Midweek posting?

[scowlotica]

My new job has me searching for the nearest soap box. My experiences of mental health have been listening to the observations of academics, discussing with friends who have various types of depression and reading a rather good manic depression blog (written and experienced by an internet type acquintance of all things

Comments

[caged_liberty]

Because of the nature of mental health problems as opposed to physical ones where there is a more obvious course of action, there can't be a 'playing by the same rules' as there aren't the same rules in the first place. Basic procedures exist when a patient is diagnosed with a certain illness, such as going through a series of low dosage medications combined with therapy plans, but this doesn't happen as often with illnesses that do not have psychotic aspects to them as at least with those medication is often an obvious step to take.

Every single doctor I've ever seen has had a different theory on how to treat me and this has varied greatly. Mental health problems are more difficult to chart than physical ones, and even as someone who considers myself to know my illness well by now in the decade I've had it, very open about it, and very able to express myself, I have great shifts that confuse me too. Maybe for part of the year anxiety will be my main problem, and for the rest it will be depressive symptoms. There is often an understandable reluctance to diagnose someone with a particular illness because so many of them overlap and this can also make finding the right treatment path difficult.

[scowlotica]

I think the playing by the same rules, whilst it cant mean a cookie cutter plaster for the metaphorical grazed knee, should mean having a procedure that all people follow.

Today I was on the phone to a woman who was in charge of a communications post for the whole of Scotland and said that the level of procedure that exists varies wildly from district to district. Some are welcoming of other agencies, working towards the mythical "multi disciplinary" model where "hey you want something? Let me get on the phone to this other professional that knows more...we all work together for the same cause, why shouldnt we share cases".

North Lanarkshire is only now getting its act together, this year they appointed someone who was put with mental difficulties and learning difficulties. Before now, if you ticked both boxes, there would be no room at the inn for you.

Labelling the under 18s is a precarious path, some professionals think that it needs to happen, others think it may harm you in the long run. Stupid I know.