Do we all simply have to help each other?

@Former-Member

Amended post:

Talking helps, they say? I expect that would mean - and ongoing medication. And consultations. More talking? More medication adjustments?

@chibam Thankyou for the help re quoting. I found it much more complicated that cut and paste.

I consider that having to be cautioned over expressing one's own opinion to another stifling to free speech - free thought - to closing down access to alternative view points. Surely we have the right to express opinions - to discuss? Broaden our understanding and knowledge? Learn? To learn that there are others who share our opinions? We are not expressing unlearned opinions - but well-researched experiences, discussions and observations.

Yes, I had an extraordinary psychiatrist which is why I am so angry about the goings on in the system. I KNOW what psychiatriy done with skill can do - but so rarely does. 'Cured' patients are seen to be those whose medication has been 'correctly' adjusted.

My psychiatrist gave every patient the same quality of care - and no-one minded if he was running late because we understood that someone else's care was taking more time than usual that day, and that we have been shown the same consideration on days when our consultation required longer time.

It didn't matter if you were the first patient of the day, of the week - or the last, the first after his holiday, if he was running late, taking intervening telephone calls or if he was experiencing personal difficulties himself, he did not falter. He never went 'off the boil'. In consultation he worked us and didn't waste time. Improvement could be assessed. He clearly thrived on hard work, loved his profession and strove to make it better.

I look about me and see the damage being done to people's lives by so-called professionals, and it just makes me so angry.

It is not meant to be like this and there is no excuse for it.

That is such an insightful, compassionate and intelligent piece of writing.

Thankyou for your heartfelt wisdom & insight.

Warmest regards

Lara1

@chibam I don't know how to manage this situation as I don't want to spoil good feelings you may have derived from our exchanges. I have been greatly benefited by our exchanges and find you a well-considered poster. My posts describe the positive aspects of my life but I would not want you to think that it was all good with that highly skilled ex-psychiatrist. I need to post to get it out of my system but don't want to distress anyone. I don't know whether to post here or elsewhere to keep the good vibes going here.

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@Historylover wrote:

I consider that having to be cautioned over expressing one's own opinion to another stifling to free speech - free thought - to closing down access to alternative view points. Surely we have the right to express opinions - to discuss? Broaden our understanding and knowledge? Learn? To learn that there are others who share our opinions? We are not expressing unlearned opinions - but well-researched experiences, discussions and observations.

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I've sadly found that there are many areas of conversation relating to mental health/suicide/ect. where "free speech" is carefully rationed. Which only adds to my scepticism about the mental health system et al.'s various claims and stances. If such claims/stances are trustworthy and correct, then why is there so much fear and aversion to having free inquiry about them? Surely if they are as absolutely correct as their advocates maintain, then such stances should be easily able to address any freethinking question directed at them.

Only faulty, unscrupulous reasoning fears free inquiry and open discussion.

Even allowing for the fact that some people might be uncomfortable or distressed about discussing the legitimacy of mental health norms, you often aren't aloud to have free open discussions behind "trigger warnings" that would clearly warn anyone uncomfortable with the subject matter to stay away from the discussion.

As you seem to suggest, I think that the taboos in these discussions, and the stifling of free speech does a lot more harm then good; especially in terms of acknowledging the depth and nature of the mental health system's failings, and therefore in ultimately remedying them.

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@Historylover wrote:

My posts describe the positive aspects of my life but I would not want you to think that it was all good with that highly skilled ex-psychiatrist.

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I appreciate that. But I think the main thing is that, all-in-all, your experiance with your therapist was overall positive and worthwhile.

That's sort of the direct opposite of what I went through. If I'm being completely honest, there was one little positive thing that came out of my time with her. But the overall dammage done by her doesn't begin to justify that one measly benefit. All things considdered, I would've been so much better off having never entered her "care".

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@Historylover wrote:

@chibam I don't know how to manage this situation as I don't want to spoil good feelings you may have derived from our exchanges. I have been greatly benefited by our exchanges and find you a well-considered poster. My posts describe the positive aspects of my life but I would not want you to think that it was all good with that highly skilled ex-psychiatrist. I need to post to get it out of my system but don't want to distress anyone. I don't know whether to post here or elsewhere to keep the good vibes going here.

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Yeah. It's hard to know what to do when you hit that wall where you don't really feel like you can speak freely in the environment, isn't it? I've wrestled with that dilemma many times in places like this.

I can't answer that question for you, but I can say that I've read plenty of "upset-with-how-I-was-treated-in-the-system" posts on this forum. We aren't the only ones here who know the dark side of the MH industry, not by a mile.

@chibam I love replies which open up thought and get us to look more deeply into what is going on around us. To have meaningful interactions. What is happening to others. What works, what doesn't. How do we all change so that everyone gets a fair go? How do we bring meaningful change and stop saying that we know there are problems in the "mental health" system. How long do we have to listen to that before someone actually brings actions to bear - not just more words. As for stifling free speech - I was left feeling that I couldn't speak freely and isn't that what we all need desperately. And to be heard? Surely it would help us all. I only read posts when I feel I have the ability to cope. Sometimes I respond with a 'support', but mostly I just wonder what is really going on in people's lives. How much are we bottling up inside because we have no words - or others don't want to hear. How much pain is there in our society? And what can we do about it? NOW!

@chibam I didn't want to distress anyone with my not-so-positive self so opened a new discussion with an alternative name - LikeMinds. It seems that is now tangling me up. Perhaps I forgot to log off and re-log on as HistoryLover. Stress does that.

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@Former-Member wrote:

@chibam I didn't want to distress anyone with my not-so-positive self so opened a new discussion with an alternative name - LikeMinds. It seems that is now tangling me up. Perhaps I forgot to log off and re-log on as HistoryLover. Stress does that.

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Aww! Here I was thinking we had another "Likemind" joining in on our discussion.

@chibam Perhaps we are all working on it?

@Owlunar I just need to apologize to you Dec for my response to yours. When I arrived here I had just been through an horrific trauma and had tried everyway I could to find someone who understood and could help me - A&E, GPs, a psychologist - once, a psychiatrist - twice, several government and community services etc. I was so desperate. I just wanted to get some help but felt so misunderstood at every turn.

Your response made me feel misunderstood again and I did not respond well. I had reached the point where I couldn't take anymore.

We are all suffering here and I hadn't realized that those who responded were other than psychologists, counsellors etc. I just wasn't thinking clearly. And I'm just not used to people anymore - and certainly not genuinely well-meaning ones.

I am truly sorry.