Moderator accountability

Hi @Sub-H-Alien

Thanks for letting us know that you are ok.

I'm glad you have things in place that can help you. It always helps when we can do some self care, whatever that may be.

I hope today is a little better for you. Please know that we are here if you do need us.

Hi @Snowie

Actually, that's not quite the case, that I have "things in place". For example, I always wake up in substantial pain (like now) because gabapentin wears off after 5 hours. It takes hours to suppress it. If I'm 'lucky'. During this time (like now), particularly on bright days (like now), it's very hard to pass time and I've no good means to do so. Now, more than ever, particularly after being threatened and almost assaulted yesterday (because I couldn't suppress my disgust for people who suck cancer and blow it in people's faces ... outside supermarkets!), because I'm almost agoraphobic without a place to comfortably be that way. Let alone things to pass the time / energy to do them if they did exist.

I understand (but resent, if honest) the need for you to perhaps characterise details I share in generic terms, as a 'Community Guide', but I'm not a generic person. So, it's frustrating, to be honest.

Every single day, but particularly during the 6 months of 6ummer since they 'broke the clocks' for half the ^&%$ing year (it was less than that, at one stage, now a long time ago), it's so hard to pass the time. Much harder when I'm waking up in pain and one particular neighbour is obsessed with attracting pest birds that never shut up until darkness (against body corp rules and even when she's - rarely - out of home).

Yet, with the unsustainable population ("housing") crisis, and whilst in constant (sometimes suppressed) pain, it seems so hard to move. Especially when moving to another high density scenario, which is like torture for my PTSD, is impossible (unless perhaps it's of the much newer concrete walls variety that I probably cannot afford. So it feels like, at 'best', I move to the country, perhaps gaining relative peace of mind from high density but also loneliness.

These issues, and more, are my sad reality. Have been for far too long. My only time I ever felt close to "living" instead of "surviving" was 2017/2018 but that was still a big struggle so it made it hard to feel the full boost that time was for me, at the time. Then, in the blink of an eye, it's gone. These issues - and/or the misanthropy they've cranked up to 11 - are why I don't feel like it's overly safe for me to contribute here.

All the very best, everyone!

Here for you @Sub-H-Alien 😊

I tend to agree like it’s not a break for us sure fun things happen this time of year but some people struggle more
The only time I have seen a mod on here since Christmas Eve was to make a comment on one of my posts in response to someone else, but didnt acknowledge or offer any support to the original poster (me)
I know the peer workers need their own time off, whatever fine I get that but can the mods at least be present if nobody else is
At this time it’s more important than ever but where are they???

I’m sorry this has been your experience, it’s not normally like this

im kind of disappointed and wondering where and who the decision to cut back on supports came from… at this time of year of all times

Hi @ArraDreaming and @Sub-H-Alien ,

Sorry, I am hearing you are not able to get the support you need from here during this difficult time. I am one of the moderators looking after SANE while the SANE staff are on break.

We are always here to monitor all the posts to make sure you are all safe. SANE is a place for people who is struggling with mental health to connect with each other. However, this is not a crisis service. If you need immediate support, please reach out to:

• Lifeline: 13 11 14 or Crisis Chat
• Suicide call back service: 1300 659 467 or online counselling
• Samaritans: 135 247
• If in immediate danger: 000

@ArraDreaming ,

I agree, festive seasons can be very difficult.

What kind of support would be helpful for you at the moment?

Hi @ArraDreaming

I don't know if that "not a crisis" post was aimed at us both but I can understand your reaction that it might feel that way. I had similar thoughts.

Unfortunately, just now at least, I cannot click support on your post. But, rest assured, I understand your frustration and appreciate that it's so hard to know what service(s) to reach out to, if any, and how to do so. I personally find it so much harder to 'get that right' when suffering more than usual. It's so easy to accidentally cross barriers we don't even know exist. After all, language is very dynamic and has so many meanings for different people.

I feel like it can be so difficult to keep oneself as emotionally regulated as possible - enough to be not 'in crisis' - then reach out and risk one's emotional regulation.

Please make note, moderators (I do not seem to be able to do the @moderator thing), that it's very difficult to be suffering in the moment and then come across people / services in the mental health field who want to classify our experiences as either crisis or coping. That's a binary state and, as Donnie Darko said so very well, that's ignoring the whole range of human emotion!

I personally have had so much sad experience of bouncing around between a triangle of states:

1. Coping but wanting to ensure stability is maintained so risk reaching out, when I'm as emotionally regulated as possible (or as I ever get) and maybe can email an ongoing support person with suggestions (that I probably cannot back up by the time that person reads the email) or keep a meeting with them, trying to focus and get stuff discussed in realtime
2. In acute/crisis but not knowing if that is enough to go to emergency or ring the CAT
3. Existing in the meantime

I glanced a book once, by a Canadian doctor who had been working with mental health clients for about 20 years, that acknowledged what so few seem to recognise in the mental health field: it's not always beneficial, helpful for people who are struggling to be confronted by psychology. To benefit from psychology, arguably one has to be fairly balanced because some, maybe most, forms of psychology can be confronting.

So, what do those of us who are unable to simply jump at the "psychology" suggestion, put to us so often, do for support whilst we are not 'in crisis' but struggling nonetheless?

The industry needs to get real with itself and wake up to this reality. Otherwise I feel like we are just bounced around between "hey, are you in crisis?"; "one day a time / look after yourself"; and ??? These forums?

Of recent times, support for me frequently amounts to what is now an A4 shopping list of phone numbers (and perhaps website addresses). That's what it boils down to. That's how we are expected to cope. How about at least taking that a step further and creating decision flow diagrams? The more straight forward the choices, the less likely we are to risk connecting with the less-ideal service. That way, we save ourselves the risk of 'rejection' (personally, no matter how soft, I feel that intensely) and those working so hard to staff the various services will hopefully have an easier time as well.