November 2007

Seaneen writer of http://thesecretlifeofamanicdepressive.wordpress.com/ wants to become a mental health nurse or “Lunatic attendant” as we used to be called. If she does she may find the following useful. It’s a glossary of terms. As we are all well aware in these politically correct times it is increasingly important to use the correct terminology and equally important to avoid the wrong terms. So to help Seaneen and all the other proto mental nurses I give you an indispensable guide to the terms and terminology currently in use in the field of mental health care. I am still looking for suitable definitions for “inappropriate” and “unprofessional” so if any one can help me out on these or any others, then comments please.
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Cyril has an early-onset vascular dementia. One consequence is that his mobility has been continually deteriorating, and he’s now in a wheelchair. I wind up working a night shift with a nursing assistant from the nurse bank. She says she used to work with Cyril years ago.

Nursing Assistant: “He seems much better now.”

Me: “You think so? Everyone else seems to think he’s getting worse.”

Nursing Assistant: “Well, yes. He used to be constantly getting up and walking around, and we had to keep a close eye on him. Now we don’t have to, so that’s much better.”

*facepalm*

It’s a good thing we keep so many mentally ill in hospital - just think how high the Mind report for community abuse figures would be if we didn’t?

(That was sarcasm, just in case you missed it)

I’m not against the sentiments of the Mind report, I consider many people with mental illness to have a ‘vulnerability’ that requires constant monitoring and sympathetic consideration. But I have some concerns about the data that backs the report which are similar to TheShrinks response to the original posting.

I do not find the report all that useful or, after only a brief review, as “shocking” as it makes out. Such a posting may be sounding morally inappropriate to some. Nevertheless, I shall attempt to explain why I am disappointed with the report and have taken a whole new posting to do so.

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Grim news from the latest MIND survey: -

Most people with mental health problems are routinely subjected to physical and sexual abuse or theft by their neighbours, a new study indicates.

Nearly three quarters of those suffering from conditions such as depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia have been victimised in the community at least once in the past two years, with one in ten being sexually assaulted, according to a report by the mental health charity Mind.

A survey by the charity found that 41 per cent of respondents complained of persistent bullying, 27 per cent of sexual harrassment and 10 per cent of sexual assault. Just over a third – 34 per cent – said that they had also been victims of theft or financial crime, and a quarter had their homes targeted.

Comparisons with previous studies suggest that the problem is increasing, with the latest figures showing that people with mental health problems are far more likely to be victims rather than perpetrators of violent crime. Yet the study suggests that many crimes go unreported, with vulnerable adults feeling stigmatised by the police and legal system because of their illness.

The last study I read of victimisation in the community was published ten years ago and painted an equally bleak picture. It seems like there has been a failure to meet standard one of the National Service Framework: -

Health and social services should:

* promote mental health for all, working with individuals and communities
* combat discrimination against individuals and groups with mental health problems, and promote their social inclusion.

What’s to be done? Attempts to cast mental illness as a biological entity, in the same vein as diabetes or asthma, seem to have done little to reduce the stigma and discrimination against people with mental health problems. In fact, there is evidence to suggest that biological explanations make negative attitudes worse. The study linked to there suggests anti-stigma campaigns focus on ways of increasing contact with the users of mental health services. How do you think this could be achieved?

The Alzheimers Society has called for compulsory training in dementia care for all people working in care homes.  It found that residents were sedated, unstimulated and with basic hygiene needs, such as having their teeth brushed, left unmet.

The society, which wants training in dementia care to be mandatory, argues that, under the current system, poorly-paid 16 and 17-year-olds are being asked to enter homes with minimal experience and manage people “with very serious conditions”.

“There needs to be a serious rise in expectations as to standards of care both relatives and residents can hope for,” said Andrew Chidgey, head of policy and campaigns at the Alzheimer’s
Society.

The government has promised a “new strategy”.  I shudder to think.

I’ve always found autism to be a fascinating condition. It’s one I’ve worked with both as a nurse and as an unqualified support worker before I came to nursing. I also have several friends who are on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum. They are among the most interesting friends I have. Without wanting to deny the enormous suffering and anxiety that people with autism often experience, they seem to have such an intriguing view of the world that I sometimes think the human race would be much poorer if people with autism did not exist. (Incidentally, I also think the exact same thing about people with Down’s Syndrome.)

Over the past few years we’ve seen a furious controversy about alleged links between autism and the MMR vaccine. One consequence of this is that I’ve worked with several parents who confidently assert that they “know” that the MMR vaccine caused their child’s autism. One lady recently told me that “it was proved” that her nephew’s autism was caused by MMR, but that the medical profession closed ranks to prevent litigation. They’re all completely, utterly 100% sincere. They’re also all completely, utterly 100% wrong.

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Our unit is going through change. We’ve changed the nursing model, revamped the clinical interventions programme and have even changed the roster system to incorporate 10 hour nights to facilitate more staff in the day.

For the most part, this has been well received and  has resulted in major positive advancements in terms of nurse/patient interactions and facilitating events such as community leave better than ever before.

However, now the night staff start at 9pm instead of 11pm and some staff are having a problem with working out who should give out the Milo……

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Recently, as some people may have noticed, Mr Ian has taken to spreading his learned wisdom to anyone who happens to click the wrong link…. link… link…. (and thanks Mental for the use of bandwidth lately!)

I’ve become somewhat (and perhaps momentarily) drawn into the world of ‘blogging’ and ‘posting’. Sat here at 4am, it’s possibly become something of an obsession (although I’m only awake cos some mozzie decided to take a banquet out of on my back) .

So in my ponderings, I began to wonder … what attracts me to this new-age techno forum?

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Once again it’s time for us to give our digest of all things Psychologically Non-Aligned in the blogosphere.

To nominate a blog for This Week in Mentalists, e-mail zarathustra at mentalnurse dot org dot uk

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Ever turned up for work and there on the desk, in a space all of its own is a ‘thing’?

It could be a piece of torn clothing, or a broken CD player, but it’s sitting there.. ready… intriguing…. just waiting… for a story to be told…

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After my partner’s children reached school age, she recently began job-hunting again.

Having an awareness of anit-disciminatory laws and the such, I am amazed at the information that employment agencies still ask of you and the types of things you need to put into a resume.

In my bid to provide equal opportunities for all, I have constructed a non-discriminatory letter others may wish to use when they apply for their next job.

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Thanks to Random Acts of Reality for pointing this out.

A clampdown on spending within the NHS has turned a massive deficit into an even bigger surplus in just two years.

As much as £1.8bn, about 2% of the budget, will be left unspent this year, the Department of Health says - prompting charges of “boom and bust”.

£1.8 billion? Enough to pay the salaries of 90,000 nurses? Well done, boys. Oh, very well done. Can we now rehire all those nurses that got laid off, leaving many hospital wards dangerously understaffed?

Nursing, alongside Social Work, has always and boldly held itself in high esteem for it’s role as patient advocates.

But how far can a nurse take advocacy and still be safe?

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There’s currently a major row going on in Manchester about the sacking of community psychiatric nurse Karen Reissmann, a UNISON rep who was dismissed for speaking out about standards of care provided by Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust (the third worst-performing mental health trust in Britain). Her colleagues have been on strike in protest since November 8th.

This brings to mind an issue that gets debated quite regularly among nurses. Should nurses be willing to go on strike?

A few more details about the Karen Reissmann case (from the Reinstate Karen website) below.
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Time, once again, for our weekly round-up of all things Mentally Interesting in the blogosphere.

To nominate a blog for future editions, e-mail your nominations to zarathustra at mentalnurse dot org dot uk

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