I have heard all of these exclamations in the last few years. People flippantly throw around a diagnosis like it’s clever adjective. It can be quite insulting and hurtful to hear a word use to diagnose you as a descriptor… Continue Reading →
Ex-patients of the mental health system logically never wish to return. Some do return forcibly or willingly as patients again – victims of the revolving door of an unhealthy system. There are some people who willingly return to psychiatric wards… Continue Reading →
The torture, humiliation and harsh punishments of the early asylums are no longer visible across psychiatric wards. Even so, their legacy remains. The protections we have for patient rights in most facilities often do ensure physical abuse is minimised but… Continue Reading →
Former or even ongoing mental health patients are a huge asset to learn from to improve our systems. Survivors of inpatient and outpatient mental health care are best placed to understand the strengths and challenges of these systems. This can… Continue Reading →
One long-term ward I worked on for two years was a drab and old building that was known to have the most docile patients. The Bed Manager sent patients there who the treating teams believed to be more docile but… Continue Reading →
The language used in mental health systems is highly contested. People justly fight over whether to be labelled terms such as patients, consumers, survivors, or just as people. Likewise, clinicians and managers are careful in the words they choose so… Continue Reading →
Patients should be at the heart of everything in healthcare. Mental health patients are seen by many systems as the product – a broken piece of glassware in their shiny factories that need either to be pieced together or swept… Continue Reading →
Those who use mental health services are variably called patients, survivors, service users and more commonly in many countries as ‘consumers’. They are seen to consume mental health services and are meant to have similar powers of choice to any… Continue Reading →
The revolving door is a metaphor we most often associate with prisons. Prisoners create networks of criminals and sometimes turn those convicted of petty crimes into career criminals on release. Prison also creates dependency. The process of being institutionalised by… Continue Reading →
Policymakers across many modern democracies are oriented towards quick wins and short-to-medium term planning. Big bold infrastructure needs flashy 3D renders and visible milestones to demonstrate ‘progress’. Cutting the ribbon of a new hospital is a political win for politicians… Continue Reading →
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