Daily Mail Newspaper (UK) names, shames, and publishes photo of Social Worker who threatened family.

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk:80/news/article-1132053/Youll-grandchildren-Social-workers-warning-couple-spoke-gay-adoption-row.html

Going, going…..and soon to be gone.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10554060

Mid-Central DHB accused of “gagging” staff

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4830782a11.html

Doctors accuse DHBS of “bureaucratic lunacy”.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/health/news/article.cfm?c_id=204&objectid=10553187

Struck off nurse replies to Psychwatch NZ.

Ian Mete responds to the NZ Herald posting:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/hospitals/news/article.cfm?c_id=500846&objectid=10540616

I am the nurse in this story.

The fact is that nurses are human beings & sometimes patients too, which you conveniently forget.

We make mistakes as much as anyone else. We try to be superhuman Teflon dons, but fail miserably and 9 times out of 10 behind the scenes our own lives are car wrecks, waiting to happen.

I have seen so much chaos and carnage at TWT, many have died by the noose at their own hands, leaving those superhumans you despise so much to pick up the pieces and wonder where it all went wrong.

When you deal with 6% most seriously unwell persons over the years, it really does seem to become quite a normal state after a while.

Like me with her, if that makes any sense at all. What if we were on a desert island, just a man & a woman, without the institution, what then?

Not trying to minimise my actions, just share my state of mind is all.

Fact is, I used too many drugs, again a state of being that seemed pretty normal when everyone around you is using or being given all sorts of mind altering substances every day.

But for me, this seriously undermined my objectivity when I too began to lose my mind, and my past and present flooded in against poor defences, I began to self destruct.

It took me to the brink of death as I too fondled the noose that took the life of my friends.

Yes I say my friends, because even as patients I considered them friends, I spent more time with them than probably my own family, at times I released them from their anguish, at times they enveloped me into theirs.

Eventuality I saw my own mortality, and realised at that point, my need to change, my life, my world.

So Mr Psychwatch u go point the finger if you want, but karma is a blessed thing, cos every time u point the finger, their are  4 fingers pointing back at you!

I aint perfect, never was or will be.

But I am really sorry (for her) this occurred at all.

Nearly bankrupt but not broken. I am a good person, as probably are you. I have made poor life decisions that will take years to overcome.

But you better get used to the fact psycho that I am making a comeback; I will nurse again, I will RISE from this, better, stronger and faster than before.
To the public: I am now 100% depression & drug-free, even given up ciggies. I am dedicated to my recovery, and being all that I can be.

You can have faith in me again.

Sincerely “the nurse struck off for sex”

Psychwatch NZ replies:

Dear Mr Mete,

Your response to the NZ Herald article detailing your de-registration for having sex with a patient is somewhat disturbing, to say the least.

Quote: “9 times out of 10 behind the scenes our own lives are car wrecks, waiting to happen”.

By your own insider observation and experience of the mental health field (and ADHB’s Te Whetu Tawera specifically), this would indicate that 90% of your colleagues have no business being anywhere near vulnerable mental health patients.

Quote: I have seen so much chaos and carnage at TWT, many have died by the noose at their own hands, leaving those superhumans you despise so much to pick up the pieces and wonder where it all went wrong.

A: Did you ever think to report any of what you saw to the appropriate authorities, or were you contractually prevented from doing so, regardless of the risk to mental health clients?

Quote: When you deal with 6% most seriously unwell persons over the years, it really does seem to become quite a normal state after a while.

A: This “normalisation” could only occur in an environment of inadequate line management and either absent or negligent external clinical supervision. You are describing a crisis employment environment that bred burnout – is this commonplace?

Quote: Like me with her, if that makes any sense at all. What if we were on a desert island, just a man & a woman, without the institution, what then?

A: You weren’t on a desert island, she was a patient, and it was an institution (supposedly) dedicated to proficient and professional mental health care. No similarity of circumstance exists here.

Quote: Not trying to minimise my actions, just share my state of mind is all.

A: My goodness, you don’t even see it……………………………your supervisor should have been de-registered as well – they have failed you miserably.

Quote: Fact is, I used too many drugs, again a state of being that seemed pretty normal when everyone around you is using or being given all sorts of mind altering substances every day.

A: Umm, Ian – you were the Nurse – how is it you over identified with the patients?

Quote: It took me to the brink of death as I too fondled the noose that took the life of my friends. Yes I say my friends, because even as patients I considered them friends, I spent more time with them than probably my own family, at times I released them from their anguish, at times they enveloped me into theirs.

A: This speaks volumes for the incompetence of your management team, supervisors, and internal policy adherence. I could “bang on” about the importance of having professional boundaries, good self care, but would it make a difference to an environment that sounds like it needs a complete and utter clean-out?

Ian, your insider observations are very valuable to a public that so often gets dismissed by the whitewashed reports of DHB’s “internal investigations” when a critical incident occurs.

I do wish you all the best for your Recovery, and would encourage you to do all you can to alert the public of just how appalling the mental health service duty of care has become.

Steve Taylor,

Convenor,

Psychwatch NZ

How is this for a massive conflict of interest?

 http://www.stuff.co.nz/4828840a15620.html

The Auckland CIB is in the process of investigating the death of teenager Toran Henry whilst he was in the care of the Waitemata District Health Board (WDHB).

The Police will soon be approaching the Crown Solicitor in Auckland for a legal opinion on as to whether to prosecute the WDHB - which our records show is a firm by the name of Meredith Connell.

Meredith Connell is legal counsel for the WDHB.

So, it looks as if the police are going to approach the legal counsel of the WDHB, in order to determine as to whether the WDHB should face criminal charges over Toran Henry’s death.

Sort of like a turkey being asked as to whether it wishes to be dinner for thanksgiving?

Maybe someone in the media might like to check this one out?

Health Conference axed by Government

http://www.stuff.co.nz/4825697a6160.html

Psychwatch USA

http://psychwatch.blogspot.com/

Lake Alice Hospital Information Website

www.lakealicehospital.com

Another WDHB Mental Health Consumer story – and another insight into systemic negligence.

I have recently experienced a breakdown in functioning while stopping some medication and while most of my usual support people were away.

 

I enlisted the help of another person to contact Waitemata Mental Health.  I was seriously concerned about my state of mind, confused, going in and out of having insight about my condition.  Really, the only sensible option appeared to be to end my life.  It sounds crazy, but I couldn’t cook, couldn’t drive, and had just had my partner leave me so I was alone.  It just went around and around in my head.  I wanted to die.  But a part of me knew that I may be out of kilter, that my mind was messing me around.

 

I keep a plan open for myself to be able to end my life as I’ve had an illness that can recur and it can be terminal.  The problem is, if I get into an unstable state, I then have this plan to activate.

 

Once again, Waitemata Mental Health failed me.  The first evening they called me back, I felt relieved to have talked to somebody and was reassured that these people said they would call back in the morning after a meeting to tell me what they would offer. She agreed with me that I needed some extra assistance to get through what was happening. They would also call the person who had assisted me.

 

Well…at 5 pm the next day…still having the horrible stuff happening, I received a phone call.  The person from Waitemata Mental explained that this was the help, along with whoopee… another call later in the week.  I was very dissociated and tried to convey this to the person, who appeared to find this annoying, and said ‘ well some people find it helpful to have us call, obviously you are not one of them so we won’t bother again ‘  I tried very hard to concentrate and to ‘get it right’  I explained that I felt as if I was speaking from a million miles away in space and that in itself is frightening, but I was also more frightened now that I knew that all they were offering was phone calls.

 

Then this person said ‘but you never asked us for anything’  and I explained that was because in the past when I asked for respite or assistance, it had been refused me, so it isn’t safe to ask for things directly, I ask for assistance, tell people what is happening to me , list the symptoms and say ‘please help me’  She then went on to say that if I got worse or wanted hospital or respite to get back to them, as if it had always been on offer!  It was mind warping.  Here I was, trying to maintain insight and to have this weird stuff happening with mental health. 

 

They never offered anything but phone calls – then flipped as if I’d been silly and they had been going to offer me respite etc.  The person tried to say I have refused a psychiatric assessment – I haven’t in fact.  What I’ve refused was psychotherapy with a psychologist.  Nobody has offered me a psychiatric assessment.  I’m not convinced that had I asked at that stage or later, they would have offered anything more.

 

But now the problem had compounded.  I was already feeling upset and couldn’t think straight, now I was very confused and felt frightened, ashamed, humiliated, and most important, I still couldn’t get my head straight.

 

 Trying to maintain what insight I could I read SPINZ website.  I read what I should do, and it reassured me that I was doing the right thing and that help was at hand.  I want people to know what happens.  I made an appointment with a GP; fortunately my support person called and reminded me about it because I was so unwell, I’d forgotten about it!  The GP put me back onto the medication and a couple of days later, I started to feel a bit better.  Why didn’t Waitemata mental health do anything about this medication?  They knew I’d stopped it.

 

I am truly afraid that people will die, because what happens to me when I reach out for help is that I get stigmatised, not given help, my support person wasn’t even called back.  I am in a difficult situation because my medication gives me a serious and potentially irreversible movement disorder.

 

If this treatment by Waitemata MH  happens to me, it must be happening to others.  It makes me frightened and angry when I hear the television campaign about depression- it is misleading people into thinking there is help for them when there isn’t.  When I read the SPINZ website once again..it all sounds very simple..  So who are SPINZ? And why don’t they check to see that their guidelines are being followed?  What is the point of having these guidelines if nobody bothers with them.

 

Come on Mental Health providers.  When are people going to get proper care when they are at their most vulnerable.  And how many people have died, because of this horrible attitude to being suicidal being enacted upon them?  I cannot think how I could have done much different, except to ask for respite etc, and as I mentioned, that hasn’t been on offer in the past when I’ve felt like this. And people get angry with me for asking.  I cannot stand the anger when I’m already so low.

 

Stigma is alive and well inside our mental health system.  I’m trying to take the shame I now have inside of myself, and to put it out there and to say ’shame on you’   The GP incidentally said it isn’t a safe  option to count on Mental Health, for people in my situation and that to see a GP is a better option. But at $45 a visit for people on a low income, that is almost a week’s worth of food.

 

So anybody in the mental health field who reads this – please don’t feel angry at me, as one person working in MH told me they feel. Use the information to improve your service, get some education about correct practices, and take a good hard look at the attitude of yourself and of your colleagues, just in case you are part of the problem and stop blaming consumers who post on this site – it’s the only voice we have at present.