What happened when compassion replaced clinical objectivity, and creativity replaced compliance.
This post is about the time I was supported to create a new voice, to ‘job-share’ with my scary critical voice. It changed everything.
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Reflections on the launch of IMHA, Victoria’s new Independent Mental Health Advocacy Service.
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In a world where there is so much talk about suicide prevention, I find it hard to understand how so many people still use phrases like ‘it’s just a cry for help’ or ‘she’s just attention-seeking’. This post is a reflection on what we mean when we say these things, and a call for greater understanding and compassion.
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What is written about us in hospital records? Whose version is the truth? Can we find ways to co-create narratives about our lives? This post explores my personal struggles with ‘case notes’ and reflects on better ways to keep records that respect the person.
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A first admission to a psychiatric ward is a startling experience. I am not sure that anyone ever expects to end up in the ‘looney bin’. Certainly I didn’t. This is a place reserved for other people, for properly crazy people.
…As it turned out, most of my fellow patients were far removed from stereotypical nutters themselves. We crazy folks have many experiences and talents, but none of them sufficient to keep us out of the ward. I was to meet mathematicians, artists, musicians, an admiral, and several versions of Jesus.
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Asking someone to disclose trauma can be really hard. It’s even harder to be the person disclosing. This post explores challenges and ideas to help all of us speak more easily about the things that most need to be said, and heard.
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This is my first blog post, and I think it’s my most important one. It explains why I started writing about trauma, madness and recovery, and why I continue to do so.
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