Looking for information about psychosis?

[mentalhealthcare]

www.mentalhealthcare.org.uk is a website for carers of people with mental health problems, launched some years ago by the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and the charity Rethink.

The site is to be revitalised and relaunched early in 2010 and its content will focus entirely on psychosis.

It will include information based on research findings from the Institute of Psychiatry and the expertise of health professionals working for SLaM, which provides the most extensive portfolio of mental health services in the UK.

As part of the process of rebuilding the site, we are talking to families and friends of people who have experienced symptoms of psychosis to find out what information will be most useful to them.

The plan is to include an ‘Ask the Pharmacist’, ‘Ask the Psychiatrist’, and an ‘Ask the Psychologist’ feature, and video interviews with clinicians and researchers talking about psychosis and mental health care, and interviews with carers, sharing experiences that could be relevant to others. The idea is to include information about symptoms, about diagnosis, treatment and care, recovery and relapse, stigma and discrimination, and what is known about potential causes.

We would like to hear from family members and friends who are willing to share their information needs and their experience of getting information to inform the redevelopment of the website. Please either post something here or email [email protected] if you would be willing to talk on the telephone.

 

[ramboghettouk]

You phone up mindline or saneline and some idiot goes onto the computer to find services in your area, i know what services there are, none that i feel meet my needs

wouldn't it be easier for mind and sane to allow you to connect up to their computerised system over the net, if the idea of those phone help lines is human contact they could at least face up to it

 

[Apotheosis]

I E-Mailed you 'mentalhealthcare', & I got no reply - it seems that you don't want to hear what I have to say. Here is a Copy of the E-Mail I sent -

To Whom it may concern

[In response to your post on MH Forums/OP copied Below]

I have been posting on-line on forums & researching all perspectives to 'psychosis' for many years.

What disheartens me is that a lot of material is seemingly ignored & denied in relation to best helping someone from a therapeutic basis; who is undergoing severely altered states. The Bio-Medical model is assumed to be total in the treatment & understanding of these conditions; & I find this to be very narrow & unbalanced.

On this new site - could there at least be an acknowledgement of the deep psychosocial/psychological & therapeutic techniques that have been used to great effect in the treatment of psychosis? Or will all of this be another promotion of Bio-Medical psychiatry, scientific reductionism, materialistic perspectives, & the pharmacological paradigm - at the exclusion of everything else?

Some alternative perspectives/approaches ~

http://www.dantescure.com/

http://spiritualrecoveries.blogspot.com/2006/05/dr-john-weir-perry-diabasis.html

http://bipolarblast.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/what-happens/

http://www.moshersoteria.com/

 

[mentalhealthcare]

Hi Apotheosis,

Thank you for your feedback. We did get your email but haven't had time to look at all the links you recommended yet which is why we haven't replied. Sorry, just been really busy and will get back to you next week.

 

[Apotheosis]

OK, thanks.

 

[xxbeckyxx]

thanks for the info

Im going thru this at the minute with my brother hes been unwell and has been sectioned due to being pyschotic... its not nice to see! thanks becky

 

[maudikie]

To XXbeckyXX

Sectioning is never pleasnt for patient. re;atives or professionals. But at times it is necessary for the best interests of the patient, and also provides a place of safty. Keep in contact with your brother as hew ill need you. For more information about mental illness and with help to understand your part in caring look at www.schizophreniawatch.co.uk. It is very helpful and VERY informative.

 

[maudikie]

To all

Where mercy, love and pity dwell, There God is dwelling too.

Quote William Blake. "The divine Image" Songsof Innocence (1769)

 

[maudikie]

I have a patient with long-term schizophrenia. I have cared for him for over 30 years, He is intelligent and has completed two college courses in the past. They were in art. He attended Penreath Industries, now closed because the NHS would not fund it and it was run on a bequest which ran out of funds, Living in a holiday area work was difficult to obtain. Having attended the printing workshop in the hospital when on section he attempted to get work at all the local printers, but was refused, He had to claim benefits, most of which were spent on materials to fund his art. He gave me some housekeeping first. He joined an art club and they had several exhibitions in the holiday period. He helped to hang the exhibitions and with my company "sat in"and met the public. He was also interested in photography and had a small grant to convert a very small room into a dark room. He joined a local photograpy club, and won a number of awards. He also sent some photograhy away to an international organisation. They were accepted, and again he won two or three awards. His father became ill, and died, and we had moved to a house nearer to the village. He helped a relative with the harvest,(before he became ill) He had a weekly visit from the CPN who brought students with him on occasions and gave him njections, He and the CPN went out for a while and I talked to the stdents as i had by this time studied schzophrenia, and attended a lecture by(I think) a psychologist who explained the neurological pathways in the brain. This was a great help and I "clicked" as to the best way to treat him. He continued his art but had to give up the photographpy due to cost and also the change to digital which he did not like so much. When I became ill I moved to be near to his brother, who had always kept in contact. I had hoped he would come with me, and I sold my house and extendedhis brother's house so that he would have his own accommodation and share with me . Now he can retire to his own room for quiet, or come and talk to me when he wishes. I no longer drive, but he drives and takes me out on ocasions. We both enjoy this.he enjoys gardening and helps his brother as the garden is large. He is also interested in entomology, but has too litle time to spare for it. He gets very tired at times. He retires to his roomtoread, whic he was unable to dothrough lack of concenration, but is finding it difficult still to concentrate for long. He takes Olanzapine and kemedrine, and h a a pilll box whichis a help in reminding him if hehas taken is dose, or forgotten it, He knos about his illness but mostly ignores it and gets on with life as best he can with his spells of tiredness inerrupting a continuum of work.

 

[Apotheosis]

Hi Apotheosis,

Thank you for your feedback. We did get your email but haven't had time to look at all the links you recommended yet which is why we haven't replied. Sorry, just been really busy and will get back to you next week.

I never did get a reply from you.

 

[A.m.b.e.r]

What a great link, very interesting source of information .

 

[oneday]

Thanks to Apotheosis who posted this elsewhere - the link below contains very good information for friends/family members/partners of anyone diagnosed with "schizophrenia" or psychosis:

http://www.successfulschizophrenia.org/articles/message.html