Rings around the moon.

I shall give him a name, let's call him Josh. Josh is called a 'service user' in various systems. The term service user is a status, rather than descriptor. The term could be seen as a prosaic, utilitarian description of a person using a service. Nothing wrong with the term, nothing I can easily put my finger on. Anyway, Josh is my son, and he doesn't have much choice about being a service user. Not because of legal constraints thank goodness, but there are subtle forces that create compliance, albeit very sensible and totally making sense to me reasons... Nevertheless the transformation from a person into a service user isn't life enhancing. At worst it can be seen as a ceremony of degradation: ... a formal or informal ritual that is used to eject an individual from a group and to rid that individual of his or her identity as a member of the group. Used to deal with people who subvert the norms of society. So if you are wondering what happens to se...

The effect of stress is a taste like metal in my mouth, all the time. I'm fortunate, my course finished last week - beginning again in September - so there is time for the highs and lows to balance, to reach an equilibrium. I hope. Visiting hangs over the day. The journey on the motorbike [free parking otherwise it would be £5 a day] The waiting for the lift up to the ward. Too many people and the lifts are elsewhere... The corridor walk to the ward seems really long because it is! Then pressing the buzzer and waiting... Then we have no idea what state of mind Service User will be in. The night with the bloody finger nails and the scratching at wounds was particularly hard to take. Last night was a very good visit though. Service User was dressed and though slightly drugged up and out of it, he was there enough, and able to go on towards the next step in dealing with what has happened... He is sure that he opened a door to hell by talking drugs And it had b...

When the psychiatric team arrived I stayed where I was, and used the time to phone up about the MRI scan... The company a person buys a scan from had tried to contact Service User. ...Service User doesn't answer his phone. The phone was found Eventually .. pushed down inside Service User's duvet cover. I gave the MRI company my phone number. Yesterday I left my phone in the kitchen with instructions... And went to college. On retruen Service User told me a consultant had phoned him, and that a scan will be arranged. So, that's good. Service User is deep in recriminations this morning Of course... So I listen a while and then say, you will be able to make better decisions after you have had the scan. It feels better to be able to say this instead of 'you cannot know' or 'you need to ask a doctor'. I prefer to be able to say with truth and certainty - look, your experience is something and we have found the best way we can, to check o...

The doctor's visit is something I have changed my mind about. I'm sure it sounds ungrateful of me to say that I don't really value a consultant psychiatrist coming to my home, to advise us on the best way to proceed. But that is largely because... He has only one thing to say: Take your meds! He can say it fast Or slow Get angry even But no... Service user isn't going to take them... I decided to ask some questions last week. I wanted to know what kind of care plan is in place. If they wanted to know anything about us as a family If there were any support groups for families. How about CBT? And what happens if 'the service user' doesn't take the meds? There was me thinking that these questions were important.... The doctor sat opposite me with the nurse at the kitchen table And the air became as thick as treacle. Support group!!! No. What the doctor wanted to know from me was, how was I going to get the service user to take his ...