Personal Experience and Psychology

neemish

Following on from recent threads, I'm wondering if the personal experience of those with mental health problems has anything to contribute to the field of psychology. Is it a case of someone comes into contact with a service/therapist and then just gets on with their lives. Or do we have something to say that will further the debate. Do we/should we leave discussion and research to the experts, or do we get involved? By experts here, I'm referring to psychiatrists, psychologists, psychoanalysts, social workers, etc

I'm not just thinking about advocacy groups, but rather contributing to policy developments. For example, in the UK the "Time to Change" organisation looks for people with mental health problems to become member of panels. These "Lived Experience Advisors" are active members who talk aboout policy from the service users perspective.

JuliusCaesar

Have you looked at Mental Health Reform?

Odysseus

My own service is looking at setting up working groups which would include a service user as a group member. Would it be something along those lines you are talking about OP, or am I off the mark?

neemish

No, Odysseus, that's the sort I'm thinking of.

i suppose it's coming from the experience of been treated more like a lab. speciman that someone and who is, in some way, an "expert" on my own condition. This kind of thinking is changing but seems to be painfully slow and not across the board.

Odysseus

How would you see this happening; say you were "king for the day" how would you facilitate it

JuliusCaesar

neemish wrote: »

No, Odysseus, that's the sort I'm thinking of.

i suppose it's coming from the experience of been treated more like a lab. speciman that someone and who is, in some way, an "expert" on my own condition. This kind of thinking is changing but seems to be painfully slow and not across the board.

User involvement is very much recommended now: the Mental Health Commission, Mental Health Reform, any policy document you see nowadays will have it recommended.

Any projects going on in the last couple of years where I work has had a couple of users involved from the beginning.

neemish

Thanks for that JC. I've heard about these, but have never actually come across a project in Ireland that involves service users from the start. The service I use does not have anything like this.

JuliusCaesar

If you're feeling up to reading policy documents, here's one. From page 15:

Service user involvement

Service users, as stakeholders, have important knowledge and perspectives on recovery that need to be included at all levels in the planning of services. At present the mental health system tends to disregard the valuable knowledge of those who have found a pathway to recovery as somewhat insignificant. In the future services must be concerned with service users perception of the quality of services provided (mental Health Commission, 2007).

Management structures are widened to incorporate the expert knowledge of service users in the planning delivery and evaluation of services. Formal mechanisms are in place to ensure that service users have opportunity to be involved in the systematic evaluation of services.

The Irish Advocacy Network is also a great source of training and information.

neemish

Perhaps this is connected to something I've been thinking about in connection with work recently (a completely unrelated field!)
We have well developed theory, critical reflection and know what should be done. But there is often a huge gap between theory and what the reality on the ground is.
I know a little the way mental health services ought to be run, but that's not what I experience when I walk through the door. I see MDT's (great) with the almighty consultant at the head, and if the consultant speaks, well then it must be true! There is a move towards more psychologically based services, but if coming off medication is even mentioned, one is met with hostility and in some cases, agression. This is my particular experience of one particular service. May not be the way it is everywhere, but I can only speak about what I've seen.
Again, perhaps its the disappointment of the distance between theory and reality that I'm experiencing!

JuliusCaesar

neemish wrote: »

if coming off medication is even mentioned, one is met with hostility and in some cases, agression. This is my particular experience of one particular service. May not be the way it is everywhere

I wonder are you talking only with psychiatrists? Are you talking with CPNs? PSWs? the other members of the MDT?

Yes, it takes time to turn the juggernaut of the medical model, and there may not be enough staff to provide psychological services - bear in mind that it won't be just psychologists who provide psychological services, as many other team members may have qualifications in counselling and group therapy and so on.

Keep mentioning the Recovery Model to them. Read up some of the policy documents, and look to the Advocacy Network to help bring about change in your area. And good luck!

Valmont

JuliusCaesar wrote: »

Yes, it takes time to turn the juggernaut of the medical model, and there may not be enough staff to provide psychological services - bear in mind that it won't be just psychologists who provide psychological services, as many other team members may have qualifications in counselling and group therapy and so on.

Just wondering what you mean by this JC; I'm not sure I understand?

InReality

I think St Pats has a fair few user groups - or at least posters advertising such !