A Thank You To My Care Coordinator

I just wanted to share a thank you card that I made and wrote for my care coordinator – highlighting the true value of dedicated and empathetic mental health workers such as her. Lives are not only changed, but saved by people like her every day.  I made this card for you and saw nothing…

The tricky subject of ‘like’ in mental health care

I’ve been concerned by comments from some mental health professionals about myself and others both within and under the care of mental health teams – at the insinuation of feelings of ‘liking’ or ‘disliking’ each other from the perspective of both the patients and professionals in question, and the importance that this is given. If…

Threatening Patients

A good piece on the use of police and threats by mental health services – often not just inappropriate and unethical, but unlawful, too. When I was a young boy, I can vaguely remember my dear Godmother once saying something about calling the police if I was naughty, saying the police would “take you away”.…

The Real Superheroes

The real superheroes don’t wear capes or masks, there are no lights shone into the sky for them, and their extraordinary achievements don’t get splashed all over the media. The real superheroes save lives, but in ways that go almost unnoticed or are greatly undervalued. They are nurses, doctors, social workers, healthcare assistants, psychologists, teachers,…

A Broken Mental Health System Breaking Patients and Staff Alike

​This article is such a devastating read.  ‘As I exit the hospital gates, the nurse mask slips from my face. Tears stream down my cheeks and for the first time in my 10 years of nursing I think: “I don’t think I can do this any more”.’ I always worry about the strains on the amazing…

It’s All About the Context in Mental Health Crisis

I was speaking to a wonderful crisis team nurse this evening, who spent 50 minutes talking to me in a state of heightened distress at the end of a working day that she had started 14 hours earlier; she provided me with all I could have hoped for over the phone. We started with how…

Believe

Tonight’s word to focus on from an awesome crisis nurse is perhaps the hardest: Believe. 

What Prevents Suicide – One Story

This absolutely hits the nail on the head. So glad my lovely friend has this support but it needs to be available for everyone.

Suicide is Selfish

A very well summarised discussion of why saying that ‘suicide is selfish’ is entirely incorrect.

Awareness Without Provision

This week is suicide prevention week and there’s a lot of discussion and debate about the support appropriate for those in suicidal crisis – how to prevent one killing oneself and, better, how to prevent reaching such a crisis point. However, what often gets missed is the provision available to help those in need –…

The formation of this chronically depressed, anxious, personality disordered, hopeless doodler

My mental health team and I have been exploring my past recently, which has involved a lot of painful acknowledgement of things that I hadn’t allowed myself to feel over the years. I decided to try to represent some of this visually. 

The writing isn’t always clear, so if you missed bits, it says..

A baby.

Unacknowledged, inescapable trauma.

Emotional problems.

Innate self-blame. 

Growing up in fear.

A child.

Internalising problems.

Overflowing with guilt, fear and shame.

Further trauma

-Complete loss of self

-Isolation

-Guilt

-Missing important periods of self-development

Tries to cope on own…

A broken adult.

Worn out by fighting alone.

Full of self-blame. 

Seeks help…finally-> traumatic abuse -> out of strength, fight, energy and trust

Finds good people.

BUT SO BROKEN. Beyond repair? 

How can this wreck be re-formed into some semblance of an adult human?

WHAT’S LEFT?

ME. 😦

Doodling Hope

Part of tonight’s homework from an awesome crisis nurse: Write and doodle around the word ‘Hope’, which I desperately need right now. I made a good go at it, no matter how little I believe it right now.

A Shout Out to Awesome Mental Health Workers

This won’t be a long or eloquent post as I’m in the depths of crisis but I just wanted to send a massive thank you to the dedicated, patient and caring mental health professionals out there. There truly are absolutely gems that do all that they can with the available resources – and more than…