What is your experience of mental health?

[Rugeley Villa]

I’ve been prescribed medication for my anxiety, stress, depression Chindie. I’ve been taking them for 3-4 weeks now. My wife and her mum made me go the doctors as it was getting pretty unbearable if im being honest. It was making me ill and at times I felt like I couldn’t go on  much longer. I don’t think my anxiety is like yours, but it was massively effected my family and myself. I’ve been prescribed Citalopram, and I’m a completely different person. I’m actually normal now, and I never thought I’d ever feel this calm. I still have my moments, but I deal with them now instead of being an absolute lunatic. This is the first time I’ve properly stuck to medication and it’s great. I’m really hoping you can find a break and push through to the other side. 

Edited April 18, 2019 by Rugeley Villa

[maqroll]

@Chindie I had a terrible bout with anxiety as well, which also led to depression. I take Lexapro (not sure what the actual name is) and it's helped. Are you taking an SSRI?

[Ingram85]

Probably better suited to the job thread but it’s also my experience of mental health as a staff member in 2019.

I think I’m coming to the end of my time working in mental health. It’s ground me down over the last 12 years and a mix of nhs pressures, people abusing the services, lack of funding for MH, Tory gov’t dismantling and pretty much closing down every helpful community based service we once had has had its toll.

I work in a rehab and recovery centre that you wouldn’t even know was there as it’s residential based. Over the last 5 years we are getting more and more acutely unwell clients causing risk to other clients and us staff. The wards they would have gone to previously are either full or don’t exist anymore. We have regular round the clock observations now where we sit 24/7 with a patient due to their risk. That’s everything rehab and recovery shouldn’t be, our service should be getting people too well for acute wards and getting them ready for going back into the community but we are now an overspill car park for acute and worse.

The other effect it’s had in me is in a financial sense, the way the benefits system has been exploited just winds me up. I work full time for a living in a hard job and while I’m not existing month to month it’s still a struggle to save yet we have clients who because they have no outgoings other than cigarettes get to save up vast amounts of benefits, we have a client who has saved up nearly £70,000 in their time in services and go out every month spending thousands on designer goods and technology. No one does anything about it. They aren’t that unwell, could easily work and are abusing the system but because they know what to say and do to pull the wool over the eyes no one will challenge it. We had one person get a 2 bedroom absolutely beautiful apartment that would cost £800-1kpm for me, basically unreachable, they paid £100 and services/council picked up the tab for the rest. It’s insane. 

Also, being around the mental health area for so long, it starts to affect how you view the world, it’s made me feel bleaker about things for sure. It’s definitely had a detrimental affect to my own MH over the years. Increased anxiety being enemy number one due to unrealistic pressures on staff. In an ideal world I’d be happy knowing I’m helping people recover but the way the NHS has gone we don’t do that anymore, we are now a holding pen. I need something that will make me happy and view the world more positively I think.  

I don’t know, maybe I’m just in a rut and sounding off. There’s a boatload of idiots working for the NHS (and too many self serving psychopaths working in the positions of authority or that greatly affect how the NHS is run) but there are also a lot of absolute stars as well chugging away and it’s them and the genuinely unwell clients that keep me turning me up at present, underneath all the crap I do enjoy what my job actually is on paper but the problem is Im not and haven’t been getting to do my job properly for a long time now. 

I know I’m definitely pissed off about the state of things and know that I need to get away from mental health for my own sanity ironically. I know that this post isn’t about struggling with illness but this is how mental health is affecting me and a big number of staff throughout the services at the moment. Move to the career thread if that’s more appropriate.  

Edited April 19, 2019 by Ingram85

[snowychap]

29 minutes ago, Ingram85 said:

we have a client who has saved up nearly £70,000 in their time in services and go out every month spending thousands on designer goods and technology

What benefit are they on? Have you got a breakdown of their income and outgoings?

 

33 minutes ago, Ingram85 said:

We had one person get a 2 bedroom absolutely beautiful apartment that would cost £800-1kpm for me, basically unreachable, they paid £100 and services/council picked up the tab for the rest.

Is the rent (minus the £100) being paid by Housing Benefit? Is it in Birmingham?

This is a single person living in a two bedroom flat?

[Chindie]

18 hours ago, Rugeley Villa said:

I’ve been prescribed medication for my anxiety, stress, depression Chindie. I’ve been taking them for 3-4 weeks now. My wife and her mum made me go the doctors as it was getting pretty unbearable if im being honest. It was making me ill and at times I felt like I couldn’t go on  much longer. I don’t think my anxiety is like yours, but it was massively effected my family and myself. I’ve been prescribed Citalopram, and I’m a completely different person. I’m actually normal now, and I never thought I’d ever feel this calm. I still have my moments, but I deal with them now instead of being an absolute lunatic. This is the first time I’ve properly stuck to medication and it’s great. I’m really hoping you can find a break and push through to the other side. 

Thanks.

I was prescribed citalopram briefly but the only affect it had on me was 2 times while driving to work I had what I can only imagine was a panic attack. I was driving and suddenly felt my whole body have a creeping cold feeling, my heart rate went through the roof and my leg was shaking so much I almost felt like I couldn't physically control the car for a moment. This happened to me twice and after seeing no real improvement otherwise I came off it. I understand it's great for some people though so stick with it. Thanks for the thoughts.

[Ingram85]

22 minutes ago, snowychap said:

What benefit are they on? Have you got a breakdown of their income and outgoings?

 

Is the rent (minus the £100) being paid by Housing Benefit? Is it in Birmingham?

This is a single person living in a two bedroom flat?

Wouldn’t be able to say what the breakdown is but other than fags and a small mobile phone bill, everything will be catered for by us. The rest is disposable. What it needs is capping at a certain threshold. I know it’s that amount as we argued it to the commissioners as a justification for why the client should be paying the rent or at least the majority of it when a potential accommodation place was being sorted out (now fallen through because the social worker argued it was unfair to pay that much). It’s a career in avoiding adult responsibility for some. Not all I hasten too add, I’m just focusing on the bad eggs in my posts here. 

As for the flat, it was for one person who had a child come every 2 months for a weekend. In Birmingham. Yeah I forgot about the housing benefit. I’m not saying this is common place but it’s happened a few times now and I’m also certainly not saying that unwell people should go without or have to live in dumps but I’m just saying that the balance is completely out of whack when I can’t afford anything close to it despite working for a living but some get it on a platter at a reduced rate.

[Chindie]

17 hours ago, maqroll said:

@Chindie I had a terrible bout with anxiety as well, which also led to depression. I take Lexapro (not sure what the actual name is) and it's helped. Are you taking an SSRI?

I'm currently taking sertraline, and have been for coming up on a year I guess. No idea if that's an ssri or whatever, I've not looked into it. It hasn't made that much of an improvement on the anxiety issue. I guess there may be some improvement on the depression front.

Prior to that I was on mirtazapine for a few months which lead only to me eating like mad, and citalopram before that. Prior to taking the mirtazapine I lost an astounding amount of weight, basically because I wasn't eating much (and I also think my stomach being so bad wasnt helping either - I feel like I wasnt actually fully digesting anything). I'd lost enough weight for people to comment on it and were concerned I was looking unwell. On the mirtazapine within the 3 months I was on it I went from the lowest weight I'd been as an adult to the heaviest I've ever been in 3 months.

[snowychap]

16 minutes ago, Ingram85 said:

Wouldn’t be able to say what the breakdown is but other than fags and a small mobile phone bill, everything will be catered for by us. The rest is disposable. What it needs is capping at a certain threshold. I know it’s that amount as we argued it to the commissioners as a justification for why the client should be paying the rent or at least the majority of it when a potential accommodation place was being sorted out (now fallen through because the social worker argued it was unfair to pay that much).

Again, what benefit were they on that they were able to save £70k and yet still spend thousands of pounds a month?

How long have they been in residential care to build up these savings?

16 minutes ago, Ingram85 said:

As for the flat, it was for one person who had a child come every 2 months for a weekend. In Birmingham. Yeah I forgot about the housing benefit.

When was this?

Did their health condition exempt them from the bedroom tax? I very much doubt a child staying for one weekend out of 8 would qualify the person for an exemption.

Even if it did, a quick look up suggests that the LHA rate for a two bedroom property in Birmingham is £127.62 per week (so that works out at about £550 per month. If they paid a top up of £100 then the maximum rent would be about £650 per month. That is unless the rent were being covered by something other than HB.

[chrisp65]

1 hour ago, Ingram85 said:

Probably better suited to the job thread but it’s also my experience of mental health as a staff member in 2019. 

 

I have a relative in a kinda similar position to what you describe. Out in the community, cared for by a family and with no interest in any thing much beyond watching any football on any standard of TV.

Once in a while, he's taken to a game, but gets a bit too bewildered by that experience.

So he's racking up a serious amount of savings. To the point where once in a while there's a discussion on spending it on a couple of carers taking him on holiday, or fixing the roof of the house of the people that look after him. The admin process for spending his money is quite drawn out, everyone trying very hard to make sure everyone is above suspicion of having used his money for their benefit. Both family, and carers. 

By contrast, at one point he attracted some 'friends' and it transpired they were 'borrowing' large sums from him. He'd regularly trot off down the cash point and draw out a few hundred a few times a week and hand it over. Happily, not under duress.

It took a year to get the bank and the social services and the medical professionals to stop it.

Somebody somewhere got the fat end of 20k out of him.

In reality, he should never have had that 20k, he simply does not need it or understand it.

But I guess, some politician bean counter somewhere has worked out its cheaper to let him amass massive savings, than to employ sufficient people to sense check and means test individuals in the system.

[maqroll]

4 hours ago, Chindie said:

I'm currently taking sertraline, and have been for coming up on a year I guess. No idea if that's an ssri or whatever, I've not looked into it. It hasn't made that much of an improvement on the anxiety issue. I guess there may be some improvement on the depression front.

Prior to that I was on mirtazapine for a few months which lead only to me eating like mad, and citalopram before that. Prior to taking the mirtazapine I lost an astounding amount of weight, basically because I wasn't eating much (and I also think my stomach being so bad wasnt helping either - I feel like I wasnt actually fully digesting anything). I'd lost enough weight for people to comment on it and were concerned I was looking unwell. On the mirtazapine within the 3 months I was on it I went from the lowest weight I'd been as an adult to the heaviest I've ever been in 3 months.

It's called escitalopram generically. Works better for me than sertraline did, particularly w/ anxiety.

[BillyShears]

6 hours ago, Ingram85 said:

Probably better suited to the job thread but it’s also my experience of mental health as a staff member in 2019.

I think I’m coming to the end of my time working in mental health. It’s ground me down over the last 12 years and a mix of nhs pressures, people abusing the services, lack of funding for MH, Tory gov’t dismantling and pretty much closing down every helpful community based service we once had has had its toll.

I work in a rehab and recovery centre that you wouldn’t even know was there as it’s residential based. Over the last 5 years we are getting more and more acutely unwell clients causing risk to other clients and us staff. The wards they would have gone to previously are either full or don’t exist anymore. We have regular round the clock observations now where we sit 24/7 with a patient due to their risk. That’s everything rehab and recovery shouldn’t be, our service should be getting people too well for acute wards and getting them ready for going back into the community but we are now an overspill car park for acute and worse.

The other effect it’s had in me is in a financial sense, the way the benefits system has been exploited just winds me up. I work full time for a living in a hard job and while I’m not existing month to month it’s still a struggle to save yet we have clients who because they have no outgoings other than cigarettes get to save up vast amounts of benefits, we have a client who has saved up nearly £70,000 in their time in services and go out every month spending thousands on designer goods and technology. No one does anything about it. They aren’t that unwell, could easily work and are abusing the system but because they know what to say and do to pull the wool over the eyes no one will challenge it. We had one person get a 2 bedroom absolutely beautiful apartment that would cost £800-1kpm for me, basically unreachable, they paid £100 and services/council picked up the tab for the rest. It’s insane. 

Also, being around the mental health area for so long, it starts to affect how you view the world, it’s made me feel bleaker about things for sure. It’s definitely had a detrimental affect to my own MH over the years. Increased anxiety being enemy number one due to unrealistic pressures on staff. In an ideal world I’d be happy knowing I’m helping people recover but the way the NHS has gone we don’t do that anymore, we are now a holding pen. I need something that will make me happy and view the world more positively I think.  

I don’t know, maybe I’m just in a rut and sounding off. There’s a boatload of idiots working for the NHS (and too many self serving psychopaths working in the positions of authority or that greatly affect how the NHS is run) but there are also a lot of absolute stars as well chugging away and it’s them and the genuinely unwell clients that keep me turning me up at present, underneath all the crap I do enjoy what my job actually is on paper but the problem is Im not and haven’t been getting to do my job properly for a long time now. 

I know I’m definitely pissed off about the state of things and know that I need to get away from mental health for my own sanity ironically. I know that this post isn’t about struggling with illness but this is how mental health is affecting me and a big number of staff throughout the services at the moment. Move to the career thread if that’s more appropriate.  

You sound like a good man Ingram85. There will be a whole host of people who have benefited immensely from the work you do and have done, as you know, you will never see it, but it is there. It's a long game MH, I couldn't do it. I share your view of the NHS psychopaths, scary people indeed.

[Ingram85]

@snowychap I’ve just re read my post and realised I said they spend thousands every month when I meant hundreds. That person has been in services a while. 

[snowychap]

5 hours ago, Ingram85 said:

@snowychap I’ve just re read my post and realised I said they spend thousands every month when I meant hundreds. That person has been in services a while. 

No probs.

It still doesn't really answer the question of what benefits they receive or how long they have been 'in services' in order to have made these savings.

I'm sorry if it appears that I'm pushing this but the details and the associated figures (and the source of the income, &c.) is very important.

10 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

But I guess, some politician bean counter somewhere has worked out its cheaper to let him amass massive savings, than to employ sufficient people to sense check and means test individuals in the system.

If someone wrote this level of rubbish about architectural work and construction projects, there'd be an anecdote from you on VT before you could say Barry Island.

Piss poor.

[chrisp65]

Just now, snowychap said:

If someone wrote this level of rubbish about architectural work and construction projects, there'd be an anecdote from you on VT before you could say Barry Island.

Piss poor.

long day on the sauce, hun?

 

[snowychap]

6 minutes ago, chrisp65 said:

long day on the sauce, hun?

House.

Edited April 19, 2019 by snowychap

[Rugeley Villa]

Found out two week ago that a lovely young lad(20) who we met on holiday has hanged himself. And just had a phone call that an old school friend and a fellow villa fan hanged himself last night. If anyone is having any thoughts about suicide then just please talk to someone. 

[Rugeley Villa]

My mate just sent me his last FB message from late last night. It read...

Im ready for this xx UTV! 

Edited April 23, 2019 by Rugeley Villa

[MCU]

As a sufferer of anxiety I thought I'd post this here to see if any of you guys can give me a bit of inspo. Basically, what are your hobbies?

Since I left school I've struggled to commit to anything and/or lost interest. Where I may have had an opportunity in a particular job/past time I've turned it down because of my anxiety. This compounded over time has worn me out and I tend to not see it as a hobby anymore. 

As an example, I bought an electronic drum kit a few years ago when I was 21. Straight away I thought I'm not joining a band because I'm not good enough and I'll never be as good as some people, everybody who's skilled starts when they're really young. I've gone through phases and managed to keep playing very casually on and off over the years. But deep down I know it's not me. And I know I'm being hard on myself but I'm forcing myself these days to play and thus not enjoying it. 

When I was younger I used to get home from school/college and spend my days playing games with my mates. Not a care in the world. I didn't feel like I had to impress anybody or become brilliant at a particular skill. I did my day at school/college/work then got home and played games.

These days and more so the past few years I seem to have got it into my head I need to be GREAT at something worthwhile. I need to have a particular hobby I can master and show off to people. It's such an arrogant mindset because as I've proved to myself I'm not prepared to put the work in.

On a positive note, I've just landed a really good job and I'm looking forward to starting that. However, these spare hours I'm left with I just want to spend relaxing without being envious of people who can play an instrument, speak different languages or be the size of Arnie. 

I'm not sure what I'm getting at here, I'm just a little lost. But as I said at the beginning of my post I'm always intrigued by other peoples hobbies and interests and how they balance it with their work life.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Warnock

[Rugeley Villa]

Another one commited suicide last night. He was year above me and although weren’t mates, we would talk and have a drink if we were in same pub. His wife left him two year ago and he drank and sniffed himself into a depression. 

[mjmooney]

On 01/05/2019 at 18:01, Warnock said:

As a sufferer of anxiety I thought I'd post this here to see if any of you guys can give me a bit of inspo. Basically, what are your hobbies?

Since I left school I've struggled to commit to anything and/or lost interest. Where I may have had an opportunity in a particular job/past time I've turned it down because of my anxiety. This compounded over time has worn me out and I tend to not see it as a hobby anymore. 

As an example, I bought an electronic drum kit a few years ago when I was 21. Straight away I thought I'm not joining a band because I'm not good enough and I'll never be as good as some people, everybody who's skilled starts when they're really young. I've gone through phases and managed to keep playing very casually on and off over the years. But deep down I know it's not me. And I know I'm being hard on myself but I'm forcing myself these days to play and thus not enjoying it. 

When I was younger I used to get home from school/college and spend my days playing games with my mates. Not a care in the world. I didn't feel like I had to impress anybody or become brilliant at a particular skill. I did my day at school/college/work then got home and played games.

These days and more so the past few years I seem to have got it into my head I need to be GREAT at something worthwhile. I need to have a particular hobby I can master and show off to people. It's such an arrogant mindset because as I've proved to myself I'm not prepared to put the work in.

On a positive note, I've just landed a really good job and I'm looking forward to starting that. However, these spare hours I'm left with I just want to spend relaxing without being envious of people who can play an instrument, speak different languages or be the size of Arnie. 

I'm not sure what I'm getting at here, I'm just a little lost. But as I said at the beginning of my post I'm always intrigued by other peoples hobbies and interests and how they balance it with their work life.

There's a thread: 

Personally, my big three are music (listening to it, and creating it), reading and running. I STRONGLY urge you to forget this idea that there's no point in doing something if you can't be superskilled at it. Perfectionism is pernicious. Take music. If you sit in your room practicing scales on the guitar until you think you're good emough... you'll never be good enough. Get so as you can bash out a few chords, pluck up your courage and go and do an 'open mic' night. Better still, find some mates and start a band. Be shit, but enjoy it, and you'll - almost imperceptibly - get better. You don't need to be Lio Messi to play football in a pub team. Paint a picture, write some poems, make a model aeroplane. Do it for the sake of doing it.