Depression

[Lucky Poet]

Weird. Well, unexpected at least. Mind you, no less unexpected than bread mould being the key to curing many previously fatal infections, I suppose.

Scary stuff, Ketamine; I was rather put off by one story of a friend of a friend on the stuff passing out face-first into a bonfire, and having to be dragged out by his companions.

[Fat Cat]

You lot are a deep well of information. Feeling very low but know the cause - work related. Can anyone recommend any coping mechanisms on stress at work?

thanks.

[Josef]

Specifically?

Weight of work, managerial-related, your own feelings of competence, the people you deal with in your job, or what?

[Fat Cat]

Specifically?

Weight of work, managerial-related, your own feelings of competence, the people you deal with in your job, or what?

all of the above

Huge changes in the work place, new managment undermining confidence, resulting in zero confidence in my abilities, work mates who go tell tale-ing to the boss about EVERYTHING, it's worse than bloody school. God, I could be here all night...

Not a crier but last week, just burst into tears over the most trivial thing. Now have a few days off but the underlying feeling of returning is just weighing on me. Life should not be like this...

[Sharon]

No life shouldnt be like this. Dont hold back here, venting the problems can help relieve the pressure. Trust in yourself. someone wiser that me can hopefully offer some practical advice. X

[The Egg Man]

Sharon makes a good point.

I've no doubt people continue in employment which is slowly (or not so slowly) breaking them down for any number of very valid reasons but, as I think anyone who's suffered serious illness will agree, the most important thing is your health.

A working environment which is damaging your mental health is as bad as working unprotected in a room full of asbestos, in proximity to a radiation source or in a confined space with a bunch of cigarette smokers.

[maxruby]

Fat Cat,
May I ask if your organisation offers any confidential assistance and support to employees? I fancy the answer is no and herein lies the problem with the new breed of manager and performance driven operations.
In the current economic climate,job security takes on much more importance.In my experience,this leads to employees-whether in commercial or non-commercial organisations-falling into 3 groups.

1/Those who will do anything to curry favour with line management and indeed, with those in roles further up the ladder than their immediate superior. They are usually the type of gossip monger that you would avoid socially. However, people change under stress so those you previously trusted as good colleagues can "go bad".

2/Those who simply "get on with it". Probably older and more experienced so either nearing the end of their employment or on the sort of "bomb proof" contract from a past era which makes them difficult to discipline and therefore dismiss.

3/ Those with emotions,feelings,empathy for others; those who loathe injustice and begin to feel impotent in as much as they feel that there is nothing they can do to improve the workplace environment. They will work harder-not better-they will do more-but not for more money-they will say to managers that all is ok-when clearly it is not.
This group,which I can tell you is the majority,they might not admit it when asked,needs the support of an organisation not the shadow of disciplinary action for under-performance.

Employee turnover is at the heart of a successful organisation. The lower that is the better the organisation performs.
Successful organisations provide support and training for managers as well as those with no responsibility for staff. This enables management to listen,consider and then act before situations get so desperate for employees that they soon take time off through stress or stress related illness.
We should also remember that the majority of managers have managers. They too have targets, KPIs,annual appraisals.
Easy for me to say,Fat Cat, but my mantra has been "Manage your Manager". Know how they think and work them out.
As for colleagues, just don't allow them any ammunition to fire off from their spiteful mouths.

I wish to emphasise this is just my opinion based on my work with a few major and some minor organisations over the past 35 years.

[Dot]

I was reading a column recently which recommended two books by Matthew Johnson.
I had a Black Dog and the other is Living with a Black Dog.
Don't know whether they would be of use to anyone on here but thought I would mention it.

[Doorstop]

My *entire* mental health team has been transferred from Riverside in Partick to the Arndale in Drumchapel.

The rationale? Too many patients in Riverside for not enough Health professionals, Arndale apparently has the antithesis.

Anyway .. I sent the flare up that I didn't want my team to change .. I haven't been brilliant recently but I haven't been accusing my Dad of trying to poison me with mercury any time in the recent past (and yes I have done o.O) but , hey, not great. Hence my recent abscence from the important HG gigs.

I'm sorry guys, I sooo wanted to be there, but honestly - you would have gotten a different bloke. [shame ]

Anyway .. after five unanswered phonecalls to the previous manager in Riverside asking to be maintained in the status quo, I was informed that I was obliged to attend my new assesment.

Three phone calls to one manager blanked, ANGRY phone call leading to conversation with same informing me he was passing my details onto AN Other. (I subsequently discovered Manager A was leaving the job and basically didn't give a fuck!!)

Manager B recieved two emails, one hand written letter and failed to answer three phone calls.

Result:

Today, I was informed I was not only having my shrink, Consultant shrink and CPN changing to complete strangers, but my meds were changing too.

In conformance with my new Consultant Shrink (who didn't yet have access to my full medical records) .. it was still seen fit to cut my antidepressant in half, TRIPLE my primary antipsychotic, maintain my secondary and delete my PRN (as required) antipsychotic and add fucking Valium as my new "as required".

Continuity of care people .. continuity of care .. the drugs start tomorrow.

I may be some time .. I may be QUITE some time.

[Doorstop]

Oh .. incidentally .. the cutoff point for patient transfer?

Not how ill they were, or how they may cope with the stress .. no .. it was the postcode.

Everyone in G13 moved .. suicidal or not.

I am seriously fucked off

[Fossil]

Today, I was informed I was not only having my shrink, Consultant shrink and CPN changing to complete strangers, but my meds were changing too.

In conformance with my new Consultant Shrink (who didn't yet have access to my full medical records) .. it was still seen fit to cut my antidepressant in half, TRIPLE my primary antipsychotic, maintain my secondary and delete my PRN (as required) antipsychotic and add fucking Valium as my new "as required".

Continuity of care people .. continuity of care .. the drugs start tomorrow.

I may be some time .. I may be QUITE some time.

Id ask or demand why your regular medications changing, they cant change it just like that - to put in a nut shell Doorstop me old china, the new medication esp Valium is not a good move

Fossil

[The Egg Man]

Oh .. incidentally .. the cutoff point for patient transfer?

Not how ill they were, or how they may cope with the stress .. no .. it was the postcode.

Everyone in G13 moved .. suicidal or not.

I am seriously fucked off

I'm sure there's others better informed than me to offer a view about why this might be but I've heard mention in another regard about the reduction from 4 Community Health Care Partnerships in Glasgow down to 3 and that people find themselves being moved from one treatment centre to another, one support team to another purely on cost grounds.

[Doorstop]

The Diazepam is a short term move .. they have cut my usual PRN Largactil and increased my standing Quetiapine by 200%

The diazepam is in place of the PRN largactil "to cover any wobbles while the extra Quetiapine takes effect" .. I can see the logic.

Trouble is .. the new Doc, lovely though she is only sees the logic - she doesn't have to live with the side effects.

[Doorstop]

Oh and "they can't change your meds like that"?

Mate .. they can. They ask you if it's ok, but when it comes down to it, what do you know?

You have to go with it in the offchance they know what's best, even having scant recourse to your full records.

I can see myself either being "phased" for the next couple of weeks or being marked a troublemaker by the new medicos.

[Boxer6]

Oh and "they can't change your meds like that"?

Mate .. they can. They ask you if it's ok, but when it comes down to it, what do you know?

You have to go with it in the offchance they know what's best, even having scant recourse to your full records.

I can see myself either being "phased" for the next couple of weeks or being marked a troublemaker by the new medicos.

But …… but, you are a troublemaker!!

Seriously, though, I'm shocked! I knew there were going to be some fairly far-reaching changes to M.H. services, and it was highly unlikely there would be any consultation taking place (for anyone, staff included), but I didn't realise they would be as swingeing and drastic as this!

As a "point of order" aside - CHCP's as entities ceased to exist some months ago, and there are now THREE sectors of ONE CHP to cover the whole city. This has come about partly as a result of the breakdown in joint-working between Health and Social Work (seemingly from political differences "on high" rather than down where the workers are - but, I digress) and, partly, as a small part of the massive amount deemed necessary to 'save' in the financial years to come.

DS ….. I feel for you mate, and just hope you can settle down on your new meds regime ASAP without too many problems.

Incidentally, there's more of this to come in the North of the city later this year, that I do know. Not looking forward to it, frankly.