Are there any mental health professionals here?
It would be nice to hear from you about your experiences as a mental health worker.
p.s. You’re very much appreciated for all the vital work you do!
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There are no mental health workers on this forum to my knowledge. Sane people don’t usually associate with the insane unless they really have to.
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I have schizophrenia, but I also worked in behavioral therapy at residential schools for about six years. Many of my students had autism, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.
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“Mad Hatter: “Have I gone mad?”
Alice: "I’m afraid so… But I’ll tell you a secret. All the best people are.”
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Alice in Wonderland is a fictional story. But in the real world, it’s a whole lot different.
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That’s great. 
I worked as a Counsellor for people who were suicidal and as a Support Worker for people with special needs. As I’m sure you’ll agree, @Ninjastar it’s incredibly rewarding. Real job satisfaction.
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Yeah. I really miss it. So difficult, but the victories were amazing! I was injured pretty badly in the line of duty though, and Mr. Star basically begged me not to go back.
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People are always afraid of what they don’t understand. Educating the public is essential to smash the stigma.
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The general public is a lot of people and you can’t educate everyone therefore there will be people who won’t understand. The stigma will continue.
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Well, you’re doing a great job, helping people here. It’s appreciated.
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The general public is a lot of people and you can’t educate everyone therefore there will be people who won’t understand. The stigma will continue.
You don’t need everyone to understand and accept you, if you understand and accept yourself.
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Thanks. I also do some advocacy work at my day job, but it’s mostly administrative stuff. I am an office worker now. A true desk chair activist!
You must have done great work as a support worker, too! You know, if you’re in the US, NAMI hires people with MI to become peer counselors and teach classes on coping skills and navigating the workforce with a disability and such. Maybe it’s somethig that would interest you. They have a lot of folks with depression and anxiety, but are usually underrepresented in psychotic disorders. So they usually really need people like us.
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I had dreams of becoming a Community Mental Health Worker but I became worried that I wouldn’t be able to cope with the stress of the job. Is there much stress that you know of?
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Humans are social creatures and need other humans for interactions. Try disclosing your mental illness to everyone and see how many will accept you, won’t accept you or doesn’t know what mental illness is.
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It sounds wonderful @Ninjastar. I’d love to do that. I’ll keep that in mind if I decide to move to the US or even have an extended stay there in the future. Thanks very much.
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It’s the most stressful job I’ve ever had. I worked with teenagers with severe aggression issues, and there were real life or death moments. I’ve had my shoulder dislocated, my nose and a finger broken, I have several scars on my arms and face, and I’m missing a chunk of my ankle from where a kid bit it. You need to be able to face these situations without screaming, running away, or fighting back. You need to keep a level head and restore safety.
When you’re dealing with people in crisis day in and day out, it really brings up a lot of stuff about your own crises. You need a good outlet for the stress and the adrenaline. I joined a laser tag league.
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Humans are social creatures and need other humans for interactions. Try disclosing your mental illness to everyone and see how many will accept you, won’t accept you or doesn’t know what mental illness is.
I agree with you. That’s part of the reason why so many of us are so isolated. It is a difficult illness for others to understand. It took me a long time.
A person being isolated with no interaction at all is detrimental to a person’s mental health. Schizophrenia is a disability to function as normal people would usually.
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A LOT of stress in my experience. Overwhelming. After listening to people talking about how they were going to kill themselves for six months, I took their ideas and tried to kill MYSELF. Seriously, I would NOT recommend it.
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Wow. That’s amazing you’re here and yet you were there too. Thus the name @Ninjastar ! That’s kinda what I thought… I’m very good in those kinds of situations but I am sure it would take its toll. Thank you for your reply. I have so much respect for you.
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