ROSEMARY GARSIDE

COPING WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS


     Just as with everything else, how people deal with their afflictions depends very much on the individual in
question, and coping with a mental illness is no exception.

      There is a stigma attached to mental illness and some people find it hard to put the pieces together after an illness, especially if that means making a change to one's lifestyle.  Some people find it so hard that they endeavour to get themselves admitted back into hospital.  This particularly is the case with longer term patients who have relied on the hospital for many years.

     Efforts have been, and are still being made, to help people cope with life in the community and to try and provide coping mechanisms to enable people to stop returning to hospital.

     Support and peer groups are in operation, Friendship Centres (where people can drop in for a chat, and a cup of coffee) have been organized.  Volunteers have been involved and people have begun to retrain patients to gain skills for participating in meaningful activities and real work situation, suitable to their capabilities both in the hospital and the community, this is difficult with shortgage of staff and shortage of money.

     To be involved in something meaningful is very important to the person who has been mentally ill and if he or she is successfully occupied one way or another, this can be a great help in the coping process.

     However, very often the 'mental patient' is very sensitive to his/her status in the world and unless the client feels accepted and appreciated, he or she might feel used or taken advantage of, which will deter them coming to terms with their illness and realizing their potential.

     The long term psychiatric patients have have a harder time.  The hospital for many years has been their home, their livelihood and their family.  They particularly need to feel a sense of belonging and a part to play which would be appreciated by others.They also do not relate well initially to new faces and new situations, and can easily become withdrawn and refuse to participate, as a means of coping, with their feelings of inadequacy and lack of confidence.

     Others afflicted with mental illness cope with the help of: church, understanding family members and friends.  (Involvement in everyday life gives people with a mental illness the confidence to cope.)  Suggestions of activities to become involved in,  the odd ideas of their own, then the support and encouragement of people.  They become involved with and interested in life and its meaning.  All these help to put things in perspective, and help people with mental illness to come to terms with it.

     Good medical attention is essential.  Trust must be built up between essential people in contact with the affected person and who deal with the client's treatment.  The person suffering from a mental illness can then have confidence in that trust.

     Not always, however, do people suffering from a mental illness manage to overcome their problems and in some cases they resort to drinking, taking drugs or in some other way try to escape their feelings.  Coping with a mental illness like many other things is not easy.

     However, to some extent, people would be helped if accepted and looked at realistically by others in the community.  People suffering from a mental illness are basically just people and often will respond well if treated with warmth and understanding.

PUBLISHED BY P.T. PUBLISHING

ROSEMARY GARSIDE

DEPRESSION – SOME MEMORIES

By Rosemary Garside

In olden days before modern drugs, many people with my condition (chemical imbalance) or (Manic-Depression) died by committing suicide during episodes of severe depression, or by fatigue and not eating during a manic attack.

With the introduction of modern drugs, good psychiatric care and follow up, much has been done to alleviate this problem and people with my condition can lead normal and productive lives, as long as they continue to take medicine and follow medical advice.  I did for a number of years.

Unfortunately, sometimes things go wrong and after a period of 10 years without an episode of my illness  (I had continued to take my medication), I had another “manic attack” and as a result had to be hospitalized. I was stabilized and in time, returned to work and hoped to continue in this way

In some cases, the drugs I was given did not agree with me and I felt worse than I did when just suffering from my mental condition.  I reported this to my medical advisors, however, the establishment I was attached to was not very sympathetic.  The nurses and doctors always appeared too busy to really find out what was happening.  I got this impression that they had made their minds up about what was the matter with me without me and my family being involved or consulted.  I really don’t think they listened or made notes of what my family said.  They had an idea in their heads and that was it!

The drug I was prescribed initially produced severe side effects, resulting in my losing my memory for four days, after a ‘manic attack”.  (That was a weird episode, I felt I had the flu but was manic also).  I was never questioned about this, it was dismissed as one of those things.  I was also thought to be an alcoholic and at times felt I knew the ‘Blood Department’ better than anywhere else in the hospital.  I forever seemed to need further “Blood Testing”.

During my 51^st year, I was in and out of the hospital on a number of occasions and in general got the impression that nobody quite knew what to do with me.

I felt that some people thought I was an alcoholic, some that I had organic problems and others that I was such a psychological mess, that I could not adjust to changes in my life.  I was told I was manipulative and that I felt unloved – all these to some extend had an element of truth to them and caused me much unhappiness, because I, too, was questioning what was the matter with me.  Personally, I felt awful.  I tried to do things but somehow couldn’t, my family tried to help me, but even them felt that I was a very poor mother and otherwise useless.  I dragged myself around, managing always to get dressed in the morning – obviously good upbringing.  I made it to church on Sunday and to a friend’s place on Thursday evening – very often this was an effort on many occasions. 

My other predominant dread was the thought of spending the next 20 odd years feeling like this.  I was 51, but in more ways than one, felt one hundred.  Life was frightening at that time.  I felt I was deteriorating and indeed might be becoming retarded, nobody explained to me why I was feeling the way I was, and I was left to speculate on my own.  I really was treated as if there was no hope for me.

In desperation I think, I tried to commit suicide, which I did on three occasions.  I honestly felt I couldn’t live the way I was.  I couldn’t write, because my hands trembled, my daughter had to sign cheques for me.  At times the walls of my apartment seemed to close in on me and I hated being there.  It took me three days to pack to go to England and that was all I had to do.  Even the effort of going out with friends was often too much.  I had to change.  Reading was difficult and I spent much of my time wondering if other people felt the same as me, that, and feeling guilty because of my inability to do things.

I did, however survive, and I’m glad I did.  I actually am not prone to contemplating suicidee and do in fact, find a great deal of enjoyment now in life.  Also I am a Christian and have found much strength in that.

I did not enjoy that period of my life.  Hopefully, with the excellent medical care I am now getting, I never will try again to commit suicide.

Thank you to:

Dr. S. Dziurdzy and the Henderson

The Rev Alan McPherson

The Rev. Bruce Herrod

My Family

My friends at church and elsewhere.

Originally published by:   P.T. Publishing

ROSEMARY GARSIDE

An interesting article on Occupational Therapist and the work they do.

I would like to mention that for some reason the blog is not allowing people to leave comments.

If you have comments for any of the writers, please send them to me and I will send them to the writers.

Several people have told me this and I tried it out myself, and I could not leave a comment.

Very frustrating.

Wilma Seville

ROSEMARY GARSIDE

Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy?  Basically, it is the treatment of people with disabilities and disorders that affect their daily living.  The idea originated during the war, when thousands of soldiers sat around bored.  It was soon discovered that involvement in goal-oriented activities lead to a speedier recovery and more importantly, they were happier. The use of activities as a means of therapy has been a major focus in health care.  The activities we do in everyday life were analyzed and are now put to use to help people.

1.  To assess their strengths and weaknesses.

2.  Find a creative way of treating and training people.

I can remember spending many hours at college determining the muscles used when one cut out a piece of material, when one used a sewing machine, etc. etc., all because it was felt that if a person was happily occupied he would use the particular muscles more, and therefore get better quicker.  Mentally, people are happier when they are occupied, as we all know from our own experiences.  If we are feeling unhappy, going out or becoming involved in something will often make us feel better and we will come back with a different outlook on life.

The idea of daily living is to use activities to reach a particular goal with a patient.  This involved analyzing the activity and the person and putting them together.  It involves knowing the activity and the person involved, not all of us like the same things, and what might benefit one person, need not necessarily benefit another.  A person who does not like knitting will not get much pleasure from the activity, it will soon become a chore and produce any number of feelings - none of which is therapeutic.

Occupational Therapy is a happy profession, in that, as "O.T's"  we are involved in trying to make people happier, more content, able to function more competently and more effectively.  If people are happy they open up more, express themselves more freely, have more confidence and achieve more.  If we look at ourselves we know that this is true.  Often, we say let's go out and have some fun, just to get a little release from the tension and stress of everyday life.  It is often a chance to get to know people better, to put things in perspective, and to learn more.  This all might sound simplistic, but the power of a positive mood is never to be underestimated.  O.T. is a very important profession and has a lot to offer, not only in mental hospitals, general hospitals and the community, but in dealing with everyday life.

Rosemary Garside

Occupational Therapist (Retired)

Originally published by Patricia Clay Thomspon - Publisher

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Thoughts about dealing with life

Nobody ever promised that life would be easy.  For most people it is not.

People are left to cope with the ups and downs of life as it winds and turns. 

Some people’s lives appear more complicated and traumatic than others, and at times people can get to the point of wondering if it is all worth it.

The struggle, the unhappiness, the lost dreams…..

It is indeed strange, that somehow people do cope, even under the most horrendous circumstances and make the best of their situation.

They learn from their experiences.  People, at times, see magic in life. It is a lovely world if one takes the time to stand and stare and to reflect on life’s rich pattern.  It can inspire and most important of all, give hope. 

It is my belief, that peoples’ lives can change for the better and that problems can be solved.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

People do grumble at times and we should do all we can to improve our situations, whenever possible.  It will not happen overnight.  Time and persistence is needed to fulfill one’s dreams.  We all have strengths and weaknesses

We need to count our blessings so that we come to terms with life.   The kind word, the thoughtful gesture, growing relationships and trying to look at the positive side of things that happen to each one of us can add meaning to our lives and help us be more productive.

Personally I believe in the words from Phil 4. vs. 13 in The Holy Bible,

’”I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me “.

What ever motivates one to achieve things, a positive attitude is essential and can indeed make dreams come true.

©Rosemary Garside2011

Hello, my name is Rosemary Garside and I was born in England.  I have been in Canada 43 years and although I love visiting England, I feel Canada is my home.

I have a son and a daughter and seven grandsons and one grandchild on its way.  I am divorced.  My family is very important to me and plays an important part in my life.

I am a retired Occupational Therapist and a Consumer Survivor, and am very much involved in Peer Support and volunteer for several organizations which deal with people who suffer from mental illness and various mental health issues.

Apart from volunteering, I enjoy going to the theatre, spending time with my friends and family,  and listening to music.  I love opera and reading.  I belong to a book club which I thoroughly enjoy.  I am also very fortunate in the fact that my daughter and her husband live in Hamilton and I love spending time with them.