Austria cellar man 'mentally ill'

Stories such as this one infuriate me. Once again we have a lawyer who is paid far too much money to try to find a way of reducing the punishment of a man who has undeniably committed a heinous crime, and the best he can come up with is “he couldn’t help it; he’s mentally ill”.

There’s no getting away from it; some people are just bad and do bad things. People can’t always be excused for what they do. Continually using mental illness as an excuse means that bad people are not being punished adequately for the crimes they commit; the sincerity of those who do commit crime due to mental illness is called into question; and people with mental illness in general are wrongly viewed as people to be feared and avoided, as it appears that there are more people with mental illness committing crime than there actually is.

This has to stop.

Are we going to get to the stage where no crime is punishable? Will every crime be attributed to mental illness? Will all murderers, rapists, and paedophiles be regarded as victims of illness rather than bad people? Where does it end?

New Blog - Bipolar Speaks

I received this comment from Bipolar Speaks in the comments section, and thought it was such a wonderful idea that I wanted to make sure that everyone got to read it.

Most of you know me as “Dreamwriter.” I recently launched a new blog called, “Bipolar Speaks.” One day something came over me as I was reading websites called “Post Secret” and also a blog who had a post where they had quotes from other Bloggers with mental illness about how they felt. It occurred to me that WE need an escape to let out our feelings and frustrations. I know that a lot of Bloggers say what they feel within their own blogs, but you are welcome to share your thoughts, opinions, and feelings.

You are welcome to help raise awareness and put a stop to the Stigma that lies within mental illness. We can change the world - one story at a time. I thought it would be interesting to design a “Safe Haven” for those who battle with a Mental Illness; and allow them to come and let out their most darkest, painful, and emotional feelings. This would be a great way to spread awareness by letting society know what is REAL about mental illness.

If you are interested, you can submit a story or short piece as an “Anonymous” contributor, or if you don‘t care about what others think, then feel free to reveal your blogger identity; its purely up to you. I tried this several times and the “Anonymous” button works and ends up in my email as an “Anonymous” comment.

The rules and regulations are in the blog within a post. Take the time to read them thoroughly and I hope that you become a constant contributor. Remember, we all have things on our chest to let out and we all truly don’t want others to know. But now is an opportunity for YOU to speak up, speak out, and be heard! I know that I have a lot of feelings and issues that I don’t want my husband, friends, or family to know about… this is my chance to get it off my chest and I WILL be a constant contributor. Depending on the issue, I might submit the story under both “Anonymous” and my name.

Go to “Bipolar Speaks” and look around, don’t forget to display the Bipolar Speaks button on your blog and link it back to us.

By the way, I still have my other blog, so don’t forget about me over there, too. :)

“Care” in the Community

I’m aware that Mental Health workers sometimes read this blog, and some have previously commented that it helps them to see things from a different perspective. So this is a message to all those who provide “Care in the Community”.

Don’t get shirty when a “service user” who can’t even remember to change his underpants doesn’t return your calls. And if he has a spouse who usually takes care of these things for him, take a minute to think about why she might be letting those things slip at the moment.

Sometimes there are more important issues in life than your appointment schedule running at 100% efficiency.


Edit: After making such a fuss last week, she failed to turn up for a scheduled appointment with Mr Man today, and she didn't even call to cancel. Maybe life has taught her a lesson in "more important issues"?

Update on the Respite Saga

Head Meets Brick Wall

It’s been a long time since I wrote an update in the Respite Saga. The problems continue, with the addition of brainless staff at the helm, upholding pointless rules.

The local MP was little or no help to me whatsoever. After the helpful MP we had previously I foolishly concluded that all MP’s would want to care for their own constituents. In reality the only thing he did was to forward my letter on to the Chairman of the local NHS Trust and Patricia Hewitt, the then Minister of Health.

Of course Patricia was far too important and busy to look into the matter and respond to my letter, so she then forwarded my complaints on to someone else. Someone else, like most politicians I suspect, was caught up in her own fantasy world of statistics and figures and wrote me a long letter to explain how many millions of pounds our wonderful government had invested in mental health services – which didn’t actually address the problem of the cut backs in our area which I was referring to.

It was April last year when I sent my second letter of complaint to the Chairman of our local NHS Trust, regarding the cutbacks in respite beds. It took the Chairman four months to reply. In part he wrote:

“Although in the past [the respite home] provided respite on a limited basis our strategy in the future will be to provide a wider and, I hope, more convenient range of respite opportunities such as direct payments for home support, holiday respite and respite relief from home in other settings similar to [the respite home]. Until these arrangements are in place [the respite home] will continue its current arrangements.”

In other words “Stop writing to me because it will make no difference whatsoever – the changes will stay as they are”. What of these “other arrangements”? It appears to me that care services are being reduced in favour of direct payments, knowing that many people, including us, won’t even qualify. Those who do qualify are so ill that they could clearly do with both services. Alas, when you’re dealing with the NHS it’s one or the other – or neither – not both. I have no idea what “holiday respite” is – unless the government are planning on paying for holidays for everyone (yeah right), and “respite relief from home in other settings similar to [the respite home which we have just reduced the number of respite beds in] – what exactly is the point of that? Why would they open up another home similar to the one they have just “reconfigured” services in? Are these simply more lies designed to pacify me?

Not long after receiving this letter I became more depressed, although it took me a little while to recognise it. But we still had our three breaks a year, right?

Several things happened at the respite home over the following months, which provided varying degrees of irritation, but as usual, nothing to actually endear the staff to me. There were the stupid rules which prevented respite for Mr Man being booked by anyone other than his key worker, who of course wasn’t there, despite the fact that they all have access to the same diary for the same bed. Then of course there was the day when Mr Man was left caring for the emotional needs of a lady who was staying at the home as a form of “crisis intervention”, because the staff who were intervening in her moments of crisis didn’t actually notice that she was upset, or didn’t care. And of course there was the wasteful booking by staff members of the respite bed for Mr Man on a night he wasn’t even going to be there, because they insist on booking Monday to Friday / Friday to Monday, even if the person won't be staying for that full length of time, which left me wondering if the staff actually realise that they are there to provide a service, or do they believe that this home remains open simply to provide them all with employment?

Nothing could have quite prepared me for what happened when I called to book our third break for 2007 and a couple of breaks for 2008 though. Following my bout of depression, it was December before I felt able to face the thought of going away from home and trying to be happy, let alone dealing with those people at the respite home. I never look forward to calling and speaking to Jim, and actually it was Mr Man who kept prompting me to ring this time. When I did, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the bed was fully booked for the rest of the month, and naturally the home was closed over Christmas and New Year, because no one needs respite or rehabilitation at that time of year do they? The bed was already booked by someone else for the dates we wanted in March, and due to the stupid “Monday to Friday / Friday to Monday” rule with the booking of the bed we couldn’t have the dates we wanted in July either. So I'd called to book three breaks, and couldn't book any of them. It seemed like a bit of a pointless service really. Probably to try to calm me down, Jim came up with the suggestion of booking a break in early January, and he said that would still count as one of our 2007 breaks. He seemed pretty sure of this – until I asked for confirmation in writing. It’s a good job I did really because once he had checked with his ever-so-helpful manager it became apparent that respite breaks cannot be carried over from one year to the next, even if it is booked early in January because the rest of the previous year is fully booked.

Hang on a minute, I thought the ever-so-helpful manager had told me what a flexible service this was, and that actually, I could possibly have more than three breaks a year if I wanted to because they would rather see the bed in use than go empty (which is obviously why they booked the bed for Mr Man for an additional night in October, knowing that he wouldn’t be there) and all I had to do was ask? Well now I’m asking, and we’re not even allowed our third break, let alone any extra. How flexible is that?

Once I had received the letter explaining this, I called Jim to cancel the break in January and to tell him what a liar his manager is. All he could say was “I’m sorry you feel that way”. Yes, I do. After all of my fighting last year with the Chairman, I actually felt that the manager was on our side, when in reality she was also lying to pacify me, only she was better at it than the Chairman.

These lies have left me feeling so angry that I’ve wanted to kill people. I can’t bear the thought of going to that place or speaking to anyone from there ever again. Several people have tried to help sort out the problem with the July booking by speaking to the manager at the respite home, including Mr Mans Care Co-ordinator, and the Carer Support Worker, but it’s pointless. She won’t even budge on such a small issue by allowing me to book Thursday to Sunday instead of Friday to Monday. Mr Mans Psychiatrist has said that she will now call the respite home, but I’m not holding my breath.

I haven’t replied to our good friend the Chairman. I haven’t had the emotional strength to do so. There are only so many times one can bang their head on a wall before it causes serious injury. Interestingly Jim claimed that other respite users appear happy with the arrangements. How does he know that? How does he know if these people are happy or if they simply do not have the strength to go through a pointless complaints procedure as I have?


Edit: I have now been informed that the bed has been booked by someone else for the Thursday in July, but of course I have no way of knowing if the person actually intends on staying on the Thursday night, or if the staff have just booked it anyway like they do with Mr Man. So there is a possibility that this bed that we need will remain empty on that night. Now you see why I get so angry when they insist on booking Mr Man in from Friday to Monday when they know full well that he will be going home on the Sunday morning.

Explanation for my Absence

I have found it necessary recently to go into hibernation mode. The big wide world is far too demanding and unpleasant. I’ve been popping my head out every now and then to have a look around, but I’m not quite ready to step right outside the door yet. There’s a Black Dog waiting outside, but I’ve found as long as I stay in my little hole I’m safe.

Friends, family, emails, and blogs have all taken a backseat while I spend some time on me.

My apologies to all of those who are waiting for emails.

Violence and Schizophrenia – Comments from Readers

I would like to thank all those who commented recently on my posts “Violence and Schizophrenia”. Often I find that the comments left by readers are more interesting and informative than the posts I have written! Some of the explanations of what it is like to suffer violent intrusive thoughts were too valuable to leave unread by the majority in the comments section.

“The thoughts are like movies you can't shut off... no matter how horrible it is I can't press stop… I'm forced to "watch" the whole thing until it is done.”
- Minnesnowta

“I've struggled with these thoughts for a long, long time. I thought they made me a horrible person and I have done very silly things to try and erase them from my mind. I could not even write them down for fear that they would become more real.”
– Anonymous

“They cause great distress, and I wonder why my head does this to me? I don’t like swatting wasps, let alone harming a person; it’s just not me at all.”
- Slurry

I also sometimes receive comments which raise very interesting questions and points of view. No doubt these points of view will be shared by others, and so I would like to reply in full in a blog post. I have recently received the following comment from an Anonymous reader, regarding my posts on Violence and Schizophrenia.

“I have been reading your journal with interest and after some time have decided to post a reply to this thread.

On the topic of intrusive thoughts my guess is that we all have these and from time to time they can be elaborate, explicit and violent but a filter or whatever prevents us from taking these fantasies and enacting them in the real world. If this were not close to the mark I fail to understand the attraction that violent films and latterly computer games have for a large proportion of the population. In fact, children may re-enact what they have seen but as play rather than through real aggression.

I am reluctant to continue this post as I believe it will be unpopular with the non sufferers of schizophrenia and those with the illness who read this blog. However my opinion is as valid as anyone else’s and deserves to be considered.

A small percentage of people with serious mental illness are capable of the most appalling violence. I know of no way to differentiate those who will go on to kill and those who will not. I believe that by claiming that there are far worse dangers out there you are bordering on denial. There are many dangers out there, far more people are killed by the sane than the mentally ill but a percentage of schizophrenics will go on to kill.

Even a small percentage is significant, I personally know of no one who has been killed by a seriously mentally ill person. I have however been stabbed over a prolonged period by one and am lucky not to be one of the statistics I feel some would rather ignore.”

Anonymous, thank you for taking the time to respond to my posts “Violence and Schizophrenia”. Firstly I would like to say how sorry I am that you have been a victim of violence over a period of time. As you so rightly point out, your opinion deserves as much consideration as anyone else’s.

You begin your comments by stating:
“On the topic of intrusive thoughts my guess is that we all have these and from time to time they can be elaborate, explicit and violent but a filter or whatever prevents us from taking these fantasies and enacting them in the real world.”

I personally don’t believe that I have ever experienced intrusive thoughts. In rage I have experienced very violent thoughts, but as I endeavoured to explain in my previous post on the subject, intrusive thoughts are unrelated to the person’s emotional state and additionally are “intrusive” – unwanted, unwelcome, distressing, and difficult to be distracted from. Far from being a fantasy, they are more like a waking nightmare for those who experience them, especially as they can be accompanied by visual hallucinations. See the comments above by those who have experienced them.

You continue:
“If this were not close to the mark I fail to understand the attraction that violent films and latterly computer games have for a large proportion of the population.”

This is an interesting point. For Mr Man, the intrusive thoughts and hallucinations that he has endured means that there is rarely a violent scene in films that he finds more distressing than what he has already witnessed. However, this doesn’t mean that he finds violent films entertaining.

For most people who are entertained by such, I suspect that it is more than simply a case of desensitization. Over the years films have not only become increasingly violent, but the violence has been glorified by being acted out by the most popular actors delivering “cool” one liners. In addition, age restrictions have been reduced and the video games often allow the gamer to become the hero of the film. Violence then has become synonymous with many desired traits such as popularity, admiration, and sex appeal, to name but a few, and I feel it is this that has increased its popularity.

Like you, I fail to understand the attraction of such violent “entertainment”, but the result of which for many is an impaired conscience, which I believe you alluded to when you said “a filter or whatever prevents us from taking these fantasies and enacting them”. For some, the filter stops working. Despite suffering from intrusive thoughts, the conscience of a person with mental illness is no more likely to become impaired than anyone else’s. As Mr Ian, a psychiatric nurse for many years, said in the comments section:

“Most people with psychoses harm themselves before other people as they still maintain their moral reasoning that it is wrong to hurt others. Those that do harm others, only do so because they feel they are severely threatened, regard it as the best/only option for their dilemma, or they have a delusional belief that such behaviour is 'ok' (I once nursed a guy who stabbed a horse guardsman in the leg because [he believed] it was an act of mutual bonding and honour that the guardsman would have understood).”

You continue:
“A small percentage of people with serious mental illness are capable of the most appalling violence.”

I agree, just as a percentage of those without mental illness are capable of equally appalling violence.

“I know of no way to differentiate those who will go on to kill and those who will not.”

Again, I agree, just as I have no way of knowing which of those without mental illness will go on to kill and which ones will not.

"On Balance" by Philippa King

“I believe that by claiming that there are far worse dangers out there you are bordering on denial.”

I never claimed that there were far worse dangers, only that a person has as much chance of being killed by a person without mental illness as with. What I do question is whether a person’s mental illness is truly the cause of their violent acts in all cases. In many cases I think it is used as an excuse; on the other hand, for those who clearly were affected by mental illness at the time of committing a violent crime, support was obviously lacking as there are always warning signs before hand. Consider this comment by Mr Ian:

“In regard the myth of the "snap" theory, I agree. It never comes unannounced. It frequently goes unnoticed or unattended though. I have worked with violent mentally disordered offenders for several years now. What you say is true and accurate from my perspective also; that the true cause of the violent act being purely in psychotic reasoning is pretty rare. Often it is increased in probability by prior personality, intellectual or environmental influences; or is more to do with those predisposing/predictive factors and not psychoses at all.”

You continue:
“There are many dangers out there, far more people are killed by the sane than the mentally ill but a percentage of schizophrenics will go on to kill.

Even a small percentage is significant”

I agree that although the percentage of those killed by people with mental illness is small, those victims are not insignificant. However, I think it is unfair for the media to wrongly give the impression that these murders are more frequent than they actually are, or that everyone with a mental illness is violent. Rather than trying to ignore statistics, I am asking people to be balanced in their view of people with mental health problems.

I understand that your experience has not been a good one. You don’t say what your relationship is to the individual who has stabbed you, but I would recommend seeking outside help and advice from a GP or a Community Mental Health Team. If this person is persistently violent towards you he/she should either be arrested or detained in a secure unit under a section of the mental health act.

Thank you again for your comment, and to all who have commented on this subject.

Related Posts: Violence and Schizophrenia - Part One, Violence and Schizophrenia - Part two

Related Posts on Mental Nurse: The Will To Do No Wrong, The Will To Do No Wrong Part 2

The Ghost of Christmas Past

First published 23/12/06. Edited for 2007.

Christmas is an incredibly lonely time for many people. Unlike any other time of the year the world seems to stop spinning and everything comes to a halt. In this country at least, this includes mental health services. This is just too much to cope with for some people; just knowing that no one is there for them if they need someone can cause an increase in anxiety. (See this news article)

Traditionally, it is a time for family and friends to come together. But some people don’t have any family. Many will be remembering lost loved ones, and some will be grieving new losses. Elderly ones in particular may have lost their spouses, siblings, and friends. Sick ones may struggle to form lasting friendships. For all of these ones, knowing that others are enjoying the company of people they love and who love them can make them feel more isolated than ever.

"The Silent Night" by Philippa King

For some people, going to the shops each day provides the human contact that everyone needs. But the shops are closed. I know people with mental health difficulties who wander around town all day, preferring the company of strangers than no company at all. How will it be for those ones when the town centre is completely deserted? When there is no one on that bench to chat to; no playing children to laugh at; no struggling mothers to joke with?

This weekend people may be writing a list of all their final arrangements, or their last minute shopping needs. Why not write a list of people who you know live alone? Maybe they’re elderly ones; maybe they have an illness of one kind or another. Maybe give them a ring just to show that they’re not forgotten. Maybe pop round for a cuppa and take them a slice of cake. At the very least you may just make someones day. Or you could even save a life. Maybe.