24 December 2010

Numbers to call if the fetid despair of the season threatens to overcome

| johnboy
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Katy Gallagher has very usefully put up advice for those not filled by seasonal cheer over the next few days:

“If you are feeling unable to cope over Christmas and New Year talk to someone you trust about the way you are feeling. This can be a friend or family member, a doctor or health professional, teacher or minister. Alternatively, you can call a counselling service such as Lifeline Australia on 13 11 14.

“Also, the Mental Health Crisis Assessment and Treatment Team (CATT) provides a 24-hour, seven day a week service used for assessment and treatment of mentally ill people in crisis situations.”

“If you are having thoughts about suicide stay with a family member or friend until the feelings decrease. It’s also important to avoid drugs and alcohol which are depressants and can make you feel worse.

For 24 hour emergency assistance call the CATT Mental Health Triage Service on 1800 629 354 (24 hour service) or (02) 6205 1065.

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JustThinking7:12 pm 02 Jan 11

Thumper,,
Mental Health anywhere will always be a clusterfuck until the public get in and agree on something.
SOOOO many people want better care/help for Mental Health Clients,,,,but on the streets will ignore them, abuse them and treat them like chit…
It isn’t up to ACT Government to do any better..

Next time you all pass the guy singing loudly and tapping his chest,,,,stop and say “”Hello,,,how’s your day been””
It isn’t up to the Polly’s to sort shit out that we ignore most days…It is up to us..
We have to act instead of telling everyone else to act…..

Mental Health is up to us,,,,,most like to say what SHOULD be done about it,,,,but most don’t want to deal with it….

JustThinking3:55 pm 25 Dec 10

Wants to agree with this Not a good time of year to be feeling that way for anybody. Our thoughts will be with those that aren’t as fortunate this year. Let’s hope that if any Rioter’s are stuck in that twilight they can get help either through that avenue or even through here – I’m sure that we have enough friends on this to make a difference somehow.

Just take care everyone – and look out for each other!”””

I remember being a kid and walking the streets looking for “something” on Christmas day almost 30years ago now….I had family…they all had something better to do and when they asked if I wanted to join “”I said NO”” I said NO because I was antisocial,,,but 30yrs ago there wasn’t a name for it.
I always thought I was in the road and just messing other peoples lives up. (no idea why)

IF it wasn’t for people (word of mouth those days) offering the simple stuff..like call or chat…I would have been dead years ago.
My best childhood friend is,,,,,she committed suicide almost on her 21st birthday…about 24years ago..
The pair that tied their necks out of a panelvan to a tree then drove off…

We need more people to see this as a mental health issue and not an attention getter..

Not a good time of year to be feeling that way for anybody. Our thoughts will be with those that aren’t as fortunate this year. Let’s hope that if any Rioter’s are stuck in that twilight they can get help either through that avenue or even through here – I’m sure that we have enough friends on this to make a difference somehow.

Just take care everyone – and look out for each other!

merlin, while the mental health unit at the hospital no doubt has its shortcomings, using language like ‘being tortured’ does not help your case. There are people in Australia who really have been tortured, and I doubt that they would appreciate your comparison.

If you are genuinely concerned about treatment in the unit, please tell us about it, and be specific. But since this post is about helping people who may need support over Christmas/New Year, your comment is counter-productive, at best.

“I don’t think I’ll need to call Lifelife but does anyone have a place for me to hide from Mum when it all gets too much?”

You’re welcome to hide at my house MissPris but you’ll need to help the kids with the dishes. Can I, as a Mum, hide at your house? It’s only Xmas eve and it’s already too much! 😉

A neighbour of mine unfortunately took his own life just the other day. His family had called mental health services but they just had an answering machine. They didn’t call back until the next morning when it was too late. After realising what had happened, the mental health worker hung up on the distressed family.

Thanks anyway Katie

merlin bodega said:

It’s laughable that she does this when the services behind the wall are a cause for shame not celebration. Having visited a friend being tortured over at Woden Hospital the last thing anyone feeling seriously depressed would need to do is be incarcerated in the mental health facilities in the ACT, especially if they had a physical health problem as well. Ken Keasey would see nothing different in that Cuckoos nest. UNQUOTE

I was in the old Mental Health unit at TCH in March 1996 and I had no complaints. It was like a holiday and the food was much better than I was getting at home. Obviously things have changed for the worse since then.

merlin bodega3:52 pm 24 Dec 10

It’s laughable that she does this when the services behind the wall are a cause for shame not celebration. Having visited a friend being tortured over at Woden Hospital the last thing anyone feeling seriously depressed would need to do is be incarcerated in the mental health facilities in the ACT, especially if they had a physical health problem as well. Ken Keasey would see nothing different in that Cuckoos nest.

Add healthdirect Australia – 1800 022 222 – free* 24 x 7 nurse-based health triage, advice and information (used to be Health First in Canberra).

http://healthdirect.org.au/

* Probably not be free from mobiles.

I don’t think I’ll need to call Lifelife but does anyone have a place for me to hide from Mum when it all gets too much?

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