What could be different in mental health care, what helps, and what have you found to be useful reading?

[OwFriggingOw]

First off - this is a thread inspired by another thread - not about another thread.

I am a lecturer who teaches mainly MH nursing students, but also Adult, Child and Learning Disability field nurses about MH, and also occasionally medical students. I have no agenda for this thread bar a genuine desire to listen, share ideas, and have an open discussion about what is helpful / less so. I worked in NHS MH for 13 odd years.

In case anyone links the other threads that inspired this thread - I have been comissioned to edit a book about people's experiences (service users and carers / family / friends) within MH services and with MH issues. NONE OF THE POSTS HERE WILL BE USED IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM FOR THIS BOOK. You have my ABSOLUTE word on that. Similarly, NONE of the posts here will be used in any of my teaching.

My aim in starting this stems from several PM's and several on-thread comments about how this would be useful/ I hope it can be a helpful, supportive and productive meeting place for thoughts and ideas about what people have found helpful with regards MH care / services / support (statutory and non statutory) and what has been less helpful. Most importantly with regards the less helpful - what can be done differently?

And - beacuse I like books - maybe we can share reading ideas :)

Would it be helpful if I shared parts of my long thread from earlier regarding what I see as needed, without any other details from the thread?

I think Hornstein talks about a lot of psychotherapists and psychologists who have input into support groups - though peer support I think can be equally valuable for some people? Agnes's Jacket

The service-led specific group psychological therapies are available (in increasing numbers) such as trauma groups and DBT groups - but if I remember rightly access to them requires referral to a psychologist and then assessment by a psychologist - which often has a long wait.

Thanks for the link , Ow - will go through it

Excellent that you find the private therapist so helpful , yellowraincoat , but terrible that you have found no suitable support in the nhs and wonder whether this thread can unearth anything new < hopeful but not naive >.

Am very interested in peer support groups , garlic Thanks all for further info .
I didn't know some areas might have the those groups you mention , Ow, which would make such a difference .

Would be very helpful if cunnalingo does have further info on funding , thanks aesops

I've kicked her arse to come on here :p

I've kicked her arse to come on here :p

I find what you say very interesting yellowraincoat, as a fellow high functioning BPD sufferer.

The NHS does provide groups around here for people with BPD, however they are all arranged in the middle of the day overa period of a few months. I just cannot take that much time off work so I have had to turn down NHS counselling which further adds to the idea that as a BPD sufferer I am "reistant to treatment". No, I would love treatment but not one that costs me my job. So I would like to see more out of hours treatment, rather than waiting for things to get so bad that I end up losing my job and can then attend day time sessions.

I have in the past mae use of private treatment, before I have a BPD diagnosis. All though I suspect that psychiatrists etc have always thought that I had BPD but did not want to tell me.

We have peer support groups near us, however although I make no secret of my mental illness I cannot attend such groups beacuse I simply cannot take the risk that someone linked with my work would be in the room, they do not want to hear about my outburst, self harm and suicide attempts.

Can certainly see the difficulty there , captainhastings. Other posters will know - as you probably do already - whether your local trust has mechanisms for requesting changes if useful to enough people

Incredibly difficult about the peer support groups , but might there be ways the group's facilitators can help you be at first meeting of a group which would then remain closed to newcomers for a period ? Others here will probably knowh

Thanks aesop We ought to have mercy on her on this hot day !

Argh , sorry for patronising tone ( translation: I don't know but am sure others will ) < off to put brain in fridge >

what about a mindfulness based course captainhastings? It's sort of the basis of DBT but people with varying needs attend and it must be less stigmatising?

for example not sure if that is exactly the thing my friend is doing but she is impressed so far anyway

My diagnosis is quite recent, maybe in time I would feel more comfortable with a peer support group but at this momenet in time I cannot think of anything worse.

I am open at work about my diagnosis, in part because I have known my colleagues a long time and therefore they know I am not some axe wielding nutcase who is out to kill people. However I do think it could compromise me professionally if people who did not know me, knew that I have traits of a BPD.

linked to wrong page I think, but is also available as telephone based rather than group setting - might suit you while delivering broadly similar stuff as DBT?

I have been reading about mindfulness courses, something I plan to look into, again though I imagine it will be something I have to pay for.

Another thing I would like to see change is that I have been passed around the NHS between different psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors and nurses all of whom have required me to tell my story from the beginning, which is a painful one. Perhaps because I am not a textbook case, I feel like I am just being passed around rather than someone actually doing something long term with me. When I have paid for long term treatment with one person it has made a big difference.

Thanks Alameda. I have had telephone sessions before which were quite helpful as they did not interrupt my working day so much. I could nip into another room for an hour and then go back to work after.

I think the course is a few hundred £ yes

the other, similarly evolved from DBT I think, thing that I know of for borderline is mentalisation based therapy which my daughter seemed to benefit from for a while but this was as an inpatient

It is £600 which sounds like a lot, but I had an "episode" a few weeks ago in which I spiralled out of control and spent that much in a few hours online. I would guess that I spend thousands if not tens of thousands every year on impulse purchases which I think will fill my emptiness.

I was using a website which someone recommened a while ago and I think someone has posted on here which has been helpful in identifying my triggers and then acknowledging that I can react in a different way than my usual over dramatic response.

I am looking up MBT now, thanks.

the trouble is when NHS start rolling out evidence based talking things like CBT they seem to forget to properly quality control it so you end up, as people said here, doing it online or with a few bad photo copies and no therapist which is not how CBT began is it? It can't be helpful improving access to stuff that is barely fit for purpose? People might as well get a book from the library (if they are not banned, unlike me)?

So cunnalingo is your partner and you kicked her ass to come on here?

Gosh, and there was me believing her when she said she randomly found the last thread by googling.

How dim am I?

I didn't want to out her for a few reasons but mainly work. Discussed it with mnhq today and decided to declare on thread. Not a big deal babyh. She does what she says and this thread has a google alert due to eq act content. When she first joined I didn't even know it was her but of course you wouldn't believe that would you! I however will prob have it held over me for weeks :-o

Disingenuous I feel, babyheaves

And iirc the thread on which cunnalingo stated they had stumbled across MN has been pulled.

Ah, sorry captainhastings , I see peer support group would not be right for you atm

Am learning loads here and am sure many others are too

at library , Alameda ... I think a lot of people are concerned CBT / online CBT / prescriptions of reading materials might be used in place of more appropriate help , but I haven't looked it up ( I know cost cutting is only a problem if done in place of more appropriate support )

OK. Arse duly kicked re funding sources. The key to accessing funding to set up any kind of support group in any region of the UK is to organise into a group, with clear aims and objectives.

Even if you want a peer led group, you need to get some structure - some kind of committee of Trustees, with a chair, treasurer, secretary. You then need to identify exactly what 'services' you want to provide and how you want to provide them.

Go on the Charity Commission website and look at a few annual reports that relate to your 'subject'. E.G. A Women's Aid group will have 'articles' or 'memorandums' that relate to the services they provide, written within their annual report to the Commission. You also need to set up a bank account for your group - the Co-operative is one place to go, as they offer grant aid in their own right to small, locally formed groups. LLoyds TSB also provide grant aid to the voluntary sector. It is possible for the smallest of organisations to do all this and register with the Charity Commission.

Why bother? Well, those who DO fund want to see how organised you are, as they have to give account of why they have allocated grant aid to their auditors. Remember grant aid can come from local authorities, town or community councils etc, through to your Government (Scotland / Ireland / Wales / UK) and European Funding. there are also privately run Trusts that hand out money - the Gates Foundation is, I guess, the most well known example. Whoever you go to for funds, ALL of them expect to see an organised, well thought out application, and yes, there are dozens of boxes to tick.

Any start up group needs to look for small amounts of grant aid first, and to start building up 'reserves'. Why? Well, if you go to the 'big boys' for funding e.g. National Lottery, three pieces of criteria looked at is how well you have managed your funding to date, what your reserves are, and whether you are a registered charity. The bigger your reserves, the better the chance of obtaining funds!! How do I know this? I sat on a Big Lottery funding committee last year and learned that the small, struggling, local groups didn't stand a chance .......

RaisinDEtre Wed 25-Jul-12 17:37:24

Disingenuous I feel, babyheaves

And iirc the thread on which cunnalingo stated they had stumbled across MN has been pulled.

why? there is no law that states i or she have to declare that we know each other. i have done so through choice. the thread being pulled had nothing to do with that. some of you really are looking at any excuse to have a pop aren't you whilst disregarding all of the good stuff

or you could set up a community interest company - not quite as tax friendly as a charity but not so heavily regulated either, and you are allowed to make a profit of course (as long as it used for good of your chosen community, eg young people)

So, babyheaves. Yes, I did google and found the thread, so do me a favour and don't imply I was lying. I wasn't. I came on the site of my own volition, to learn. Aesop is a skilled and well qualified person in the field of MH. I am not, and wanted to learn more. Aesop had no idea I was posting until after I had posted a number of times.