[splitimage]

I'm an administrator on another forum. One that deals specifically with self injurty but we get all kinds of mental health stuff as well. We're currently having a bit of a crisis becuase one of our members who is clearly bipolar is off her meds and is clearly psychotic. She's posting all kinds of scary things but she's still in touch enough with reality to be seeking help. Members have been great about posting that she needs to see her dr;, get to an er, trust her family and get back on her meds. It seemed to be going really well. Latest news another member who we also think is in the midst of a psychotic break has posted in the thread, saying don't take your meds we don't know enough about how the brain works to trust any medication and that maybe the hallucinations are just an example of being transported to another dimension that other people can't see. AUGH. She's not technically breaking any board guidelines so we can't take the post down, I'm just really worried it will undermine all the members efforts encouraging the original poster to get help.

Frig - sometimes running a mental health board is so frustrating because all you can do is offer advice and then sit back and hope they take it, and it's hard watching someone self destruct IRL.

Just had to vent somewhere.

--splitimage

[HALLIEBETH87]

*hugs*

[pachyderm]

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splitimage said:
I'm an administrator on another forum...
We're currently having a bit of a crisis becuase one of our members who is clearly bipolar is off her meds and is clearly psychotic. She's posting all kinds of scary things but she's still in touch enough with reality to be seeking help. Members have been great about posting that she needs to see her dr;, get to an er, trust her family and get back on her meds. It seemed to be going really well. Latest news another member who we also think is in the midst of a psychotic break has posted in the thread, saying don't take your meds we don't know enough about how the brain works to trust any medication and that maybe the hallucinations are just an example of being transported to another dimension that other people can't see. AUGH.
--splitimage

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Here's my thought for the day: unfortunately, the state of affairs in mental illness treatment is not so favorable that (IMO) one can state flatly that medications, or doctors, or other mental health professionals, or hospitals, are good for you. Using them does not necessarily result in good outcomes. As I see it, this is a FACT and has to be dealt with. One must somehow be able to distinguish the valuable from the not. And my experience tells me that there is a lot of the latter. How is a sufferer to tell the difference, when his or her mind is occupied by possibly unstable emotions? Well, I have not been able to find an easy answer for myself.

I think this post on the Schizophrenia and Psychosis forum by spiritual_emergency is very helpful in this connection.:

http://forums.psychcentral.com/showf...586#Post778234

I do sympathize that it can be really hard to watch someone when you think that there are things they could do in order to get help...

But then, by the same token, I also have sympathy with the idea that sometimes medications and contact with the mental health service are not the things that help the most.

I guess all you guys can do is be supportive to this member (as best you can) while they are going through this hard time.

Sometimes people telling us what they think we need to do just results in our feeling alone and misunderstood and ultimately - worse.

This too shall pass... Episodes really tend to. I guess the most important thing is knowing that people care and that you can talk to them about what is going on and they can listen.

Hang in there.

[curley]

Wierd to here about this in real life. I watched a drama a couple of weeks ago about the same thing. The young girl that went off her meds actually killed someone. She went off her meds because some rock star was going on talk shows etc saying the same type of things your member is saying. If the doctors did not know very much about the meds then why do they help people. Years ago people with disorders such as bipolar would have been put away in institutions. Now with those meds they can live "normal
lives! How great is that

[pachyderm]

> If the doctors did not know very much about the meds then why do they help people.

But they don't, always. I am one who has not been helped a bit by psychotropic medications of all kinds. And when that happens, and all the doctors can suggest is -- more medications -- then one begins to doubt.

[AnnieL]

I agree with alexandra. I know it is difficult, but being supportive and empathetic is really important. She/he will be able to "hear" what you are saying eventually, but for right now, I would just let her know you on her side. As for the other poster...same goes. Perhaps just offer a supportive post to that individual, stating your reasons for thinking the way you do...and perhaps it will help. Its hard to tell sometimes what to say or not say. The last thing anyone would want to do is alienate someone who already feels desperate and alone.