AppleblossomSenior Contributor
Gratitude
I feel a sense of appreciation for the efforts of mental health workers I have been involved with over almost 40 years.They have been private practitioners, public providers, vocational trainers, colleagues, DHS, medicos and non medicos. They have been for firstly for members of my family of origin and then with my family of creation which started with DHS and is not a typical creation story.
Mostly I think people try. I travelled overseas for a year when I was 20 and only had a couple of bad experiences, but mostly found people all over the world hospitable, so that gave me a broad cultural reference and when I returned and studied, I decided to work with the concept of "paranoia" early in my life. Maybe that helped me avoid a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
I have mentioned dissatisfaction about hospital issues at the time of my brothers death so i am acutely aware of the level of fall out when there are failures in the system. Yet I have to acknowledge for myself personally that I would have suicided if it had not been for other people's presence and ideas. Whether it is the authors of books that were meaningful for me, or the stability of a structure that I could rely on like 10 sessions per year on medicare, or individuals relating to me or my family personally.
I have had tough talking MH naive people telling me that MH workers dont really care cos they are just doing it for money, but in my position, unless there had been a bit of caring I would not have survived.
So Thank You
Any comments?
