tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post7000623232489139486..comments2023-09-10T06:52:18.149-07:00Comments on Schizophrenia at the Schoolgate: London, the Schizophrenia Commission and EverythingSchizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-68753312605660733782012-03-23T04:43:03.623-07:002012-03-23T04:43:03.623-07:00Thank you. I am not surprised your son doesn'...Thank you. I am not surprised your son doesn't want to speak up - there is still huge shame around mental health issues, and he probably just wants to distance himself from the psychiatric system and forget about the whole thing. Maybe if you point him to the Mad in America site and other resources on the web he will start to understand that he is not the only person who has suffered from abuses in the system, and will be motivated to stand up and be counted, to stop the injustice for future generations...<br /><br />His case sounds very extreme, since he was driven mad and both you and he were disbelieved about the circumstances. It might be more common that we realise though - a similar thing happened to a woman I know - she was given a drug which made her hallucinate, and she nearly had her kids taken away as a result.<br /><br />I have found it so liberating to be able to be honest about my past and I have finally dealt with the shame of it in this way. I no longer feel that I have anything to be ashamed of in my past, and that makes me feel so much happier and more confident. Your son probably still thinks that no-one would believe his story, but I bet they would. Maybe he could start by writing an anonymous blog, as I did?!<br /><br />And it might also be worth directing him to the sites of Rethink and Time to Change - or going to therapy such as CBT where an impartial counsellor could listen without judging him and show him practical ways to move on with his life.<br /><br />There is also a blog called 'SkyBlue Cure' - this guy recovered completely and writes well about it, and so does Marian - I can't remember her blog details but she has commented on Rossa Forbes' blog recently so you could find her that way. I think she is from Denmark or one of the other Scandinavian countries.<br /><br />If you have trouble finding any of these resources, just drop me a line and I will link to them properly. It is such a beautiful day today, and Toddler's day off play school, so I don't want to spend any more time on the computer just now!<br /><br />I hope it all works out. I hate the thought of young people losing their way in the system and accepting a life that is less than the one they were born to - there is just no need!<br /><br />All the best, LouiseSchizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-85060861526192753032012-03-22T15:36:08.157-07:002012-03-22T15:36:08.157-07:00well done! I think you are doing a good job by spe...well done! I think you are doing a good job by speeking up.I wish my son would but he is still too traumatised by his experience in the mental health service.He nearly died twice because the psychiatrists refused to believe him when he reported the side effects he developed on the antipsychotic medication and refused to help him to get off it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-91876724576043130942012-03-22T15:12:01.373-07:002012-03-22T15:12:01.373-07:00Thanks Rossa. You're a brick (English express...Thanks Rossa. You're a brick (English expression, not sure of American equivalent, but definitely positive!)<br /><br />And Anonymous - this meeting was about recovery. But yes, other ground was covered, and I did speak about treatment during acute mental distress. (I spoke about all sorts...it was impossible to shut me up). I said nobody should be forcibly medicated, and suggested that if somebody refused treatment they could just be left alone, behind a closed door, and approached again later. <br /><br />Jeremy Laurance said that he was worried that people would suffer immensely if they had the option to refuse treatment - he had heard of a case where a girl instructed her boyfriend that if she ever became psychotic he should chain her to a radiator at home rather than call for help and allow her to be sectioned again. I told him that was obviously due to the brutal treatment she had previously received in hospital. So, a bit of a chicken and egg situation. <br /><br />If there was more openness and trust between mental health services and the people they are supposed to be helping - which the mental health services would have to earn by never forcing treatment on anyone - then more people would ask for help earlier, and not need to go to hospital. And those who did become psychotic would not necessarily need to be hospitalised - in other countries they use hospital as a last resort, treat people in their homes while looking at the wider social picture. (All hail the Finnish system and the documentaries of Daniel Mackler!)<br /><br />In my case, mental health professionals aiming to treat me for my first breakdown would have found a vulnerable nineteen year old, who had left her dysfuntional family home three years previously, just split from a long term boyfriend, homeless in the University Easter break, sleeping on her sister's floor. Lonely, paranoid, poor, hopeless, socially inept, and lost. No wonder my mind slipped away from the situation I was in.<br /><br />I also explained to the Commissioners that even in the throes of psychosis, sufferers have periods of lucidity - and I was backed up on this point by others in the group. The important thing is for mental health treatment to be consistent, caring and gentle - the ultimate aim being to foster trust. That is why safe havens like the Soteria houses work so well - because in those periods of lucidity the sufferers can see that life is worth living, and they are motivated to get well. <br /><br />A lot of ground was covered in the meeting, but I suppose it would have been impossible to get definitive answers to every question. Towards the end of the afternoon session, the issue of money crept in - the few Soteria houses we have are closing due to lack of funds, it is impossible to model hospital services on private hospitals because of the cost... So sad. But the outlook remains positive - professionals are starting to recognise the failures in the current system and trying to make amends - I wish the Schizophrenia Commission luck as they continue to work towards finding solutions.Schizophrenia at the Schoolgatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03839755338912448705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-57120987819399204532012-03-22T12:10:52.804-07:002012-03-22T12:10:52.804-07:00I'm so glad you made the trip and made your th...I'm so glad you made the trip and made your thoughts known. Bravo!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06700295858497275586noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5317925651753639985.post-61452714738623314802012-03-22T06:58:00.223-07:002012-03-22T06:58:00.223-07:00Well done! Fully support the recovery but what of ...Well done! Fully support the recovery but what of the treatment during acute phase when sectioned? Was that discussed too? Seems recovery is being looked at and not initial treatment here in truly 'mad stage' as you call it? Is anyone dealing with that having read others comment on what they have been through at the stage when they couldn't help themselves anyway? Or is that the point you are suggesting that is mental breakdown and not a diagnosable time? Good for you anyway!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com