Recovery Model

[Isobel]

J's psychologist (who is a very Tiggerish sort of person) has recently got hooked into 'The Recovery Model' which seems to be based on a talk given by Dr. Patricia Deegan some time ago. From a brief look at her on the web she seems to have created an industry around her ideas. She also claims to have had psychotic illness when she was a teenager. J & I are rather mistrustful of all this especially when his psych. says that it is the big thing in MH circles these days. Speaking for ourselves we've never seen anyone who's been in the places we have 'recover'. The most people can do is more or less survive at home with the occasional spell as an in-patient.
This psych is also very full of being positive and feeling gratitude. He's asked for funding into a study into gratitude which he's asked me to take part in. I am very afraid that it's going to be too simplistic and not take into accoount our circumstances and personalities as well as our illnesses. However, there's a small fee involved and a lunch out so I will contribute.
Can positive thinking make a difference to mental illness of the down kind, can being genuinely grateful - without a sense of obligation - help lighten our thinking?
Any comments?
Take care all,
Isobel

 

[ramboghettouk]

Recovery, they've redefined the word, anything is recovery from the state those poor sods living with their carers are in.

It's about saving money, all the talk about doing things for yourself, like the old independent living it saves over streched services resources

Had it pushed on me yrs ago with almost like brain washing, you can't work on meds, most of the jobs are what we used to call benefit plus, were you're getting disability tax credit, how can someone get disability tax credit and be recovered? It causes difficulty with the benefit people

Has anyone heard of the word borderline, under new labours welfare state it's a difficult situation to be in, it's the end result of so called recovery

 

[Dollit]

I've just notice this post and know nothing of the recovery model but I am intrigued and so I'm going to have a read about it and come back later.

 

[nickh]

Can positive thinking make a difference to mental illness of the down kind, can being genuinely grateful - without a sense of obligation - help lighten our thinking?
Any comments?
Take care all,
Isobel

I wouldn't want to dismiss the possibility that 'positive thinking' (which can mean a whole range of things) can help some, or many, people - indeed I am sure it can. I can only say that it hasn't and won't work for me. And also that I am deeply suspicious of anyone who advocates it as a cure-all. There are no cure-alls and anyone who pretends there is is a charlatan. We are all individuals and need individual treatment - but that of course costs a great deal of money which is why the Government much prefers cure-alls and especially those which like 'positive thinking'/CBT throw much of the responsibility onto the patient.

 

[Michael]

I honestly believe positive thinking as part of a combination of things that work for you will help.

Some people can and do work whilst on med's - I am one of them - surely its again down to the individuals circumstances and condition and physical/mental ability?

There is no one cure all, in fact most people I talk to do not think you can 'cure' it at all, but some can manage it, the more we know by people talking and reading about there experiences the more we can all move forward.

Maybe its all of our faults that there are ones caught in the system and bounced around, we blame goverments but we vote them in.
We can and should take an active interest and tell our local MP what whe consider is going on, that is what he is there for to represent us all.

If there are 6 million on AD's that is a lot of votes! and all we ask is for to be treated with respect, isn't it?

Michael

 

[Ashami]

I wouldn't want to dismiss the possibility that 'positive thinking' (which can mean a whole range of things) can help some, or many, people - indeed I am sure it can. I can only say that it hasn't and won't work for me.

I feel very strongly about positive thought, and wholeheartedly believe in it's power. My personal battle is remaining positive, the negative thoughts overwhelm me too easily, but I am always aware of a positive shift in all aspects of my life when I work really hard at positive thinking.

My thoughts are that we attract what we give out / we reap what we sow.

For example, the thoughts; 'I don't want to go to the party tonight, but I supposed I will have to. I know I'm going to hate it tho,' will undoubtedly result in the thinker having a thoroughly miserable time.

It may not be a cure-all but well worth persevering with I think.

Where there is life, there is hope, and hope is born of positive thinking. I think NLP therapy is interesting here because its reason for being was the study of successful people. One thing they all had in common was an extremely positive outlook.

I for one would be very grateful to get some 'positive therapy' from the NHS. I have been unlucky, I think just because of where I am, but CBT is a myth round here.

 

[sandybob]

my difficulty is believing .. having faith if you will ..
its all very well having the positive thought, but i always have another thought up its backside completely trashing it ..


yes the mind is a powerful thing and im sure that recovery can be acieved by positive thought ... but how does a depressive form and hold onto those thoughts in the first place ?

 

[Dollit]

I've had a look at the recovery model and it seems to be about gathering all your positive resources - relationships, medics, interests, support as a whole and using them to complement ongoing treatments. In fact, even though it's never been formally called the recovery model, it's what I've been doing with the last two consultants who've treated me - about 6 years. It seems to work for me.

 

[Ashami]

my difficulty is believing .. having faith if you will ..
its all very well having the positive thought, but i always have another thought up its backside completely trashing it ..


yes the mind is a powerful thing and im sure that recovery can be acieved by positive thought ... but how does a depressive form and hold onto those thoughts in the first place ?

Yes Sandy I too have probs with those 'backdoor' thoughts. I think in some quarters it's called the 'critical voice', or our 'parent voice'. The critical voice is supposed to replicate the sort of messages we got when we were being parented and I have found it the hardest thing to ignore.

Therapies such as Transaction Analysis, NLP, CBT etc are all intended to teach us how to replace the critical voice with a more caring and supportive voice and the only way I know how to achieve it is thru practice of the techniques they teach. I am very interested in what Dollit was saying about the 'mindfulness' CD. Mindfulness is something I have heard about but never explored and seems worth checking out. Paul Mckenna does some interesting stuff too and what I like about his books / CD's is that they are real quick to read and do.

Of course when you are depressed it seems the hardest thing to consistently repeat positive behaviours, the first hurdle and they are tossed to the wind. Whatever approach is adopted I think it's got to be simple and fast, to beat the nightmare of procrastination.

 

[Dollit]

When I started with the mindfulness I wouldn't lie down and listen a lot of the time and just do something else and eventually it just compels you to sit or lie down and do it!

 

[Ashami]

Part of my prob is my OH. If he saw me doing something like meditation or even just listening to a self-improvement cd he would think I'd gone bonkers, and it's very hard to get past the disapprovement.

 

[Dollit]

That's the point of mindfulness, you do it in a quiet spot when you're alone.

 

[sandybob]

i seem to always come down to "whats the point"

 

[Dollit]

Well if you come down to 'what's the point' then mindfulness is very good. You just listen to a nice voice for 45 minutes and you don't have to analyze it or give anyone feedback or even decide if you like it. It's good to do stuff that seems pointless sometimes. Years ago a GP told me that I had to learn to stop thinking that life was all seriousness and I had to learn to have a sense of humour. I was quite ill, I was scoring about 25% on the GAF scale, which is pretty dire. He used to make me go out for a walk with a sandwich and my bus fare home. I had to walk until I hadn't been anywhere and when I hadn't been anywhere I could go back home. It took me ages to work out what he was on about but he was right. Life has just got to be pointless sometimes.

 

[Michael]

Well if you come down to 'what's the point' then mindfulness is very good. You just listen to a nice voice for 45 minutes and you don't have to analyze it or give anyone feedback or even decide if you like it. It's good to do stuff that seems pointless sometimes. Years ago a GP told me that I had to learn to stop thinking that life was all seriousness and I had to learn to have a sense of humour. I was quite ill, I was scoring about 25% on the GAF scale, which is pretty dire. He used to make me go out for a walk with a sandwich and my bus fare home. I had to walk until I hadn't been anywhere and when I hadn't been anywhere I could go back home. It took me ages to work out what he was on about but he was right. Life has just got to be pointless sometimes.

Dollit
These are the words I have been looking for for years! It all makes so much sense. It has really minced up my head, one bit is trying to understand it and another is truly laughing at me.
I am sat here at home trying to motivate myself to do the jobs I have to do, and now I'm thinking - nowt! absolutley nowt!
Listening to the radio 60s music on radio 2, watching my dog in the garden going mental, washing up in the sink and gardening needs doing - think I will get dressed and go for a walk and look at it again when I come home. (just have to make sure it's before my wife comes home from work and the washing up's done though!)

Michael