Hello Everyone,
Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but this thread seems to be a general "f.u" to the mental health care system v.s the "healing and recovering" prespective that it can offer.
I am a nurse and my first student placement was in a hospital psych ward short-term emergencies where the most popular options were either relocation to a long-term care facility - when they were openings or back into the community hopefully with the right support i.e social workers, doctors, family, friends, a plan to maintain contact between the patient and the health care system.
Its to bad but stories such as Baryon's and Popcorn Suttons are all too common. Individauls feel they are misdiganosied, are being forced to take medication (which in Canada nobody can force you to take any medication) I do admitthere is a special mental health act law in some (maybe all?) proviences/terratories (spelling?) that allows doctors and first-responders to force you to stay in care if you are a threat to yourself or others and in some cases court orders can be put in place where you seriously harm another and need to be transfered to a long-term care facility...such as in the case of a something like - a murder - where a person was [medically speaking] tripping major-balls. I dont know so much about the American experince (where I am assuming most of you are) but I will say in Canada our mental health system has some "pros" to it but also a lot of "cons" - mostly I blame it on funding. Canadians are proud of universal (to some degree) health care but that doesnt mean it isnt underfunded especially in areas that are highly stimigatized (such as mental health) and there are a lot of gaps. Its sad, but most of the gaps in mental health are covered by non-profit agencies, which while doing a wonderful job, often attract undereducated individauls who dont know always know what to say other then the usual - mental health recovery is possible, you need to practice self-care, try and find some friends, come down to our office when you feel blue... Our mental health system is often so stretched that the only patients admited to beds are those who are highly suicidal or at an extreme risk to the public.
However, I believe in a better world for me and you. The best mental health pratices are preventive in my opinion. I am offically diganoised bi-polar. At this point in my life I have been in flow-blown maina four times and expeirnced month long major dpressions after those short seven to ten day manias. Chemmical threapies (such as SSRIS) are really... only one piece of the puzzle. I practice yoga, go to the gym, write in a journal, take long walks, eat healthy and watch a wack load of comedies to try and keep my mind mentally balanced. Further I also think its really really important to have a plan for when you mind is racing and you start deciding to do things you may regret such as contacting your doctor in that moment, using 911 (or whatever your emergency number is), going to an emergency room, calling good friends, a mental health team, etc Either way the points about mental health systems needing work are totally totally valid and I hope to see postive changes in the future.