Mental Health Report
https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/office-director-mental-health-and-addiction-services-annual-report-2018-and-2019
Twenty years back this platform was a rogue nuisance demanding the freedom of such information.
Credit to Henry Cooke, Stuff’s head political journalist for his work here. Many individuals suffered the unfortunate consequences of political aggression because the media wasn’t working as it should.
I haven’t suddenly become a STUFF fan, it’s going to take more than this, but it’s a start.
Shaun Robinson of the Mental Health Foundation said it was “gobsmacking” and “not acceptable” that so much information had been removed from the “scathing” report, which had been a centralised place to keep track of how the mental health system worked.
Comment by Evan Myers — Sun 4th April 2021 @ 10:58 am
A topic that many men experience.
It says 60% of CTOs are made against males.
And I have personally felt the power of the state.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/126768801/controversial-compulsory-treatment-orders-benefit-psychotic-patients-nz-study-finds
So they can’t say if they are doing the correct thing.
Those they label with schizophrenia, has good results.
All the rest, things appear worse.
I personally think it’s a diagnostic problem.
Many very different disorders, showing the same symptoms.
But actually needing different medication.
The short hello talks with the psychiatrist, with obvious results.
Guessing, as to the medication they get.
I have experienced them getting it wrong.
Compliance is not easy, when the medication is worse than not being on it.
Compliance is the reason for injections.
They don’t need to worry about you taking pills.
And by force give them to you.
I narrowly avoided that outcome.
It’s how medication is fine tuned, for that person.
The role the patients normal doctor has, is undervalued.
Patients also don’t get an important service.
Education about there disorder.
It’s very much an in, and out the door process.
Return patients is failure.
You would them argue, about diagnosis.
Soon DNA tests, may just print out the answer.
As many disorders are hereditary.
Helping doctors, who must force medication on people.
Improving outcomes, by being more correct, first time.
Comment by DJ Ward — Wed 27th October 2021 @ 10:39 pm
DNA tests may not find the answer.
It may do the opposite.
Saying what the patient, does not have.
But no answer to the symptoms.
It would help the doctor however.
They would not accidentally diagnose, with what the DNA says they don’t have.
If no examples of the disorder occur without the DNA being present.
You eliminate that diagnosis, if the DNA is not present.
A breakdown from environmental events, is not the same as a disorder.
But they can present to the doctor, with similar symptoms.
I was diagnosed with an environmental event.
When I actually have a disorder.
Comment by DJ Ward — Thu 28th October 2021 @ 9:53 am
I liked reading this article, as it looks at the problem well.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/celebrities/127976908/kanye-wests-behaviour-is-dangerous-and-we-need-to-stop-excusing-it-as-part-of-his-mental-illness
Mental health problems, is not an excuse for offending.
It can help explain things, but there must still be accountability.
An episode, also shows medication is likely wrong.
Kanye has often shown, he at times isn’t controlling his illness.
As the article points out, is anybody saying no to him.
His illness allowed, to increase inventiveness.
One must ask about these women, why all the males lose the plot.
And certainly attacking the new partner, is a little crazy.
So more must have happened, for nobody to stop him.
My guess is, it is culture and biology.
Culture that supports males, protecting females from other males.
Biology creating jealousy, so they fight off competition.
………………
I have had to do, what I rarely have done.
I have had to say no, and lecture a friend.
I don’t think he liked the experience, but it had to be done.
Jobless selling his things, and borrowing money.
He has a battle with addiction, and now he has little.
A battle he must win, or soon he will have nothing.
Comment by DJ Ward — Fri 11th March 2022 @ 11:18 pm
There is a problem, with mental health patients.
They have no way, of changing medication.
If it’s wrong, they end up not taking it.
So in my life, it happened to me.
Wrongly diagnosed twice, and then wrongly medicated twice.
Both times, there was nothing I could do.
Mental health patients, in reality have no rights.
My diagnosis, is Bipolar affective disorder.
So I automatically get treated, for normal bipolar.
A few 10 min interviews, is all the psychiatrist has.
So I had no chance, of a correct diagnosis.
I have a rare version of bipolar, and childhood PTSD.
My first episode of psychosis, resulted in a complete wrong diagnosis.
I was diagnosed, with drug induced psychosis.
When actually my illness, has first psychosis at 42 years.
I’m identical, to a small group in a documentary.
Everyone with it, magically has a first psychosis episode at that age.
Then due to wrong medication, commit suicide.
Bipolar is first episodes, by the early twenties not 42.
So they make me take medication, to stop psychosis.
It had no effect, but it did when psychosis eventually stoped.
I flipped from psychosis, to severe suicidal depression.
I pretty much begged them, to change my medication.
But they forced me to take it, and the episode lasted 6 months.
As soon as I could, I stopped taking the medication.
And I was right, the depressive episode mostly ended.
Inevitably a year later, I experienced psychosis again.
Running away, when they came to get me.
So this is when, I got the bipolar diagnoses.
Treated for normal bipolar, with lithium and an anti psychotic.
Strait away I said it was wrong, but again they forced me.
The psychosis didn’t stop, but they continued anyway.
I was sectioned, and there was nothing I could do.
The medication so harsh, I had to stop work.
So when my partner threatened to kick me out, for not working.
I had no choice, the antipsychotic had to go.
I had to drive, and had to function.
My normal doctor agreed, it was my only option.
So I was on lithium, and it wasn’t working at all.
And for a third time, I experienced psychosis.
Experienced at it nobody noticed, and I avoided prison.
When I broke the law, they went opps wrong medication.
And only by luck, I’m now on working medication.
If they listened to me, it would not have happened.
Over and over, I see the same scenario.
The patient, not coping with medication.
Powerless to get change, they stop taking it.
Only when the patient does wrong, is the medication changed.
I paid a heavy price, and I did nothing wrong to deserve it.
The 6 months, is what hell is supposed to be.
Comment by DJ Ward — Fri 31st March 2023 @ 5:38 pm
I dismay, at our mental health crises.
Having experienced the system, it’s not coping.
So the solutions, aren’t mental health services.
They do there best, with what society can afford.
Certainly with time, diagnosis will get better.
A great hope of mine, is effective DNA screening.
Early intervention, must have good results.
My disorder is likely genetic, and therefore detectable at birth.
Things then done to stop, my illness developing.
Gene selection with IVF births, could eliminate my illness.
Yet that is no explanation, for our current crises.
Do most of us, have a hidden biological mechanism.
When triggered by stress, the gene turns on as PTSD.
Out of nowhere, the person has depression as a response.
It’s a normal response, to a bad environment.
Next is an argument, about eugenics.
Do more people, with disorders like mine survive to breed
Flawed people less likely to breed in the past, having fewer kids.
Society killing them early, or they got rejected from society.
Evolution has stopped self limiting illness, as we treat disorders.
What are we looking at, as a cause for the increase.
The eugenics argument, cannot explain a rapid increase.
So while an argument, it is also not the actual problem.
The environment humans live in, is rapidly changing.
There are things happening, that we simply aren’t designed for.
I blame lack of human contact, the isolated child.
It was made, to be raised by the village.
Comment by DJ Ward — Mon 3rd April 2023 @ 7:28 pm
The second comment in #4, came to pass.
So my friend, did not listen to my advice.
He didn’t control the addiction, or find work.
And with little, he was made to leave home.
I worry for the outcome, I worry for my friend.
I do worry, about his mental health.
He is completely dysfunctional, but at times brilliant.
His spacial skills, for building things is exceptional.
Give him a motor and a junk pile, in days it’s driving.
Many of my arguments, came from us talking.
My advice is the same, when I see him again.
Some drugs are evil, they leave you with nothing.
Comment by DJ Ward — Wed 2nd August 2023 @ 6:02 pm