Went to a conference today :)

DX'd - Other
1

so it was ok, i went with a friend from my clubhouse and i had steak and a brownie for lunch, the schedule went

  • talk about psychosis and underlying cause by psychologists
  • (i missed a video presentation)
  • vote on something about peoples rights when they cant make decisions due to psychosis.
  • discussion on psychosis
  • discussion on support from the care sector.

i lost my cool with someone who was dominating the conversation on the first discussion but we sorted it out and the las discussion was very fruitful.

my friend had to leave a couple of times though (there was a quiet area)

4 Likes
2

Sounds pretty cool and informative. I probably wouldā€™ve had to step out to the quiet area, too. That steak and brownie sound pretty good!

1 Like
3

it was a proper restaurant with waiters and everything, steak was nice and tender

the speakers were psychologists talking about psychosis and i think that is rare to see, they were talking about trying to determine underlying causes stating that they believed psychosis was a form of defence mechanism to protect the individual in some way lol.

2 Likes
4

That makes me angry. Psychologists should just keep their Oedipus-complex noses out of psychiatry.

Psychologists are like the enemy within, when it comes to psychiatry.

1 Like
5

iā€™m sorry you feel that way,

i am open to new ideas and it was interesting to hear this from their perspective but not to say that these are firm beliefs of theirs but rather they were looking for funding to do a wider research study into it,

it ties in to what my own psychiatrist said about me and how there may be an underlying cause for my sz, if that is true then there is hope in treating the root of the problem in order to overcome what we see on the surface (which is what we have to deal with)

that being said it is the first time i have heard psychosis being talked about from a psychological view point and it felt fresh and unique (not freudian) and it felt like they were trying to give a clearer picture instead of psychiatry where they just say you have this, this, that and that, these guys were trying to delve deeper in-order to try and explain things in more detail.

1 Like
6

Sounds like a very interesting conference @daydreamer

If there was something similar close to me Iā€™d attend just to hear the views of various professionals. I would be specifically interested in the peopleā€™s rights and support from the care sector parts. I feel like thereā€™s too much ā€œletā€™s commit this person to the hospital and force treatmentā€ rather than empathizing with a patient with psychosis. Not to mention the fact of police involvement. I told my therapist last week that I wouldnā€™t tell her if I was feeling unsafe and would just drive myself to the hospital. She asked why, to which I told her that I wasnā€™t being carted out of the clinic in handcuffs by the police. She found my point valid I think.

1 Like
7

this was very interesting, its good to be sceptical about things but just listening and hearing what other professionals think about a problem that is largely ignored by psychiatrists and covered up with prescription drugs instead of trying to get to the heart of the problem is refreshing,

My own firm beliefs on the matter starts with acknowledging that there is a problem but instead of looking at the problem i suggest looking beyond the problem to ā€˜bypassā€™ it in a way in-order to recover, lets look beyond the problem and in retrospect make the problem less or hopefully disappear entirely, this is very contentious but it works for me obviously with the right medication and dose.

we were discussing these things in great detail so i think you would have enjoyed it,

i missed the video but we had a vote on the rights of patients who lack capacity and cant make decisions bc they are unwell, it was difficult and i think most people including myself decided we would like to discuss it further, its not something that can be pushed through quickly imo,

this was another important point, empathising with the patient, it starts getting tricky when a patient lacks capacity, i got slightly confused on the matter and spoke to the guy putting it to the vote afterwards, he left me slightly confused bc i asked about power of attorney and who makes the decisions if you lack capacity and when it could be rescinded (if you regain capacity) i asked who could make the decision if no-one else could or wanted to and he said it can be done through the courts if no one person wants to take responsibility if things go wrong, 9 times out of 10 though it is down to the psychiatrist to make a decision based on the needs of the patient and he can force treatment (which was the issue), i think the issue was about ā€˜forced treatmentā€™ and whether or not it breached our human rights.

we were also discussing what we thought weā€™d like to see from staff like drs, nurses etc, and a couple of us said we would like the professionals to smile more, we spoke about body language, character, warmth, attitude, trust between dr and patient, honesty, establishing a rapport,

the last thing that was discussed at the end at our table was a 2 day training course that has the potential to expand teaching these techniques to others and i said iā€™d be interested, i also mentioned that drs, nurses etc have also got their own mental health as well.

8

I donā€™t have a power of attorney, so I would assume the doctors and the courts decide if they can force treatment. The courts can also mandate you go to treatment. If you donā€™t follow the order if you end up in the ER with psychiatric problems you will automatically be commited. Iā€™ve never been mandated to receive treatment, but have been held in a hospital involuntarily after I went there voluntarily! It makes me fear getting treatment more.

I agree on all the things you said about a rapport with professionals. In my experience they like to abuse their power or are only in their profession for the money. They donā€™t seem to empathize with me at all. Because of the things the voices tell me to do sometimes, and because of my size, Iā€™m always treated like a threat. When Iā€™m admitted they bring in 3 security guards to watch me. Iā€™m a big guy (6ā€™0ā€, 220lbs), but have never hurt anyone. Never even been in a fight. It makes me feel like crap that I get labeled as violent when Iā€™m not displaying violence.

1 Like
9

I was sectioned and force treated so it didnt exactly instil trust from the beginning, i thought they wee going to help me get better but instead they thought it better to give me medication without my consent. there was nothing i could do.

10

Iā€™ve never truly been given meds without consent. Iā€™ve gone in and they came with needles and said they were giving me medicine. I knew if I refused I would have been restrained and still given the meds, so I just complied and took the injections.

Itā€™s a shame the way patients get treated sometimes. When Iā€™m in the hospital it occasionally feels like Iā€™m in jail being punished. Not in a place receiving treatment and getting better.

11

This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.