The Mentally Ill Less Cared For Today......

[AuntieMoosie]

than they were years ago???!!!

Yesterday evening, me and a couple of my neighbours were sat outside of our front doors keeping cool and having a chat.

We don't have a private garden, so we can see the road from where we're sitting, the only private bit we've got is round the back.

Anyway, a saw a frail looking lady, all disguised with dark glasses and a scarf over her head and most of her face, walking up our path towards us.

"can you help me please" came this little whisper of a voice and I asked her what she wanted help with.

She then began reeling off all of these weird and wonderful stories, that she had been burgled, there were people after her, hence the disguise and many other tales of woe.

She was clearly distressed, kept breaking down sobbing, was very much in a state both physically and mentally. She was clearly infested with Scabies which I spotted straight away.

She told us that she had been sleeping in long grass for 3 nights, she hadn't eaten and had drunk very little, so the first thing I done was to get her a drink as I didn't want her dehydrating.

I knew this poor lady was in serious need of help, so I had to gently and carefully, cos I didn't want her to run away, encourage her to speak with the police, I just handle it with kid gloves, and told her that they would be the best people to help her, thankfully she agreed in the end.

The police then talked with her over the phone and then sent a patrol car to my address, she was known to the police anyway and they told me that they had been looking for her for 5 days.

One of the police officers asked her why she had approached us, and she replied that she had been listening to us talking and she said that I thought we were nice and we would help her, bless her heart :)

I don't know why, but I would imagine because they knew that she was unwell and not taking her medication.

Anyway the police took her down to the station where they told me they were going to give her some dinner, then would be taking it from there.

She went with them no problems, and we were all relieved that she was safe now, I couldn't stop thinking about her all of last night and as soon as I woke up today, I know she's safe wherever she is, but it's difficult to get her out of my mind.

Anyway the reason that I've decided to share this with you all is because I'm finding it really hard to believe that in this day and age, a very clearly mentally ill lady has managed to disappear, sleeping in a field for days, appeared to be in a terrible state in her appearance, even with an infestation of scabies, which would have taken weeks to reach that advanced state, could possibly be left like that an unnoticed???

I can't believe that she could have gone missing from a mental health unit in that state, so I can only think that she's been at home, not taking her medication, and becoming worse and worse.

Where were her support team??? The CPN, Social Worker and the like????

Having chewed this over in my mind most of the way through the night, I've come to the conclusion that the care and supervision of the mentally ill has taken a tragic turn for the worse.

It's left me feeling really sad, a feeling that I'm now finding hard to shift :weep:

This lady is a human being, she is very, very unwell, she is vulnerable and yet she managed to slip through the net unnoticed by anyone???? How in Heavens name, can that be happening???? :weep: :weep: :weep:

[nomorepanic]

I had a similar thing happen to me Moosie many years ago and you just reminded me of it.

I found someone that looked like a tramp wandering around near my house when I lived in Sheffield.

He did manage to tell me that he had been in a mental hospital but had "escaped". He managed to tell me the area of Sheffield it was in so I got the phone book out and called a few in that area to ask if they had lost a patient!!

In the end I drove him back and they confirmed he had gone missing a few days earlier!

Sad isn't it.

[AuntieMoosie]

Thank you Nic :)

Yes it is really sad :weep:

I'm glad that he found you though Nic :) What worries me is that they go looking for help in the wrong places, they are so vulnerable I hate to think what could happen to them.

The thing is with me, I get too involved and I can't just let it go. I sort of obsess with it in my mind, I try to look for solutions.

My previous GP used to say to me "Mandy, you can't solve all the problems in the World, nobody can" and I know that deep down.

But I just cannot bear the thought of anyone suffering for whatever reason.

This is one silly coooooooow today!!!!! lol

I'll get meself sorted though, I always do :hugs:

[ElizabethJane]

I wish that they had retained the spirit of the old asylums. For some people it was their home. To 'manage' people in the community is simply a mistake. I know that the big hospitals had to go and indeed I was a patient in one. I felt secure and knew that I would be looked after there. There wasn't much in the way of therapy there and yeas later I had psychotherapy there. The particular asylum I was in has been subject of a tv programme recently. Surely that could have kept part of it open. The site has a been extensively vandalised and has been subject to arson attacks. It still hasn't been sold for homes. EJ

[Annie0904]

Mandy I am really pleased the lady found you to talk to and that you were able to help her. It is sad that she was alone and so very vulnerable. I think the majority of the mentally ill are better cared for these days but unfortunately it is still not enough and more funding needs to be put into it. There shouldn't be the long waiting lists either that so many of us have to wait for to get help.

[AuntieMoosie]

Thank you EJ :)

Yes I agree with you. I had to be admitted to a very old psychiatric hospital when I had post natal depression back in 1984.

Now our town has a super duper purpose built mental health unit, which I have also been into twice.

I know that I found my first admission, in the old hospital, much better than the new unit.

Yes the new unit was very well built, had much better private facilities for patients, all with your own room and on suite toilet and shower.

But when I weigh up the treatment of both places, the old hospital always comes top.

I thought it was horrific the way the then government, which I think if I remember rightly, was the "Iron Lady" just shut those hospitals down and threw all of the long term patients, many of whom knew no other life other that the hospital, out into the community. It was a disgrace!!!!

And now, as a result of that silly thinking years ago, we now have mentally ill patients, who can barely manage day to day living, being left to fend for themselves, there aren't enough CPN's and there aren't enough Social Workers to deal with the burden of clients, it's not there fault as they are strapped by the government on staffing levels and budgets, it must be like trying to get blood out of a stone!!!!!!

The old hospital here has already been knocked down and now there's very expensive houses on the land.

We have a Victorian nurses home, huge and beautiful building that could house many, many people but our borough council, in their wisdom, has decided to knock it down and sell the land for yet more expensive housing even though our town is in a housing crises at the moment with people needing social housing desperately!!!!

Is this really progress??........to me, it doesn't feel like it, it feels like we're going backwards in time with those that "have" having access to all and those that "have not" getting nothing!!!!

Moosie now dismounts her soap box :winks:

I think I'm getting old EJ.....I've even started moaning about uneven paving slabs and my Son kindly informed me that "only old ladies moan about that"!!!!! lol :roflmao:

---------- Post added at 20:21 ---------- Previous post was at 20:12 ----------

Thank you Annie :)

I was so long writing my post that I hadn't seen yours before I posted..lol

Yes I agree, the waiting lists are getting really bad now, I feel it's because the government and local authorities don't consider mental health as important as other health issues.

A bit strange that though, when you consider that mental illness is going up at an alarming rate with 1 in 3 people suffering with it at some point in their lives. Of course the knock on effect of that is higher unemployment with people being unable to continue working, a higher cost in benefits and eventually a higher cost to the health service because some people will become so ill while waiting that they may well end up with a hospital admission.

Rapid treatment would be much more beneficial for all concerned, but the powers that be, can't seem to see that sadly.

[Magic]

Such a sad situation, I can understand when you say it's still on your mind AM.
When I was first married we did not know any of our neighbours.
The woman who lived next door to us came knocking on the back door. I was on my own and just about ready to walk to work. She was in her nightdress and she asked
if I would go round next door (the neighbour the other side of us) to ring for the doctor. She seemed very agitated. we had no telephone. I was nervous as I had only heard this other neighbour and not had any conversation or even seen her.
I went around to the back door and knocked. I explained and was about to give her the money for the call. She said No. She would not ring the doctor. This left me in a difficult position and I was frightened of being late for work as I had a very strict boss. Fortunately the ladies husband came from somewhere.
I just explained and went on my way. Later I heard that his wife had gone missing and she was admitted into an institution.
I still think of the situation after all these years.

[AuntieMoosie]

Thank you Magic :)

It really is a sorry and sad state of affairs isn't it?

I must say that I am feeling better about it all now. I have accepted that she's safe now wherever she is and that I done all that I could have at that particular moment.

But I think once something like that has happened to you, it kind of always lurks a bit in the back of your mind and I think it has to do with the fact that we just don't know what's happened to them?? It's the not knowing that I find hard to deal with.

:hugs:

[Sandywood]

.

[ElizabethJane]

I think that we need more money spent on NHS mental health. It is a matter of shutting the door after the horse has bolted. A lot of mental health patients are cared in the community now but there is a crisis and a lack of mental health beds. Why is this? Patients have to present in a critically ill state ie suicidal or in need of being sectioned before any help is made available. Why is this? People are dying because their mental health needs are not being met. EJ

[Dizzy_Dave]

The Mentally Ill Less Cared For Today......

Yup, welcome to the world of Tory run modern day gas chambers.

[AuntieMoosie]

I think that we need more money spent on NHS mental health. It is a matter of shutting the door after the horse has bolted. A lot of mental health patients are cared in the community now but there is a crisis and a lack of mental health beds. Why is this? Patients have to present in a critically ill state ie suicidal or in need of being sectioned before any help is made available. Why is this? People are dying because their mental health needs are not being met. EJ


I couldn't have put it better myself EJ :)

It seems so odd to me that a patient who is critically ill with a physical illness gets rushed to hospital where, hopefully, their life is saved but on the same level a patient who is critically ill with a mental illness to the point of being suicidal, is left and practically ignored???? Are both of those lives not equally worth saving then?? and if not, why not??? I find it very sad to be honest :weep:

Dizzy Dave............wow!! a little strong!!.........but, yes, I get your point :)