Mad in America

Comments by AnnaB

Showing 10 of 10 comments.

• Thank you for the article and sharing your experience.

  I agree with your version of what trauma informed care should look like.

  Personally it has always irked me when I hear about “trauma-informed” professionals. That they received training and education on how to “handle” a person experiencing a trauma event.

  In my experience I don’t need to re-live any traumatic event without my permission. I don’t need my power taken away from me. And that’s what it feels like when I’m not the one to initiate a conversation about my traumatic experiences.

  All the times I’ve received “help” for any crisis has only left me more trauma memories. How does that make sense? When a person in duress needs care and reaches out, the outcome is worse? It disgusts me.

  I can only hope that I will continue to heal through what I have learned.

  Thanks.

• So after looking around at what delusions are defined as, I’m noticing it’s a term applied to someone who typically has mental health issues or diagnosis.
  Sigh.
  I have heard the word- delusional- thrown around sometimes, inappropriately and overused.
  Hey if it’s my reality, my experience, my truth; then it is to be challenged because I may or may not have a MH diagnosis?
  It could just be another perception of life, a point of view, that was not in agreement with any other. Doesn’t make it wrong or needing fixing.

  I’m all for healing and working through trauma.
  As far as I understand traumatic memories are stored in a different place than other memories.
  If I had a better understanding of the human brain I might be able to make a conclusion.

  It’s the article where it said “…urges us to see purpose in mental illness rather than pathology.” That really got to me.
  Because, to me, there is no illness or disease of the mind. This idea that mental illness exists, nah. We’re just people. And we can’t accept each other or ourselves the way we are. So we need fake labels to feel better.

  I don’t mean to invalidate or assume anyone else’s opinion here.

  Ah well I really appreciate MIA allowing me to comment.

  Thanks.

• Thanks for this article.

  I noted it mentioned that BMJ itself released a theme in 2002 highlighting the dangers of too much medicine.
  So 20 years ago.
  What’s been happening since then?

  I have observed countless articles released right here on MIA, with alarming statistics on the increasing amount of over-medicating of children and adults along with over-diagnosis.

  I have also observed point after point being made that we need to take action.

  And here we are today. Where does the absolute control lie? In the hands of the people wanting changes, or with the those making money off of them.

  I don’t mean to oversimplify and assume everyone’s feelings or experiences. This is me- expressing my frustration with the lack of progress.

  I’ve had my own journey with mental health – a diagnosis – medication, finding my own path.

  Perhaps I’m not seeing where to find a glimmer of hope that a change for the better has actually happened and more is on the way.

• Thank you for your reply.

  “I’m very concerned that our unwillingness to describe and define what can happen in peer support will make it impossible for researchers to show positive outcomes.”

  I’m feeling confused by this statement, just above this was stated : ‘“Even so, good RCTs on peer support have shown increased social support, self-efficacy, and quality of life, overall empowerment, self-esteem, self-advocacy, and assertiveness, and that peer-delivered self-management intervention reduces readmissions to acute care. RCTs have also shown that peer support outcomes include increases in hope, self-care, and a sense of well-being.”’

  Is this the possibility the researchers are looking for?

  I’ll go even further about your concern for the unwillingness to describe and what can happen; I felt in my opinion from what I learned in peer support training and practice it was important to take care of the relationship first and to hold the confidentiality of whom I work with. (In the clinical world – good luck with maintaining that.)
  When digging for facts and information for anything people always want concise details to further their understanding.
  To me what mattered was staying present, truly listening, and not trying to further an agenda, outcome or some sort of clinical intervention. If both the peer and I walked away feeling like we furthered a deeper understanding about life, each other, a theory, whatever – great.
  Maybe this sounds basic and like a core idea.
  I don’t disagree that quality of life is important – it’s not up to me or a clinical person to choose for another person what their life should look like.

• The author’s use of “mental illness” repeatedly really hit me the wrong way.
  Recovery from “mental illness”, What are we focusing on, outcomes?
  I appreciate wanting to realign what peer support looks like for the peer supporter, however in the end it’s about what’s best for the relationship between the supporters and the people they work with. And having the flexibility to ‘roll with it’ is something one must do. The situation may arise when ‘working’ as peer supporter in the clinical world where the power-balance is not maintained and it’s unfortunate and unfair. All we can do in the meantime is strive to do our best to remain peer while navigating the system. I’d love to hear what other peer supporters do.

• Former peer specialist on an assertive community treatment team. I was expected to meet standards of the agency, for example, productivity minimums and also have effective “interventions” at each appointment I held with service users. This became a frustrating experience. Focusing on outcomes and breakthroughs – no that’s not peer support.
  To me meeting with a peer, holding an honest and respectful conversation that opens possibilities for discovery simultaneously satisfied the need for hope and connection.
  I put the brakes on being a drug pusher. During one discussion in a meeting about “getting this client to take medication ‘x’, I absolutely declined. Coercion tactics are not in the wheelhouse of a peer specialist. Nor should they be of clinical workers.
  In my thinking peer support is a service in the eyes of an agency, as it is billable and will be pushed as far as it can go. Can you do ‘x’ because Jane the case manager had an emergency/appointment went over/ is out today.
  Setting boundaries and limits with your boss, co- workers and service users will do wonders for your health.

  An additional note, I would have liked to have read the data reported on peer support outcomes as first mentioned in the article.

  Thanks for letting me share.

• This was excellent! I am considering re-entering therapy and wasn’t sure what I would be looking at. Your message was very helpful.

• Christine,

  Thank you.

• Thanks for the article.
  As a person with a mental health diagnosis and has been on a journey with it for 30-plus years I appreciated reading about this.
  From my perspective I’ve experienced the personal, public and self-stigmatization throughout.
  Anti-stigma campaigns given forth from organizations i.e. NAMI, have at times felt like a thorn to me as they are: 1. to my knowledge funded partially by pharma and 2. driven by parents of those with a mental health label. Perhaps the intent is meaningful and it changes throughout time.
  Another campaign that had encouraged me to know 5 simple signs I’ve only found to cause more doubt in myself, supporters and others to wonder ‘am I ill?’ It feels at times it’s not okay to be not okay.
  There is a lack of inclusion of people who are given a mental health diagnosis to make decisions in their care and life and it’s widely known. When it comes to the execution about making mental health awareness a thing it feels as if it was done by someone with no life experience of a diagnosed person.
  I don’t wish to be identified as a psychiatric patient, I prefer to not even believe in mental illness. Why is there such a thing? Is it because someone could not understand another’s mind and thought process. Maybe I sound completely uninformed and ignorant.
  Thanks again for the article and letting me chime in.

• Thank you for this article. I have been on medication since I was 18 and I’m now 47.
  About 3 years ago with the assistance of a provider I tapered off of my antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication.( not simultaneously) I had minimum side effects thank goodness.
  I’m still medicated by a mood stabilizer and antipsychotic. I have hopes to come off one of those soon as I have recently read that they have moderate interactions with each other. It’s upsetting to me that this was either overlooked or undisclosed to me.
  With my continuing research and support that I hope to get maybe I won’t be on medication the rest of my life like I was told so very long ago.