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What I wish the rest of the world knew

What I wish the rest of the world knew

First time poster here. It's been a long time since I've bothered with forums, to be honest I don't usually get the sort of support I'm after. I haven't had much luck finding support anywhere, even from my own family. I have had a lot of negative experiences while trying to access support services, I could write a book on the failures of the mental health system where I'm located. Many of you would be shocked by the way I have been treated over the years.. My official diagnosis is Bipolar II and Borderline Personality Disorder. My current psychologist believes the BPII diagnosis is incorrect and that I just have BPD.

I've held off posting until I've been in a more stable frame of mind, I don't want this post to be overly negative but part of sharing my story is letting overs know of the challenges I've faced with accessing support. In doing that I can't help but rely the negative experiences I have had and also name the support services that have let me down. Some of those support services are the very ones that are linked to Sane Forums. If that moderators could please indicate whether is is appropriate or allowed for me to share my experiences about these particular services. My only goal is to share my story as a way for these services to improve and for others to be aware of some of the issues they may face.

I live within the bounds of Frankston here in Victoria. The hospital has the 2nd highest mental health admissions in the state. Local support services are unable to keep up with the demand. My local hospital will only deal with people who have attempted suicide or are experiencing psychosis, any other issues you are given a psychological assessment through the community service and then discharged back to the care of your GP in less than a week.

I'm sure I can't be the only one here that has fallen through the cracks of a broken system. I want to do something about it....this is part of my recovery. In the coming weeks I will be having meetings with some of the key people from these organisations that have let me down. Change can only happen if people speak out about the inadequet care people with personality disorders often recieve in the public mental health system.

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In response to: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

As you already know,many service providers view patients with Borderline Personality Disorder as attention seekers who are taking up services which (in their minds) should be used on more "in need" patients.

In addition some service providers hold many negative assumptions about them and find them very confronting to their own emotions and respond with fear.

The reality is that Psychiatrists,mental health teams etc see it as THEIR role to fix the mental illnesses & mentalities of patients-some even create their personal identity as based of this role.

What is never addresed though is their own mental health,perceptions,outlooks and worldviews.

There is a denial that there can be certain things wrong with them that then affect the way that they interact with patients/clients.

In response to: Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Yes @ivana Counsellor/psych assumptions are huge .. and they do need and are supposed to get supervision ... but I am not sure whether they get enough ... I have witnessed this in a semiprofessional manner when I worked in family therapy place for 4 years.

Yes @Jacques I have steam coming out of ears and am pretty disturrbed atm ... I keep focussing on the positive for my son but inside I am screaming. You have helped calm me down the most of all, but I need to get the issues on this forum sorted out in m y head.

Yes @catalytic I heard about the extra stigma among professionals against BPD from another poster @Viv, if I remember rightly. She seemed quite astute and wise about the system and protective of the BPD community as she called it.

I have managed to stay out of the system myself but am really out of whack at the moment. Most of my contact with public mental health has been visiting for family members ... many close family members ... it must be catchy ... thats my story for other threads ....

In response to: Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

@ivana very true, I hadn't thought about it much. I think people's perceptions have influenced very heavily on how I've been treated. I've finally found a psych that understands me and can say this is why you feel this way and here's how we can teach you to respond.

In response to: Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Hi @Appleblossom, i feel exactly the same, if people only knew what i felt inside, from the outside i look like everyone else, inside i am so full of anger, hate, all i want to do is go out and scream at the top of my lungs, feeling so frustrated.

@Appleblossom, you should not have to put up with rudeness, no one should, i hope you can find somewhere where you can be treated with the respect you deserve, you are a kind, caring and talented lady, hold your head up high, you have done a fantastic job with your son, and you should be so proud.

i understand if you need some time, i am always here if you need to vent or need someone to talk to.

Take care, be safe my friend

Jacques

In response to: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Hello, sorry to hear about your experience of the mental health system catalytic. It would feel awful to reach out for help and then be punished or negatively reinforced for doing so. Have you looked into DBT programs? I think they last around 12 months and there are some in Melbourne.

In response to: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

So my post was removed I guess I'm not welcome here either. I came to share and find support and again I'm let down, disappointed, and rejected again. So much for being a friendly place to share, if admins had an issue with my post a pm explaining why it was removed would stop me from feeling like yet again I have no support. Just a tip for the next person who feels abandoned here.

In response to: Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Sorry @catalytic i would have liked to read your post.

pleez mods explain. Was a personal message sent? or why not.

i would like to understand.

In response to: Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Thanks @Jacques your posts help.

@catalytic Thank you for taking the time to share your story, I found it, though it is no longer on the site.

We have a lot of things in common although I am probably 20 years older than you.

Study also kept me stable during hard times. Isnt it crazy. I dealt with a personal maelstrom during the late 1980s but still managed to get honours in all my work and exams, though it was parttime.

My suicidal ideation started during my first pregancy and I was horrified I was harming my child with my thoughts ... was so overwhelmed by everybody else's issues. I didnt get to say I was suffering from SI for years. its tough being a mum, we hold ourselves so accountable.

I hope you find a way to continue to post that is authentic to you and can get around the forum guidelines ... that is what I have tried to do.

In response to: Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Hi @catalytic,

Are you sure your post got through, if you said something you should not you always get an email, but sometimes when you post it does not go through, i have had it happen a couple of times, sometimes the post button does not work properly and sometimes their is no moderator on to view the post before going up.

I am so sorry you feel let down, i have had such positive experiances on here compaired to other forums, maybe sending them an email might sort out the problem their email address is team@saneforums.org.

Good luck, Take care

Jacques

In response to: Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Re: What I wish the rest of the world knew

Hi @catalytic

I am sorry you're feeling let down and discouraged that your post was rejected. That is certainly not how we want you to feel.

I just wanted to let you know that a moderator did email you this morning in relation to the post. Could you check your email again? Or maybe even have a look in your junk mail, just in case it didn't come through to your inbox?

Indeed - it is important for all members to understand where exactly their post does not adhere to the community guidelines. A moderator will always endevour to email you if a post is rejected, and to clearly explain the necessary steps to take to edit and repost it. I sincerely hope that after reading through the email, you will come to see that it is nothing personal. Rather, the community guidelines and the moderation process is in place just to ensure that the Forums remain a safe and welcoming place for all.

Please let us know if you still haven't received the email after double-checking. Our email is team@saneforums.org. All the best and hope to continue "seeing" you around the place. 🙂

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