Depression

[hungryjoe]

Take it easy Egg Man.

[Doorstop]

Christ! You think you're having a hard time then you hear something like this.

I hope you're ok Egg Man .. fingers crossed it all goes well.

[HelenD]

Yikes, Egg Man. Having trouble getting my head round that. Get well soon...

[Delmont St Xavier]

Great post DS.
Also pure comedy is watching and listening to a room full of consultant psychiatrists.
I have to work with the buggers and its great fun just sitting observing them.
Each of them will appear to have at least one of the classic psychiatry disease processes that the treat their patients/clients for.
Then you have the cliques.
CBTers versus Psychotherapists.....its like gangwarfare.

Oh yes, I too see that most days; Psychologists are even more amusing, I find!

I've never liked the term 'mental health' it's a label that I find uncomfortable ….

As opposed to 'physical health'? I wonder, is it the appendage 'mental' that causes the discomfort? My job title for years was "Community Psychiatric Nurse", hence the commonly used acronym CPN. I find now that according to 'the powers that be', including, but not limited to, the Nursing & Midwifery Council and Greater Glasgow & Clyde NHS Trust, I am now a "Community Mental Health Nurse". Apparently, that title is more acceptable to the patient/client/service user than the older one.

Ho hum.

Anyway DS, you have indeed done well to receive an apology from a medic - congratulations!!

I do think it has something to do with the stigma attached to 'mental health' from post-depression to schizophrenia, to bi-polar or dementia. It is so wide ranging and in my line of work, if someone happens to mention they are under a 'CPN' the reactions are not favourable and it is that, which I struggle with. I can't offer an alternative and I've struggled for years to 'dress this up' for families etc.

One area that I've found total discrimination is in employment - I've sat in on interviews and if the health record has shown a hint of 'mental illness' I've seen and heard others around me say things that are nothing other than prejudiced. As much as I then battle for that candidate, the others around me seem to be carried away with the stigma 'he/she must be mental' but the worst that I had was one co-interviewer who flippantly stated, 'better no take her, she's be wielding axes in the office when she goes off on one...'.

No, mental health label in my view is dark age stuff for me - but would love to hear others' views.

[Boxer6]

Great post DS.
Also pure comedy is watching and listening to a room full of consultant psychiatrists.
I have to work with the buggers and its great fun just sitting observing them.
Each of them will appear to have at least one of the classic psychiatry disease processes that the treat their patients/clients for.
Then you have the cliques.
CBTers versus Psychotherapists.....its like gangwarfare.

Oh yes, I too see that most days; Psychologists are even more amusing, I find!

I've never liked the term 'mental health' it's a label that I find uncomfortable ….

As opposed to 'physical health'? I wonder, is it the appendage 'mental' that causes the discomfort? My job title for years was "Community Psychiatric Nurse", hence the commonly used acronym CPN. I find now that according to 'the powers that be', including, but not limited to, the Nursing & Midwifery Council and Greater Glasgow & Clyde NHS Trust, I am now a "Community Mental Health Nurse". Apparently, that title is more acceptable to the patient/client/service user than the older one.

Ho hum.

Anyway DS, you have indeed done well to receive an apology from a medic - congratulations!!

I do think it has something to do with the stigma attached to 'mental health' from post-depression to schizophrenia, to bi-polar or dementia. It is so wide ranging and in my line of work, if someone happens to mention they are under a 'CPN' the reactions are not favourable and it is that, which I struggle with. I can't offer an alternative and I've struggled for years to 'dress this up' for families etc.

One area that I've found total discrimination is in employment - I've sat in on interviews and if the health record has shown a hint of 'mental illness' I've seen and heard others around me say things that are nothing other than prejudiced. As much as I then battle for that candidate, the others around me seem to be carried away with the stigma 'he/she must be mental' but the worst that I had was one co-interviewer who flippantly stated, 'better no take her, she's be wielding axes in the office when she goes off on one...'.

No, mental health label in my view is dark age stuff for me - but would love to hear others' views.

Sadly, I fear I must agree with your reasoning there ……. and some of the worst offenders can be Mental Health Service management themselves, if some of the things I've heard in corridors are any guide.

[HelenD]

I have dealings with people who have dealings with the Royal College of Psychiatrists. The feedback that comes my way would suggest that they are quite an appalling bunch of antiquated quacks and on no account should they be allowed to determine policy.

[The Egg Man]

Thanks for the good wishes and apologies for temporarily hijacking the thread.

The results are back and the good news is it's not lung cancer, initially thought to be a serious possibility.

It's something called Cryptogenic Organising Pneumonitis (COP) and is "a rapidly developing pneumonia-like illness characterised by lung inflammation and scarring that obstruct the small airways and air sacs of the lungs (alveoli)."

Treatment is a lengthy course of steroids.

[Lucky Poet]

Yikes. (Though less of a yikes than it could've been.) Glad it's treatable, which I hope works well and quickly.

[RDR]

Great post DS.
Also pure comedy is watching and listening to a room full of consultant psychiatrists.
I have to work with the buggers and its great fun just sitting observing them.
Each of them will appear to have at least one of the classic psychiatry disease processes that the treat their patients/clients for.
Then you have the cliques.
CBTers versus Psychotherapists.....its like gangwarfare.

Oh yes, I too see that most days; Psychologists are even more amusing, I find!

I've never liked the term 'mental health' it's a label that I find uncomfortable ….

As opposed to 'physical health'? I wonder, is it the appendage 'mental' that causes the discomfort? My job title for years was "Community Psychiatric Nurse", hence the commonly used acronym CPN. I find now that according to 'the powers that be', including, but not limited to, the Nursing & Midwifery Council and Greater Glasgow & Clyde NHS Trust, I am now a "Community Mental Health Nurse". Apparently, that title is more acceptable to the patient/client/service user than the older one.

Ho hum.

Anyway DS, you have indeed done well to receive an apology from a medic - congratulations!!

I do think it has something to do with the stigma attached to 'mental health' from post-depression to schizophrenia, to bi-polar or dementia. It is so wide ranging and in my line of work, if someone happens to mention they are under a 'CPN' the reactions are not favourable and it is that, which I struggle with. I can't offer an alternative and I've struggled for years to 'dress this up' for families etc.

One area that I've found total discrimination is in employment - I've sat in on interviews and if the health record has shown a hint of 'mental illness' I've seen and heard others around me say things that are nothing other than prejudiced. As much as I then battle for that candidate, the others around me seem to be carried away with the stigma 'he/she must be mental' but the worst that I had was one co-interviewer who flippantly stated, 'better no take her, she's be wielding axes in the office when she goes off on one...'.

No, mental health label in my view is dark age stuff for me - but would love to hear others' views.

Sadly, I fear I must agree with your reasoning there ……. and some of the worst offenders can be Mental Health Service management themselves, if some of the things I've heard in corridors are any guide.

Tend to agree with both of you, though I do see exceptions where there is an attempt to support the individual through 'mental' health problems.
As both of you will know it affects far more people that many would think and in fact certain sections of the medical profession suffer from a higher percentage than the general public.
I did once see a very senior Pyschiatrist (in management terms) tell a Consultant Physician that using the label 'nutter' was not one which she would expect to see used in the health service..........

[Dot]

Did anyone see the recent programmes on Channel 4 about depression, OCD and various mental health issues?

I can see why people might be reluctant to tell their employers or those they work with.
It does seem to be something many feel uncomfortable to talk out about but then years ago people wouldn't discuss
Cancer. I did admire some of the brave souls who not only allowed themselves to be filmed but discussed their problems
with their fellow workers.

I thought the 'World's Maddest Job Interview' and Ruby Wax programme were a real revelation.


http://www.channel4.com/programmes/ruby ... onfessions

[Boxer6]

Did anyone see the recent programmes on Channel 4 about depression, OCD and various mental health issues?

I can see why people might be reluctant to tell their employers or those they work with.
It does seem to be something many feel uncomfortable to talk out about but then years ago people wouldn't discuss
Cancer. I did admire some of the brave souls who not only allowed themselves to be filmed but discussed their problems
with their fellow workers.

I thought the 'World's Maddest Job Interview' and Ruby Wax programme were a real revelation.


http://www.channel4.com/programmes/ruby ... onfessions

I did Dot, and fond some of it to be a little bit ……. oh, I don't know; condescending maybe? Not helped in the 'Worlds maddest Job Interview' by one of the so-called professionals being Dr Gareth Smith - he worked with us for a while a few years ago, and I'm still waiting for him to carry out a couple of assessments on clients I had then! In more than several peoples opinions, he was a pretty crap psychiatrist then, and I saw nothing in that programme to change my mind in that regard.

And if you only knew about some of his 'problems' ………….

[bcuk10]

http://www.sane.org.uk/home

[Doorstop]

http://www.tellmystory.org.uk/

[Scotty100]

I have suffer from Bi-Polar disorder disorder for most of my adult life and have received a lot of help from the charity SANE http://www.sane.org.uk/
My daughter Sheri decided to say thanks for helping me by doing a bit of fund raising for them in a most unusual way.
Please have a wee look at her blog http://bettyswollocks.net/
It tells how she raised almost £1000 in under a month for this excellent charity.
You may even feel you want to make a wee donation to this great cause before she closes her appeal.
Cheers
John

[Doorstop]

Might be helpful in explaining our common malaise to others ..

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk ... t-two.html