Hmmm, last I heard 1 out of every 4 people will deal with some form of mental illness in their lives. That is a lot of people, MI is more common then many think it is.

It is "very important" to understand that not "everyone" stands in judgment of those who struggle. It often feels like the end of the world when in the struggle, but it is also important to realize that many mental illnesses can be treated and do not necessarily mean "doom and gloom". However, sometimes when the illness is in a difficult stage it can most definitely feel hopeless or that no one cares or will even target the sufferer.

((Mowtown)), I can totally relate to feeling that by struggling so much and reaching out for help via a psych ward has disappointed you deeply and felt very "demeaning". It is also not unusual for someone who is going through a breakdown and struggling with PTSD to be misdiagnosed either. And PTSD already presents an overwhelming feeling of "vulnerability coupled with anger and defensive behavior" yet can be so crippling and confusing that "yes" it really feels that no one will understand you and you are doomed to continue to fall apart somehow. So reaching out for help and being misdiagnosed and misunderstood will feel like you "really did lose something". After all if the professionals mess up then how is "anyone" ever going to understand and help? When someone is traumatized and developing PTSD the last thing they need is to be misunderstood and further "frightened or made to feel helpless in some way".

Well, unfortunately psych wards these days are inadequate and the people who work in them, even the psychiatrists sadly, are only doing their best to "stabilize and set up something in outpatient care". My therapist explained to me that unfortunately when someone is struggling in a PTSD crisis, many of these psych wards miss the red flags and misdiagnose and mistreat the patient, it "is" a big problem. And when a patient is admitted with Suicidal thoughts they are taken seriously and medicated and monitored in a way that for someone with PTSD can be very intimidating and triggering, even making them feel worse. I know this so "well" myself. It is no wonder a patient ends up feeling that "something was really taken from them when they broke down and was treated this way".

My therapist talked about how it "should have been, even used to be" when someone broke down and simply could not manage to pull it together somehow. They were given rest, a safe quiet room and someone was attentive and took time to talk to them. He used to work in a place like that, however these places are "too expensive" to have now and instead we have a system that simply focuses on getting people stabilized with drugs and out the door as soon as possible. Oh there "are" places like this, but a patient has to have some "money" to get that now.

I knew what I needed and begged for it, I didn't get it, not even close. In fact, now that I "know" about what I have and what I was really experiencing at the time, the treatment I did get was a prescription to "add to the trauma and punish" rather then actually "address a patient like me". God, I was so overwhelmed and exhausted in every way, so much damage and loss, way too much for me to process and even think about "how to sort it all out emotionally", never mind physically because I was just at the point where I was totally exhausted.

Well, the answer is not about giving up or withdrawing completely, and I sure do know that that desire can be very strong for a while too. No, the answer is to keep trying and get strong enough to have a voice and be insistent, because that is the only way "change' eventually takes place.

My therapist has told me that "many" of his patients complained about how badly treated they were by the same psychiatrist that treated me. It isn't "just" me and if enough people "speak up" and insist something "will be done", it doesn't happen overnight, but eventually it does happen. A gradual effort "is" being made in how to identify trauma patients and address them better, my therapist has told me this, but it "will" take time.

I know you are really struggling right now Mowtown, I know what you are going through because I have definitely been there, but you need to give it time, work on healing so you "can" have a stronger voice and even be there for others "knowing' how much that is needed. Even though you don't think others will understand, there actually "are" people that are working on finding better therapies for trauma patients. How trauma affects the brain is constantly being studied in an effort to understand it better and find better ways to address it.

It is better to focus on those who are out there working at it, respecting it, then those who are "ignorant bigots" whom are in their own way demented and an unproductive useless burden to the overall society.

OE