Quote:
Originally Posted by ElsaMars
Is anyone here a paid mental health advocate? Working with changing laws and directly helping the suffering? I've experienced first hand how broken and flawed the system is for the mentally unwell. When we are symptomatic, we are especially vulnerable and the system is set up to abuse us.
When we are hospitalized, we are often treated as criminals. Our possessions are removed as are our rights. Just like convicts. Communication with the outside world is shut down to a minimum. This does not happen the same way for physical illness and while it might be an appropriate choice for SOME people, it's not something which should be an automatic across the board thing. The list goes on and on.
I see what is broken and I want to help fix it. But how? I'd like to get paid for this as bills need paying and I can't afford to volunteer, even though I'd like to. Does anyone have a paid position helping the mentally ill? Tell me about your job, training, schooling and how you help. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I need to find a job I'm passionate about and mental health advocacy is my passion above all else these days.
I'm starting my journey by being my own advocate which is proving harder than it should be. It's a start but I'd like to expand and help others. I want to make sure that what's been done to me isn't done to others. I'd like to hear your experiences. Thanks in advance.
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--response I have had thoughts about this for a long time. Yes, I think that people with mental illness are treated shabbily if not totally incompetently. And yet we have to try to figure out what's best even when we are in a total fog. There is such a thing as an advocate, but I don't know if various state laws control them like they would nurse practitioners who dispense meds. Often people have family members who are informally their advocates, but no one ever did that for me.
When I did a write up on how to become a healthcare advocate for an internet how to forum, it appeared that anyone can call themselves this. However, then the person would have to build up a practice. I think this has not become a big profession because talk therapists are supposed to handle the advocate function, but they aren't trained in meds and feel like the docs are doing fine on that. Hah! Yes, there are some fine doctors, but what can they do in 15 minute intervals?????
I am bp2 w mixed states and gad. When I was working, I didn't really have the opportunity to change meds or even tweak them. I let the doctors make the decisions. Recently with the impossible 15 minute intervals I switched to a nurse practitioner and have switched off meds that (with the new meds available) just weren't adequate for me. Wow, what a change. Latuda alone is doing a great job for me.
I have followed your posts for quite some time and feel a great admiration for you. Message me and I will give you my personal email. Id love to share thoughts. Hugs!