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Arj Subanandan, on 25 November 2010 - 03:22 PM, said:
I have a personal interest in this. When I get psychotic I can't use services. I have to survive alone. The things that happen to me during these periods are horrific. But I refuse to be sectioned again. I refuse to have my right to choice taken away as well as my liberty. UK policy seems focused on more coercion, not less. They're focused on cheap outcomes - this means antipsychotics (which aren't really antipsychotics because they don't really treat the internal experience. They just sedate the person.).
And don't even get me started on dual diagnosis patients. We're fucked. No charity lobbies for us. No one reads the strategy from 2002 and in my experience it's certainly being put into place. We suffer that extraordinarily powerful and untackled stigma: we do it to ourselves. An anorexic with depression is ok but a depressive who becomes an alcohol isn't. Heck - even Time to Change didn't touch dual diagnosis with a barge pole. In fact the stigma is often foisted onto this group of the mentally ill. I very much doubt that the situation will get much better except for the fact that alcohlism is high in GPs. Perhaps that's a sliver of hope that some of them may understand just how hard it is.
Anyway, best of luck. Fight the good fight.
And don't even get me started on dual diagnosis patients. We're fucked. No charity lobbies for us. No one reads the strategy from 2002 and in my experience it's certainly being put into place. We suffer that extraordinarily powerful and untackled stigma: we do it to ourselves. An anorexic with depression is ok but a depressive who becomes an alcohol isn't. Heck - even Time to Change didn't touch dual diagnosis with a barge pole. In fact the stigma is often foisted onto this group of the mentally ill. I very much doubt that the situation will get much better except for the fact that alcohlism is high in GPs. Perhaps that's a sliver of hope that some of them may understand just how hard it is.
Anyway, best of luck. Fight the good fight.
The last 3 psychotic episodes were horrific for me too - & I went through them all with zero contact with services as well for similar reasons. I agree with what you say about smoking, dual diagnosis, recovery & everything else.
My GP is useless - I've stopped seeing them.
I think that all the people responsible in any way for MH services in this country should be very deeply ashamed.
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