'cause
Mother said there’d be days like these!
Issue
1 (April 2005)
The Eccentric
Times is supported by Bucks Mind (a Mental Health charity), although
the
views expressed within are not necessarily their own.
Sleep,
the First Priority
by
Paul Nelson
Sleep is a
tricky thing; some people nod off the second their head hits the
pillow, others seem to thrive on four hours a night, and for some of us
it is a real problem. The more so where mental illness is concerned.
A
racing
mind, brooding on past failures and dismal futures, a stubborn body
obstinately refusing what’s good for it, or an enhanced
awareness
of every noise, each motor rev, every drunken curse, these can all make
sleep impossible.
So
stop whingeing, Paul, and take a sleeping tablet!
Unfortunately
sleeping tablets work less and less the more you take them, and there
is a problem with most called rebound insomnia, which means that when
you stop taking them the original problem comes back twice as big and
three times more nasty.
Right
now I use
sleeping tablets occasionally when I feel the need. However it can be a
tough call at what time do I take one, 3am, 1am, 10pm? Unfortunately I
cannot predict on which nights I will need this extreme intervention.
Certainly not when I have something important on the next day and I
will feel drained (because of the sleeping tablet) and will probably
wake up in the afternoon anyway.
One could refuse
to worry about it and do something useful with the night. Good luck to
you if you can make that happen, I sometimes find myself too tired to
read or write, and the neighbours would not thank me for clattering
about doing housework at half past two.
Television I have found to be counter - productive. Also the
programming after midnight often leaves a lot to be desired.
There
are good
reasons why the majority of suicide bids happen between 3 and 5 am.
Body drained and mind exhausted is a vulnerable state to be in.
I don’t
know what the answer to all this is. If I did I’d be writing
this
article for the Lancet. What I have found helpful is stubbornly to
refuse to take seriously any noises from outside, to stretch and relax
my body anyway, to play games with the Alphabet until my mind tires
itself out, sometimes a cup of tea soothes and relaxes me enough. Once
in a while sleeping to the radio helps.
Sleep is so important that it can be an early indicator of mental
illness relapses.
A good night’s sleep is so refreshing, even after a spell of
sleepless nights.
Sleep problems
are part of the reason why mentally ill people can find it near
impossible to hold down a job of any kind, timekeeping is
affected.
Sleep problems also exacerbate bad habits, including smoking, drug
taking, overeating etc.
If you suffer
from sleep problems at least take comfort from the fact that you are
not alone and that some remedies work for some people some of the time.
Dicing
With Death
(When
A Cry For Help Becomes A Game of Russian Roulette)
by
Tony Rickman
A
friend
once told me they had just been discharged from hospital in the morning
after taking an overdose the night before. At the time I thought the
person was making it up. It seemed highly unlikely that a person who
had just made an attempt to kill their self would just be
“patched up” and sent home. Surely they would be
referred
to the local psychiatric services. Also I reasoned that surely
immediate appropriate support would be given to encourage them not to
do anything like that again. But no I’ve come to discover
that
all too often the “patch them up and send them
home” method
is applied rather than getting people the help they need.
While
it
is inappropriate to name the individuals concerned I can think of a
couple of cases of people taking their own life, only for their loved
ones to latter claim that they didn’t mean to kill
themselves, it
was merely “a cry for help”. I didn’t
personally know
one of the two individuals concerned, but the other I did. From what I
know of this person I would be inclined to agree that it was indeed a
cry for help rather than a serious suicide attempt.
Furthermore the
loved ones of both these individuals also claimed that a better system
of support should have been in place to stop what happened from
occurring.
In both
instances it appears that the individuals concerned made the suicide
attempt with the belief that somebody would find them in time to save
their life. Sadly they were both wrong. It is immensely sad and tragic
that somebody so vulnerable would have to take such extreme measures
just to try and get the help they need. Certainly the person I knew who
took their own life seemed to be in and out of the Emergency Ward on a
concerningly regular basis due to taking overdoses.
It
is sad that
people feel the need to go to such desperate lengths to get attention.
It is even sadder that they feel the need to repeat what they did
before because they’re still not getting the support they
feel
they need.
So what’s
the point to this article? What is it I would like to see change? Well
in my opinion EVERY suicide or self-harm attempt the emergency services
deal with should be IMMEDIATELY followed up by a counselling session by
a trained mental health professional to try and help through his or her
problems.
In my opinion
(and this is just my opinion) what the people who make these
“cries for help” really after is just someone to
talk to.
Someone who will be compassionate and take them and the things that are
causing them this emotional pain seriously. Well if you’re
feeling suicidal, upset or confused then there are a group of people
called The Samaritans available for you to talk things through. Of
course they haven’t got a magic solution to your problems but
having someone who will take the time to listen to you can be very
helpful if you’re feeling distressed. You can contact them on
08457 90 90 90 or visit their website www.samaritans.co.uk.
Tranquillised
Tim
Aaaarrrgggghhh!
Nnnnrrraaaagggghhhh! I’m feeling agitated! While
they’re
strapping me down, I’ve just got time to tell you
what’s
got my blood boiling before they administer my sedative.
Wuaaarrrrgggghhh!
A
special
“user group” has been set up to explore the
function
of “user groups” and committees within
the mental
health service. The group, who go by the acronym of TATTOO (Token
Appearance To Take Opinions Onboard), will be made up of eight mental
health “service users” who will be looking at what
ways
user groups can be improved. As a reward for their efforts the mental
health “service users” involved will receive a pat
on the
head as well as warm milk and biscuits.
Are
you a
wealthy property tycoon? Why not buy some council properties on the
cheap and then rent them out at extortionate prices? Then you can just
sit back and rake in the cash! As a goodwill gesture £5 of
the
profits the government make from the sale of all council properties
will be generously donated to the Margaret Thatcher Cardboard Box
Housing Society to accommodate those poor souls currently on the
waiting list for a council property.
Things
To Do Whilst On The Waiting List For A CPN (Community Psychiatric
Nurse)
- Get married, have three kids, get divorceed and then marry someone
else.
- Canoe to Australia and back.
-
Build your own house brick by brick (another solution to the council
property crisis).
- Read the Bible backwards to look for any secret hidden messages.
Now take
that length of time and compare it to how quickly they’re
prepared to discharge you after you’ve been allocated them.
If
anything you’re read in this magazine offends you then please
feel free to send your complaints to the following address:
Mr
Blair
10
Downing St
London
Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope for a quick response.
FNAQ
(Frequently
Not Asked Questions)
Q.
What is the Eccentric Times?
A.
The
Eccentric Times is a magazine written by the members of Wings Support
Centre, a drop-in centre in Aylesbury for people with mental health
problems.
Q.
When is the next issue out?
A.
As and when we feel like it!
Q.
Who helped in producing the magazine:
A.
The roll of honour reads as follows:
Paul
Nelson
Co-Editor
Tony
Rickman
Co-Editor
Danya
Day
Chief Tea Lady
Adam
Makeham Senior
Researcher
We
would also like to thanks Bucks Mind (especially Carolyn Smyth) for
their invaluable help with printing and distribution.
Q.
I want to write in and comment about something I’ve read in
this magazine.
A.
Please do, it
might even be published in our “Letters To The
Editors”
section next month. You can send your comments, complaints, etc to the
following address:
The Eccentric Times
Bucks
Mind (Wings)
4
Temple Street
Aylesbury
HP20
2RQ
E-mail: [email protected]
Please
note that
letters may be edited for the sake of space and clarity. Please can you
also mention where you saw the magazine.
If
you are
contributing to the “What’s Your Burning
Issue”
section then please put at the top of the page “Burning
Issue”
Q. Do you have a website I can visit?
A.
Not yet, but it’s coming soon!
Q. How do I get added to your mailing list?
A.
You can
request this by either sending us a letter or e-mail. Please specify
whether you want us to send it out to you by mail or e-mail.
What’s
YOUR Burning Issue?
In
this section
we go around asking people what their burning issues are, in other
words what are their main needs that are not being met at present. If
you wish to contribute, please send your comments to the address given
in the FNAQ section, with “Burning issue” as the
heading.
If you are uncomfortable using your real name, you can always use an
alias or just put “anon”. Please note that we
reserve the
right to edit on the grounds of clarity and space, but rest assured we
will always strive to retain the original flavour of the message.
Here
is what people at Wings Support Centre have been saying:
Being
short of money and not having enough outside support - Anonymous
The lack of communication between agencies and clients as a result of
the recent changes to services. - Zoe
Lack of 24 hour housing - Martin
Not having enough money - Betty
