As
you’ll have seen in my previous post, I recently had a mental health crisis and
I had a rough night last night, so the Crisis Team came out and one of the
things they said that really stuck with me was: ‘let’s get you back to a place when
you can be giving people amazing advice again.’ And I had a look through my
blog and wondered whether I’ve done that a lot recently? Given advice, I mean.
So, I thought that almost a week after my crisis, maybe now is the best time to
let people know exactly what has gotten me through.
I
think it’s important that people learn for themselves what helps them to get
through difficult moments, so this post is just a guide and an illustration on
how and why these things help me. If you read this and you think ‘I don’t have
that’ then please see your GP, speak to a professional, a friend or a family
member.
As
everyone knows, mental health crisis isn’t isolated to office hours. They don’t
always happen between 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday. Sometimes it’s four o’clock
Saturday morning. Sometimes it’s a Bank Holiday. Which is why it’s important
that you have several phone numbers or contact details for services and organizations
that offer support both during, and out of, office hours.
In
mental health, it can be challenging to find the right service for you and your
difficulties. Different things work for different people. You’re met by
different responses with the different services and organizations you turn to
and whilst it’s frustrating to come to terms with there not being consistency,
it’s also a beneficial illustration that different professionals are good at
different things. Some Services are best during a crisis, where others are more
appropriate in long-term care. Some professionals are good at talking
through problems and others are good at doing something about them.
Essential
Numbers:
Your
GP
A
local Pharmacy
Emergency
Services
Your
local Community Mental Health Team
Your
local Crisis Resolution Home Treatment Team
Others
e.g. Samaritans, Childline etc.
Nine
years later and I’m still learning who to go to and when to go to them. There
are times when I’m struggling, and it’d be best for me to ring my Mum. Then
there’s times when I feel unsafe and I need to be ringing the Crisis Team.
For
a long time, mental health services in my county were – to put it bluntly –
useless when it came to Personality Disorders and there were times when it felt
like I had no one to turn to because it felt like no one knew what they were
doing.
Nowadays
though, Services for people with Personality Disorders have greatly improved
and professionals recognize the importance of the unique impact their reactions
and responses can have on someone with a Personality Disorder. GPs are learning
that medication isn’t always the answer. Paramedics are finding out the
importance of their response times in a mental health crisis. Police are realizing
that just talking to someone can be the difference between co-operation and
restraint. A&E staff are seeing that whilst their waiting times are enormous,
a bit of time and patience can help a person open up about their experiences.
But
it’s not all about the professionals! A support network can include family and
friends too! My Mum has always been my one constant in my mental health and the
greatest support I could ask for and a lot of the time she is enough to get me
through. But my best-friends offer me something different; Sophie, Lauren,
Ellie… they all give me something different when I’m struggling with my mental
health. Sophie makes me laugh, Lauren listens, and Ellie helps me to explore
it.
My
support system also reaches the people that I work with. Of course, it’s
helpful that I work in the mental health field! But there are work places all
over the world that are filled with lovely, kind, and caring people. My
colleagues provide me with confidence and distraction in a mental health crisis
– they believe in me and my ability to come through it whilst trusting me with
some incredible responsibilities that it’s an honour to undertake.
I’m
incredibly lucky to have so many people around me and whilst it’s hard to show
appreciation during a mental health crisis, I try to make sure they know that I
do, once it’s over.