Should People Be Allocated A Lifelong Counsellor?

[Raidergal2022]

People are allocated a gp, so do you think that everyone should be allocated a counsellor from a young age through life?

I don’t mean that they should see them regular but maybe see them annually as like a mental health checkup and if any issues arise they could then have regular sessions/signposting to the correct mental health service.

I think this would allow a persons mental health to be monitored through their life and would help to identify safeguarding issues etc particularly in the young and elderly. It would also help to encourage self awareness from a young age as people tend to develop strong beliefs/biases without realising which can impact themselves and society.

[Raidergal2022]

It is not really a surprise, people seeing depression as a trend doesn’t help but I think there is more too negative and dismissive attitudes towards mental health. I think it’s partly due to the person not realising the intense daily distress it can cause the person and the fight to manage their mental state every day.

Maybe the idea of this type
of illness and how common it is creates an element of fear with the fact the anyone can develop mental illness and require hospital admission.

This being said everyone has their judgements

I can be the same when it comes to people being overweight/obese I tend to think pull yourself together. As I never struggled with weight I didn’t see the struggle in others. I used to view any explanations for excess weight as excuses. In reality maybe there is a struggle I don’t see - genetics, illness, medication can all be genuine reasons

[rowanwitch]

The trouble is we are a long way from promoting mental health, what we mostly have a system that revolves around short term crisis interventions for acute mental illness. I have suffered from bouts of crippling depression since my teens. Medicated most of my life and at times needing additional support. I agree that sometimes it can be a minor issue, where in times gone by you would seek support from your wider family or friends but in a fractured society with loneliness at epidemic proportions it is hardly surprising that people slide into more serious manifestations of mental illness.

If it was a minor thing and a case of pulling yourself together suicide wouldn't claim so many lives, especially young men and those experiencing overwhelming problem of debt, family breakdowns, and social isolation.

[andres]

pasta^^^had you lived here in the 70s and had mental health problems your doctor would have referred you to a psychiatrist and if he considered that you needed further treatment then you would have been placed in the local psychiatric hospital. You would then have had the appropriate treatment for however long you needed it. When recovered you would have been discharged ,with Day Care follow- up At least that would have happened in our area. The main change has been in the name. We no longer have people with Psychiatric issues instead they have Mental Health problems.

[naomi24]

Some do cite mental health without good reason - only recently we had someone here asking about depression when the only problem was that she was fed up. That said, it’s easy to sympathise with ailments that are visible - a broken leg for example - but a broken mind is hidden - and for those who are strong and have no experience of it, it is difficult to comprehend. Those who tell genuine sufferers to ‘pull themselves together’ may rest assured that if they could they would. There’s little more painful for the sufferer - or for those around them - than a tortured, tormented mind.

I would add that I don’t think anyone should be castigated on a personal level for expressing their opinions. Polite discussion can only be a good thing.

[wolf63]

Naomi
You state: and for those who are strong and have no experience of it,

Does that mean that you think only weak people are mentally ill?

I agree with people being able to voice different opinions, but not in a 'I'm right, you are wrong' way. Some comments were condescending.

[naomi24]

No, wolf, it doesn’t mean that. I mean people who consider themselves strong and hence immune. They’re not because life happens - and sometimes in the most unexpected ways.

[Raidergal2022]

Wolf - I think the word mentally weak is correct if referring to the persons mental state in said moment

For example if someone is physically unwell they might be referred to as physically weak during the illness

Similarly when mentally unwell the mind is in a weakened vulnerable state at the time

It does not mean the person is weak. Sounds cheesy but it does take a lot of strength to overcome severe mental illness.

[wolf63]

I fully agree ... it would be so easy to give up!

To keep on going whilst your brain is the enemy is hard work. To never be sure that what you are hearing or seeing is real is scary.

After giving up work at the age of 40 there has been a slow improvement in my mental health. Alas the medication that I had to take has caused kidney failure and neurological problems.

Good luck in finding a good mental health state, Raidergal.

[pastafreak]

Andres, that sounds a bit horrific and extreme. Particularly when there are far more gentle therapies that works...even back then. I initially went to a therapist/ psychiatrist my elder sister was seeing...but he liked to prescribe valium. I then found a psychiatrist who allowed me to talk, and gave me the reassurance that I wasn't going crazy, nor were my panic attacks going to kill me. Obviously, there are degrees of mental illness and some will require hospitalization.

[roadman]

i am allocated a dentist that i pay for but im lucky if i see the same gp each time

[barry1010]

I remember those days of GPs handing out valium like sweeties in the 60s and 70s, 'mother's little helper'. Some people are still taking it daily after 40 years or more. That can't be right.

[Redhelen72]

Barry - they are just as bad now imo!
MIL went to GP saying she felt depressed and suicidal - straight onto anti psychotic meds - no follow up, no support just stuck her on the pills for 2 years!

[barry1010]

That is very wrong

[Old_Geezer]

In which case Vulc the GPs should be told to do the job they've trained for or get out and let someone prepared to do so take their place. What are we training these individuals for anyway ?

[andres]

pasta^^^^No the therapies weren't horrific. Far from it. There were talking sessions, art therapy, relaxation, handcrafts, quizzes, games sessions, outdoor activities, swimming, private consultations and lots more. In fact all the present day activities that you all think have just been introduced were all carried out in 70/80s. The main difference was that the patients didn't go around telling all and sundry that they had problems, unlike today when everyone has a 'mental health problem'

[barry1010]

Some psychiatric hospitals were very good, some were horrific.
My neighbour is a psychiatric nurse at our local 'residential mental health unit' as they are called today. I've been as a visitor a few times and as far as I can tell it is excellent.
I have also visited a secure mental health hospital in recent years and it really is not somewhere I'd like to go, although I don't think any patient in there had a choice.

The problem is that for many people who need help, it just isn't available even if they want it (some don't).

[naomi24]

I too think medication is handed out too readily and I agree with you, barry. I don’t think there’s enough help available for people who really need it.

[pastafreak]

Thanks for clearing that up Andres.
But "telling all and sundry" may be better than not telling anyone. I know when I first came to the UK 30+ years ago, it wasn't the done thing to discuss these issues...or certainly didn't seem to be. Not even to family...but that's just my experience in the late 80s.
As for valium, I think I was on it for over a year, and coming off even a low dose had its side effects. I don't like anything that makes me feel like ****.

[bednobs]

it used to be called "nervous breakdown" but you really don't hear that term anymore.

[naomi24]

Suffering mental health problems doesn’t necessarily equate to a nervous breakdown.