Question:
am writing to the website in the hope of exploring peoples views
about the provision of mental health services. As a nurse and a sufferer
of a mental health problem I have seen both sides of what happens to
people when they are in need of care, help, advise, medication etc.
As part of my degree I am required to undertake some research, I am
hoping to build up some questions that I can ask other health
professionals as to what they are doing to promote mental health, but
first I need to know what is happening and how the users and carers who
access these services feel.
Please do not feel that you have to answer all or any of my queries. I
thank you for any information you can share with me. It will be treated
in the strictest confidence.
A few questions:
Which age group do you fall in; 20-40
40-60
60-80
are you male or female?
how long have you have a mental health problem?
what is the mental health problem?
how is it treated?
are you happy with the service that you receive? why?
who do you see at the doctors surgery and why?
e.g. counsellor
doctor
nurse
are you happy with the service that you receive? why?
are there areas that could be improved and why?
Who do you see at the hospital?
e.g. doctor
counsellor
psychiatric nurse
social worker
are you happy/unhappy with the service that you receive and why?
are there any improvements that could be made and why?
do you feel that nurses at the doctors surgery should be looking after
people with mental health problems, why do you think this ?
who do you think should look after people with mental health problems?
what skills/qualities/training do you think or would like to see in a
person who offers any form of care to people with mental health
problems?
Answer:
Personally I would like to see so-called mental health professionals
re-educated. Firstly I would them to have an understanding of real life
mental health issues - in particular the fact that each and every patient is
an individual who will react differently to the "text book model". An
acceptance of the fact that a mentally ill person is a human being. An
acceptance of the fact that a mentally ill patient will display certain
behaviour and reactions because of their illness and what is going on in
their heads - as opposed to the current situation where it is assumed that
the patient is just "acting up", "attention seeking", "being difficult" or
"being bloody irritating".
Finally I would like all staff to be retrained in "attitude" and "patient
care". OK, there are a few exceptions to this - the occasional "good
egg" - but the present way that mental health patients are treated by nurses
and doctors on the ward would not be acceptable in General Medicine. If an
inpatient at a General Hospital was treated in the way a psychiatric patient
is treated, the press would be on the doorstep shouting allegations of
"abuse", "ill treatment" etc. A psychiatric patient is a human being just
as much as the nurse/doctor/psychiatrist and is entitled to the same human
rights and basic respect.
Anyway, thats my "shilling's worth" - good luck with your degree
