The What's Pi$$Ing You Off Thread

[Breeny]

My partner works in health care at a retirement home - they're now expected to take on mental health patients because of lack of funding to hospitals/organisations that cannot handle the numbers any more.

She regularly comes home from night shift with bruises and scratches on her arms and face from "incidents" where patients who really need MUCH better support than retirement home EN's and RN's can deal with. Going into lock down when someone really loses it, trying to calm patients who are also living in these situations etc.

It just sucks.

This is in no way having a go at mentally ill or dementia sufferers - they've no idea what they're doing and she loves them all.

But it's hard.

God bless those people who can do these jobs I certainly couldn't.

[Rab]

Yep - puts my hand up.

 

I think my step daughter is the one Fluff is talking about ^^ (wrote a bit about the incidents and follow ups in the donating members thread)

 

Never even the slightest hint that she'd do anything to hurt herself, but when she goes off her meds the psychotic episodes start - paranoia, voices, seeing things etc. Has struck her mum and grandmother at different times. Latest episode was the worst yet, but, because she knows how to talk to the cops/medics once they visit the scene and has no indication of self harm they couldn't do anything but leave here at home with her 18month old bub. Had to get her to strike me and draw blood before the cops/medics had the power to remove her. She's now got a 12 month intervention from the bub (bub's in my care for the next 12 months at least), supervised care and all the support for her to take advantage of to get in control of her condition and future. If I was a betting man I'd give her a 50/50 chance of making good on the support that's on offer and being able to have a relationship with her bub - less chance of her being able to take care of her full time again.

 

Zero drug use from the step daughter either - would be a lot easier to comprehend if we could blame something like ice or crack.

 

Bloody gut wrenching decision to separate mother and daughter, but horrible news like hawlass's above takes away any doubt. There's zero rationality about someone when they're in one of these states off their med - she's seen her mother and grandmother as venom dripping monsters and struck out at them - imagine if/when she saw the same visions and voices concerning the bub.

[Breeny]

^^Yeah that's bloody hard.

And totally agree - when we can safely lay the blame on drugs or something tangible it's so much easier to reconcile with in our minds.

 

When it's not....

Mate we can only hope things get better.

[skidxr6t]

What gets me with mental illness is somebody will have a temporary episode and be given all sorts of anti psychotic medications which make some people so much worse.

 

The treatment is too much of a 'one size fits all' scenario.

 

I've seen many people who are far better when they're medicated but wow oh wow I have seen the same drugs absolutely mess people up.

[Rab]

Definitely.

 

There's also a severe lack of followup upon release - with most of the responsibility to receive help placed on the very person who's unable to get it for themselves. They (or at least in my experience) are released - usually on a high dosage of whatever drugs stabilise them for their current requirements, with the understanding that they will be finetuning and exploring more correct medication once they return home and visit their family doc/psych etc.

 

Someone that's pretty heavily sedated and in zombie mode isn't the right person to be trusting to take care of themselves, so they stick to what they were given and feel pretty doped up most of the time. Low and behold - if they forget/run out/skip a few days of their meds the haze wears off and they feel the best and the clearest they've felt in years (quite rightly so too). In the case I mention above - it was usually a week or two before telltale signs start appearing (to late to even ask "are you ok?" without getting the head bitten off) and another week or two before the ultimate crash and episode.

 

Sad and scary thing is - by that stage there is absolutely nothing that can be done to help the patient if they can't see the issue or refuse to suggestions. Just need to weather the storm until the big enough crash happens where the authorities can become involved.

 

One thing I have learned through all this and would heartily recommend to anyone in a similar boat - get a family violence order on the patient as soon as you can. It opens up so many more opportunities to be able to act quicker to get the help the person needs before the total spiral (I wouldn't have had to wait until blood was drawn for starters)

[eff xr6t]

WPMO ford clutch master cylinders. Wish I never used the ford pedal when I converted my el xr6 to a t56 and made custom stuff with a comondore cylinder.

[.Stripes.]

Think I'm starting to come down with a cold. Nose is that lovely mix between blocked and runny and my throat is a bit 'how-ya-goin'. This displeases me. Also haven't had a decent nights sleep since flying back to site. I've conceded around 12:30-1am each night and smashed back a Stilnox to get to sleep...not good. Over it.

[discostig]

Take up smoking to kill all bacteria

[k31th]

sounds like a reasonable course of action

[.Stripes.]

Seems like the only logical thing to do...