[tore-b]

Dear Lorina, thank you for asking. I can’t really help you with descriptions of exotic traditions and practices, as I’m from a country in scandinavia, a region with a culture almost identical to that in GB and the US. I can, however, provide you with a personal account since I’ve been in a mental hospital myself (I suffered from a deep depression, from which I recovered) This letter is a bit rambling, as it’s quite late in the evening with no time for corrections and spell checking, (and english not being my first language) but I hope you’ll find it readable. I went to the hospital of my own free will, but others are not so fortunate. Some are, as you know, too disturbed by the pain and chaos in their minds to realize that they need help, and are hospitalized by force. I’ve known several fellow patients who’ve experienced this, and from talking to them, and thinking about my own experience of being in a mental hospital, I’ve drawn the following conclusion: It is humiliating to be ill and in need of care. Even more so when you are labeled ‘mentally ill’ -not only are you ill, you are viewed as potentially dangerous, not able to think clearly, unpredictable.. the list goes on. This humiliation really hurts, and when a nurse or caretaker treated me as a child it felt like a knife in my heart. Luckily I went to another institution later, where the staff treated the patients as equals, and found that my healing process went much faster there. To be able to chat with a staff-member as if we were colleagues in the hospital (not as doctor and patient, or guard and inmate) really helped me rebuild my self esteem and dignity. It is very hard to speak to seriously crazy people without treating them like children or idiots -especially when they do act that way.. but when a nurse manages to do it, it is a wonderful thing for the patient. Here’s a good technique: It helps to envision the mentally ill person as a person with defective glasses, that distorts his perceptions of the world. He himself is just as aware, clear headed and emotional as others. When I use this technique it was easier for me to talk to fellow patient, even the psychotic ones, as equals. I hope you will find some oof this useful, good luck with your career and best wishes, tore

User Detail :  

Name : tore-b, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 26, City : københavn, State : NA, Country : Denmark, Occupation : unemployed, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

[Author]

Posts