I have been sectioned.

[lazyhazydaisy]

I have just got access to the internet. I am much less petrified than I was at first but definitely 0 out of ten. I have a tribunal and if that fails I think I will be here until July. I feel as though I am living in a nightmare. I have never felt so alone.

Presumably you'd seen your previous GP more than twice though? Without wanting to be contentious, do you think your old GP had written something?

"...it's post-peural psychosis (I think) and it's severe." springdaffs

Daisy I know you have been asked several times in earlier posts but, apologies can't find your response, do you actually have children?

Are they ok / how are they handling all this, especially today. Must be tough for you and them.

(I have said that I don't want to talk about dc. Don't want them to know their mother is essentially imprisonned. But you know what gossip is like. I can't allow myself to think/talk on that subject. I am putting all my energy into not cracking up and keeping notes on what is happening for the future, and to ensure accuracy, given the inaccuracy of medical notes)

Hadn't seen previous GP for years.

Not relevant but found out by coincidence yesterday that current psychiatrist (who I haven't seen for weeks, and this may explain why) is being heavily criticised at an inquest of one of his young patients who hung herself. The failure of accurate record-keeping in that case has been noted; all the more reason for me to keep my own notes. Tragic.

awful

the post-peural psychosis I referred to upthread was the medical condition of another patient that daisy has heard about from her 'named nurse' re a patient who also received brutal treatment from the police.

Daisy - has your advocate mentioned The Mental Health Act Commission? They take patient care (or lack of it) very seriously. It may be a useful tool to use.

Do you think the consultant is actually at the inquest? That may be the reason you haven't seen him.
Do have a look at inhibernation's organisation.

Thank you. I think the inquest may be a red herring. He is apparently taking days of leave because he has to use them up before the end of March. The staff have been complaining about it.

For anyone interested, this is the non-violent method of restraint in which nurses here are trained.

www.cnwl.nhs.uk/uploads/Prevention_and_Management_of_Violence_and_Aggression.pdf

I did start a thread asking if anyone else had suffered from police brutality in a similar situation but I don't think anyone replied. There is a pregnant woman here at the moment who was bought in in handcuffs.

I have requested information from the police, but I don't have great hopes of that avenue. Does anyone have any experience of police complaints? I am also very curious to find out how much the four hours of police time, not sure how many officers and two police cars would have cost over the four hours.

Thank you for your advice. My lawyers and advocate are being very supportive. I had an email from ds1 yesterday saying he was having the shittest mother's day ever. And he does not swear. That is why I cannot talk about dc. I have to hold myself together in these conditions.

www.cnwl.nhs.uk/uploads/Prevention_and_Management_of_Violence_and_Aggression.pdf

"I have said that I don't want to talk about dc. Don't want them to know their mother is essentially imprisonned.." - where ?...
The only person you have ever talked about is you, you and you, and how everyone else is against you.
Other posters earlier have repeatedly given you good advice, take it.

woh! hold on there AnotE. If you don't like the thread, don't read it.

I said I believed you can rebuild your life depending on a number of factors. I didn't say or pretend it will be easy. You didn't choose for this to happen but you have some choice as to how you move forward. I say that from professional and personal experience. By all means, fight the system and take a stand - it's important to stand up for what you believe in. But if you don't take that kicking and fighting spirit and do your best to channel it into something that enables you to rebuild your life, for your sake and your dc, you are allowing a double assault. You might need some help to work through the trauma - don't dismiss it out of hand.

Well sorry but I'm with AandnotE on this Springy

But then I feel the things the OP says are a sign of her illness

The way I see it, OP has come on here for support for herself. Her children are a whole different issue. At the moment, OP is fighting for her life, in survival mode. I have been in positions where what was happening to me was so severe my focus was on myself. Worrying (understatement) about the children was so overwhelming I had to shelve it to get through what I was getting through, knowing they were ok and cared for. imo, later down the line, when OP is in a more stable place, she will be able to address the issue of her children. If she were in hospital with an acute, life-threatening physical illness, would it be any different?

plus, now I'm on my high horse, having a 'relevant day job' is, imo, and also ime, no guarantee of expertise. Kick her when she's down, why don't you. We can't possibly know the ins and outs of OP's situation, only that she is clearly traumatised and in extremis - considerably so. I for one can't sit here and make a judgement ffs - how could I, or anyone, possibly know? We have scant evidence, for a start.

I don't think she has asked whether she's believed or not tbh. Her overriding horror is to do with the way she was arrested sectioned, the brutality and horror of it. So lay off if you can't offer support when she has clearly asked for it and is in a very dark place. Go and find somebody else to diagnose from the comfort of your armchair, with barely any info.

Me saying I had a relevant day job Springy was a response to your rude and snide comment to another poster ''don't give up the day job just yet''.

I haven't tried to diagnose the OP. All I can say is that she is in my experience showing signs of being unwell.

sorry ''don't give up the day job''

mental health section. People post here because they, I would guess, have some mental health issue or other in their lives. So, if people post, they can expect posters to jump on them and tell them they're ill? That would be easy to do. Particularly when they haven't asked and it is not actually the central issue. Even if it were, I just can't see that it is relevant or productive to make a judgement.

I just don't see the need for it.

I would've thought that if you were in the profession madmouse you would know full well you can't just jump in and make a pronouncement with really very very little info - unasked.

Springydaffs you are the one who doesn't actually read other people's posts very well and who jumps to conclusions about others.

I'm starting to wonder about your degree of protectiveness of the OP. A bit odd.

In any event I shall withdraw from posting as I don't want to put the OP off posting on here and getting support. In fact I shall hide the thread so I'm not tempted to respond to anything else said on here.

Let's hope that in general people understand not to jump in and make judgements/diagnoses on this board, unless specifically asked

hi daisy - there's an article in the Guardian mag today about a guy who was sectioned by his family. It would be too simplistic to say it was because he is gay (they would say it was because he was depressed) but it's very well written imo. See if you can get hold of it?

How are you doing anyway?

I have had a look, Springy, but I can't find it online.

I have re-read the thread and the most helpful 'insight' has been from Edam, on 30th January.

'I wonder how on earth doctors and nurses can distinguish the entirely rational and natural shock at being taken by force (NB: in barefoot and in tightly ratcheted handcuffs which caused extensive pain and bruising) out of your home, put in a police van, forced into hospital, deprived of your liberty and possessions from the effects of your illness?

Of course they don't section people without believing they have a reason, but anybody would be shocked and bewildered - how do they distangle that so they aren't treating things which are normal and transient as evidence of illness?

What are they doing to reassure people who arrive in a shocked state?'

Thank you to everyone who has offered their support and kind words at this awful time. I have not been on any drugs since 10th February and I just keep a low profile and read and listen to my language CDs. I rarely see the psychiatrist but I find my 'named nurse' very good at listening and very understanding.

here you go - Justin Torres's article in the Guardian mag

When this horror is over, I hope you can be one to speak out about the police brutality you suffered. It is outrageously unacceptable and, I would've thought, unnecessary the vast majority of the time. The force will have procedures for this sort of thing and, from what happened to you, it looks like those procedures need to be readdressed and fine-tuned. There is no need to exercise blanket brutality.

Glad to hear you're having a quiet time of it.

Nothing to add but thinking of you.

Thank you for the link.

I am already looking into it and I will definitely be doing something about the police thing when I leave. It only takes a week for the nurses to be trained in PMVA (see link above) and they use it on people here (not on this ward) and it does not involve handcuffs. They have demonstrated it on me and it is completely effective (even though I am small).

The police would most likely say that the number of officers, time and cars involved was the minimum that they felt necessary to deal with the situation.
They would most likely not describe what they do as 'violent'. The police are in a slightly different situation from the nursing staff in a hospital in terms of typically having to work in unknown envionments, and having to safely effect a transfer to hospital for someone from their home.

Have you appealed against your section?