mental health week

So sorry to hear, @Eden1919. The mental health system has worked so far for me.

Sorry you are feeling that way @Eden1919 but I kind of know how you feel. Mental Health week is about more than "the system", but the system failed my loved ones, even though I have managed to work within the system. Its not a yes or a no ... thing ... tbh.

Hey @Eden1919

I can totally hear where you are coming from.

Not that I feel it in this specific space, but in other aspects of life it is quite ironic to be in mental health week and still be surrounded by stigma and the stress of jumping through hoops to get adequate support.

I think it's good to be transparent about our feelings toward the system, whilst acknowledge that we play a part in changing it. Good on you for bringing it up, I hope it helps you and others have these conversations with family and friends as well to start a process of change 🙂

@Eden1919 I’m a bit the same way. Not sure how old you are, but if you’re like me and started your ‘journey’ decades ago, I feel pretty screwed over by the so called trusted professionals. A bit like a failed guinea pig!

Accessing support is difficult for some with regard to the cost of it. There are some providers that bulk bill, but it is a low percentage. I think the government should step up and provide bulk billing services more accessible to low income earners whom often are the ones most in need.

@Eden1919

I think it is more then just a pass or a fail. There are so many things that go into supporting our mental health. I have experienced good out of it, but have also had it failed on me at times.

One thing that needs to be increased is the amount of visits that you get for a psych before you have to pay for it. It is really expensive.

I'm sorry that you have had negative experiences of the system.

Hey @Eden1919

Sorry to hear you've had a negative experience. Has it been a long road for you? I have had both positive and negative times throughout my mental heath recovery. The demand on the system is huge and there are some who abuse the system too. The system is evolving daily and like Rome it wasn't built in a day. Unfortunately it takes time to rectify and strengthen the system. I hope you don't get lost and stick with the supports you have. I am currently in a good place with my supports and the impact on my health has been noticeable.

@Eden1919, I've made no secret of my feelings about the system, so rather then devolving into another rant, I'll simply say that, once again, I totally get where your coming from.

And yes, an awareness week for the faults in the system would be a good thing for many reasons. Although there is work ongoing to fix the system, as @Blackbird11 noted, an awareness week may well be helpful to maintain that public pressure for those changes to happen as soon as possible.

And I think it would also be very helpful so that all those bystanders who can't appreciate our hostility and resentment towards the system can understand where we're coming from. So many people out there very naievely dish out that "Just reach out for help" message, without understanding what that means for those of us who've been through the system; then they look at us as if we're being crazy or unreasonable when we don't follow their instructions. That's understandable, in a way, because they don't have the context.

@Kt444, welcome to the forums! 🙂 It sounds like you've been through some bad therapy experiences, too. I can assure you, your not alone in that regard.