'Reflective practice' - living in, working with mental illness... or something like that

What is recovery? John Martin Luby 1963-2017 As some of you know, John, my uncle was one of the inspirations for my nursing career. I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to sit with him as part of writing an assignment during my training. The day before MH Nurses day, I thought I would share it.  “Recovery is about being a free agent, being independent. Being in control; of your medication, of what you eat, when you go to bed. It’s about finding a purpose in the everyday. My mum loved me for who I was and didn’t see a label. Living a normal life free from that label. That is recovery to me.” Martin (2014.)     Recovery is not an intervention, and it can and does occur without professional involvement. Mental health services have the ability to facilitate or impede, help or hinder this process and this assignment will establish that. I will demonstrate my own understanding of recovery, and some of the challenges to it that are faced by both the s...

I guess it isn't Time To Change's fault. I mean the logo says 'let's end mental health discrimination." It doesn't say 'lets improve mental health services'. Or 'Time to change mental health services" or "Time to hold mental health services/government/god to account". And I am also conscious that to take this campaign for my own ends, my own argument is to fail to recognise that stigma does still exist that it does still cause harm, that people are still afraid to talk, to get help and that this still kills. But I am not denying that 13 years after the campaign began and days like today, weeks like mental health awareness week, and months like mental health awareness month we still have a lot to do. And in the absence of any particular day to make my case I will choose today. And in keeping with it being 13 years since the launch of Time To Change (according to google), here are 13 things that I think we need to talk about. We ne...

The largest book measures 5 m x 8.06 m (16.40 ft x 26.44 ft), weighs approximately 1500 kg (3,306 lb) and consists of 429 pages. The book was unveiled by Mshahed International Group, in Dubai, UAE, on 27 February 2012. Why am I starting with this random fact? Because so far, most of my blogs have rivalled it. This one I will actually keep fairly short, because the fact that I tend to approach them like a PHD thesis probably stops me from writing more. And I actually find writing quite therapeutic. My blogs, much like my twitter, are written mainly for me, they allow me to get my thoughts out. They also satisfy my need for external validation. Like my new venture into #kindnessToStrangers #kindnessmatters; it is not 'publicising' the acts for others that motivates me, I do them anyway, they are rewarding in themselves, but documenting the things that I am doing for myself. Whether it be a new bubble bath that costs £3 rather than spending a £1, a ticket for me and my...

It is the final few days for nominations for the RCNi Nurse Awards. These are open to nurses, midwives, health visitors, nursing students, health care assistants, assistant practitioners, and of course associate nurses. You have until Friday 17th to enter! When I started my blog, my intention, as the name indicates was to mix it up between nursing posts, and personal, mental health related. However, it hasn't quite been like that, as my experiences of mental health services (or at times disservices) had a profound impact on me in 2019. However, I am in a better place now. And my energy and passion for my role, for the NHS and of course #LetsTalkAboutSex has returned once again (it didn't really go away, I just had fewer spoons to give). Anyway, I decided that today was the day that I would document what has happened to me since the 3rd of July 2019, and I hope that it inspires you to nominate yourself, or someone else, who you think deserves to 'take my crown'. ...

'It's nothing like a broken leg': why I'm done with the mental health conversation’  @ladyhaja wrote for The Guardian in the Summer of 2018… I have had this as the first lines of my ‘next blog’ for several weeks now. When I look back at what I had written after this, it makes me feel almost like a stranger, it’s almost humorous. I guess that was the denial stage. I then moved into anger and I couldn’t write for a while after that. I guess that month or so has been the bargaining and then the depression. (AGAIN!?) I have come to think of my experience of mental health ‘services’ (or diservices) as a bereavement. It feels like a period of grief. I have moved from denial, (probably between age 19 to 31) to anger (that one has probably been the most damaging and started pretty much when I decided that I could no longer do it alone, I needed help), the bargaining, and now depression. It’s the acceptance that worries me, and comforts me the most. When I sta...