told her my deepest secrets - which turned out not to be all that bad once they had seen the light of day. She worked through my thought processes with me - I realised that I had some pretty unfriendly internal attitudes towards myself and I learned to change these to positive and helpful thoughts, by learning to realise when I was mentally putting myself down, and replacing the kinder, better thoughts. I now have a realistic and positive 'mantra' (based on the truth that I am a good person) and I still repeat it to myself when the negative thoughts try to creep in.<br /><br />Also while I was having therapy, I stretched the limits of what I thought I was capable of. I went to a Rethink Mental Illness Member's Day, at the end of 2011, and spoke out in public there, during a preliminary meeting the Schizophrenia Commission. A few months later I travelled to London alone on the train to give evidence to that Commission - I was terrified, but it proved to be a very empowering experience. <br /><br />This comment is getting too long, but basically over the last year and a half I have taken every opportunity that comes my way - the highlight was travelling to Newcastle alone, by plane and train, to talk to students there - and I have learned and grown stronger from all these experiences. I now realise that I can deal with a lot more than I ever thought possible, and there is no need or room now for anxiety in my life. If it starts to creep back, I have strategies in place to assess what is happening and deal with it rationally. I am always aware that I need to monitor myself - I don't take my newfound confidence for granted, because the only time I ever felt confident in the past I turned out to be 'manic' and on the verge of a nervous breakdown - so now I aim for 'calmly confident'.<br /><br />I hope that helps. The Glasgow steps website is a good port of call - so is 'Beyond Meds'. Louise xSchizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-12315391428299317892013-01-09T09:29:10.776-08:002013-01-09T09:29:10.776-08:00Hi can i ask how you overcome your anxiety
ThanksHi can i ask how you overcome your anxiety<br />ThanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-56066556813473000102013-01-07T08:34:27.843-08:002013-01-07T08:34:27.843-08:00I do wonder if the fear of losing benefits helps t...I do wonder if the fear of losing benefits helps to keep people compliant with with the medication. Some people seem almost frightened to recover - or to be seen to recover - in case they lose the prop of benefits, which is understandable but very sad and unfair on them. I hope your son remains well. It is good to hear from you again. Louise xSchizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-86220814366446581362013-01-06T13:38:58.544-08:002013-01-06T13:38:58.544-08:00In my son's case accepting disability benefit ...In my son's case accepting disability benefit was the equivalent of accepting the label of "severely mentally ill" which he wasn't. He was driven psychotic by the antripsychotic meds he had been put on against his will. His psychosis was due to infection and delirium. It turned into a vicious circle. My son kept saying that he didn't want benefits and social services kept writing to him "you need benefits-come for an acessement" He felt that big brother was watching him and went on the run. Life can be like that sometimes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-79096728587363131032013-01-06T11:25:06.822-08:002013-01-06T11:25:06.822-08:00Hi Rosssa.
Thanks for your comment. There are al...Hi Rosssa.<br /><br />Thanks for your comment. There are always two sides... It is such a complicated issue, isn't it - benefits, I mean, but also mental health in general. What I do know is that human beings should not stand in judgement on one another, especially if they have no personal experience of a particular situation. Anybody who has not been mentally ill or cared for someone with a mental illness, or anybody who has never needed to be on benefits, is not well placed to criticise those who have suffered in this way. <br /><br />It is hard to explain how a person feels in the aftermath of an episode in a mental hospital - helpless, hopeless, almost incapable of thought or speech. At the age of 25, sitting in a GP surgery feeling this way, I was confused beyond belief when the GP refused to sign a sick note to entitle me to benefits and instead told me to go out and get a job. I may have looked well, but I was utterly broken inside. (I went out and looked for a job, predictably didn't get one, and probably would have ended up straight back inside the hospital, or worse, had another GP in the same surgery not signed the note).<br /><br />Also: When a person does have to sit in judgement on another (like a judge, in the case I wrote about above regarding the 'schizophrenic' woman with cancer) they should obviously be as impartial as possible. Discrimination on the basis of a mental health diagnosis is wrong. Legally and morally wrong. <br /><br />All the best, Rossa. xx <br /><br />Schizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-49613434962470840642013-01-06T11:10:41.785-08:002013-01-06T11:10:41.785-08:00Thanks Katy.
The best thing about writing this bl...Thanks Katy.<br /><br />The best thing about writing this blog and my book has been hearing from people who have been helped by it. I am really glad that your life has improved so much in the past year. And you really shouldn't feel guilty about benefits - I honestly wish I had just appreciated them all the time I had them, instead of feeling bad about it. I definitely would not feel guilty if I had them back even now! You have been through enough, and the benefits are in place for a reason - to let you recover to the best of your ability with the minimum of stress. Make the most of it!<br /><br />I do resent the 'schizophrenia' label - I think it is an inhumane term to inflict on another human being, and far too many people sink under the weight of this diagnosis. I have no respect for any mental health professional who thinks that 'Schizophrenic' is a valid and acceptable term to apply to a human being, when there is so much evidence of the damage that it does to people's lives, and especially because of the fact that it is not even based in science, but just on supposition, observation, mind-reading and trial and error use of medications. <br /><br />The sooner the label is gone, the better. I don't believe in it for myself, or for anyone else. But you know that... <br /><br />Anyway, I am sure we will be in touch on Twitter soon. I found myself thinking of you and your warning to be careful of Twitter last night, when I was tweeting away far too late. You're right, it is a dangerously addictive use of time - but it keeps the brain active!Schizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-78370078509498717412013-01-06T10:37:57.844-08:002013-01-06T10:37:57.844-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Schizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-45200492683545157372013-01-06T10:36:17.884-08:002013-01-06T10:36:17.884-08:00I know where you are coming from. I feel so incred...I know where you are coming from. I feel so incredibly guilty for receiving benefits but I have to weigh up the pros and cons of it. The only pro is that I would no longer feel the guilt of taking benefits. The cons are that one of my retired parents would have to find work instead as there's no way I could work. And what chance would they have of finding work at their age? The guilt of accepting benefits would be replaced by the guilt of forcing my parents to find work.<br /><br />I know I've said this a million times but your book and blog has really, infinitely helped me. I can empathise with your "Who would listen to me, I'm just a schizophrenic!" as I feel exactly the same at times! But I know that there are thousands of other "schizophrenics" out there who feel similarly to us in the sense that the diagnosis is daunting. Scary even. The diagnosis of psychosis (my initial diagnosis) was scary enough but when schizophrenia became officially my diagnosis, I believed my life was over.<br /><br />Yet through reading your book, I began to write myself and then joined Twitter a few months later. You were my 2nd follower!! Joining twitter made me see just how many people were affected by not just schizophrenia but other mental illnesses. I knew the statistic was 1 in 4 but because mental illness is such a stigma, I rarely have conversations about it except in a professional capacity. And I've found that personal experience is a million times better than professional experience!<br /><br />So next time you feel like 'who would listen to me' remind yourself that AT LEAST 1 in 4 people will listen to you! There are many others who will listen too, people who know people with mental illness. Never say you're "just" a schizophrenic. You may be diagnosed with schizophrenia but people who survive the diagnosis are true heroes!Katy Grayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13384403447580393959noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-6805870713378329852013-01-06T05:32:24.997-08:002013-01-06T05:32:24.997-08:00Excellent post. You ably demonstrate that there ar...Excellent post. You ably demonstrate that there are two sides, at least, to every issue.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06700295858497275586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-2600657113982609582013-01-06T01:15:24.406-08:002013-01-06T01:15:24.406-08:00Hi Ashley
Yes, you're right, benefits carry s...Hi Ashley<br /><br />Yes, you're right, benefits carry stigma, and they don't make lives comfortable - they sometimes act as a sop to those who have had their lives ruined by psychiatric diagnoses. It would be far better to enable people, while ensuring that they are comfortable and happy as far as possible. I have radio 4 on in the background and am about to listen to the programme - but I get the impression that it is about benefits in general, not just disability benefits. It's a huge subject - people are on benefits for all sorts of reasons, and some people do get stuck on them. <br /><br />I grew up with a group of people who had no intention of working, ever, and who just eked out a living on benefits (these were young people, my friends, not my family). I think they would all have been better off, and happier, working, but for various reasons, mostly their upbringing, they just weren't equipped to make these choices for themselves. They were not bad people. Disability benefits obviously deal with a completely different group of people - they are there to deal with different problems - but there is a surprising amount of overlap. <br /><br />Anyway, good luck to you. I am sure things will work out. Give yourself time, and try not to worry about anything!<br /><br />Louise xSchizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-36844155509597475892013-01-05T15:28:44.869-08:002013-01-05T15:28:44.869-08:00Hi,
I can relate to you... I have schizophrenia ...Hi, <br /><br />I can relate to you... I have schizophrenia and have benefits and am trying to work with some setbacks. I would like to get off of disability income for my self-esteem. However, until I get things stable financially I am stuck- stuck being limited and monitored by the government. I hate the fact that specific individuals think my income is a handout. Benefits bother me and my goal is gradually get off of them to move forward in my life.<br /><br />Ashley Smithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03227478646550668474noreply@blogger.com