Mental Health Groups

[LucyR]

Hi, I just wondered how many of you attend a Mental Health Group? In so far as I can see, once you attend meetings with a Psychiatrist/Psychologist, they try to get you interested in attending these groups so that you can socialise, go walking, and do all sorts of other activites. My question is how is this supposed to help a person in the long term? All it would do for me is make me feel embarassed and inadequate, I can tell you. Also,I feel it stigmatises people who attend, again going on from my hate of the term "Mental Illness", I feel its time these people had the good sense to distinguish between people with emotional conditions and those who are seriously mentall ill, its offensive to class everyone under this category!! What do you think.

[freakedout]

Hi

I was interested to read your comments. I have been under the care of the mental health team for some time now, although I have not ever been offered or recommended to attend or participate in any mental health groups so I cannot really comment on that.

Personally I do not care whether people think there is a stigma to mental illness. I have problems with my psychological, emotional or mental health which are more out of control now than ever before. No label could make me feel better or worse so I think it is unimportant.

I wouldn't be offended at all at being given the chance to join a group activity with other sufferers. At the end of the day it is all about personal beliefs and perceptions. I am past caring about labels and stigma's, all I know is that I am ill and I am not ashamed to be 'one of them' human beings with the misfortune of being psychologically, emotionally or mentally ill.

Freaky

[sunshine-lady]

Hi, I have had a lot of input by my mental health team and am in no way embarassed. I have a CPN who I see regulary and also attend a resource centre for people with mental health issues. You would be suprised the range of people who attend, police, teachers, a solictor, all who can not work at the moment because of their mental health. My resouce centre offers courses which you can qualify for recognised qualifications. I have been going for approx 7 years and it has been a life line to me especially having agoraphobia If you aren't up to doing courses etc at the time there is social access where you have time to talk to people in the same sort of situations, plus there are support workers who you can talk to if need be.
If a stranger walked into my resource centre they would never guess people had mental health issues.
I have Bipolar and try to chose to live with my condition (with support) rather than suffer from it. I am certainly not ashamed of who I am, the stigma is slowly subsiding

[Anna C]

Hi,

I have had about 6 CBT sessions through the nhs with a primary care mental health worker. I can relate to what you are saying, I also don't like to be labelled as having a mental illness as I suffer from anxiety/panic and I don't think of it as being a mental illness.

I have never attended a group its only been a one to one with my therapist.
You say you think you would feel embarrassed and inadequate if you went to a group, maybe you would the first few times you went, but I'm sure it would get easier and you would get support and encouragement, and there would be people there who you could relate to.

Last year I did the No Panic telephone recovery course and it surprised me how good it felt to hear other people talking about their anxiety/panic because they knew exactly how I felt and I felt less alone.

Anna

[LucyR]

Hi Anna,

Thanks for your reply. How do I access the no more panic recovery course by phone, id be quite interested in that.

Lucy.

[Anna C]

Hi Lucy,

This is their website www.nopanic.org.uk (http://www.nopanic.org.uk)
It costs £10 to join then just the cost of the phone calls (the phone calls aren't expensive) when you do the telephone recovery programme.

Take care Anna x