#mod reyes

If you are someone in the UK who has experienced inpatient stays on a mental health unit, I am looking for firsthand experiences from our followers! 

I am looking for what you were allowed on the unit, what activities were done there, and the general experience you had during your stay whether it was good or bad. 

Thank you everyone in advance!

Hello!

I’m so sorry about your ESA. It’s always really horrible to lose a loved furry friend, especially one that supports you. I had started having a really tough time when my dog passed away, and a lot of my behaviours started to get worse. Over time I realize it was because I put a lot of my bad coping styles away because I had my dog who I depended on in a way. 

I know it’s difficult right now, but there’s never really a too soon for a new pet or ESA. You have to think about it not as if you’re replacing something, but creating a new working relationship with another animal. It will always be different and that’s how it’s not a replacement. You can love them both at the same time! It doesn’t make the other matter less just because you’re sharing a new connection. But I understand everyone needs their grieving time, I just don’t want you to extend it because you care!

Coping with the death of a pet

Introduction to grief and loss (5 stages of grief, coping tips, ideas for healing)

Practicing self-care

Stages of coping with grief and loss

Coping with reminders after a loss

SkinPick.com, an online community for those with dermatillomania and/or related disorders. Also has lists of resources and comprehensive information.

50 ways to stop pulling your hair (has great ideas for other similar conditions!)

Hello!

I’m glad I helped in that way. I know how hard it is to find resources about trauma’s from hallucinations, but the most support I’ve found around it is just talking to other people who experience hallucinations. 

Your psychologist is wrong to say they only affect you as they happen, to me it sounds like conflating dream experience to hallucinating, which is simply untrue.

In communities where you can find anyone who experiences psychosis, I guarantee if you ask, lots of people will come forward and talk to you about trauma they had induced by hallucinations, and perhaps can offer you some advice from methods they used to overcome it or lessen the weight it carries. I have some sources for you to explore, but by no means is my list exhaustive!

How to find a Support Group how to find the proper support group and other resources.

DailyStrength a support forum for a variety of different situations and disorders/illnesses.

Mental Support Community, a forum to talk about schizophrenia and how it affects your life.

Forum for people diagnosed with schizophrenia and sz spectrum disorders.

List of support groups both US, UK, and global.

Hello Anon!

I struggle a lot with sleep regulation as well, so I may have some tips for you that I have discovered along the way.

The best thing I have found that keeps me from sleeping in the day is going out somewhere early in the day. Doesn’t have to be with anyone, you could just go to the mall and get breakfast or lunch. This forces you to actually stay awake, since you can’t just willy nilly take a nap on the sidewalk or in a store. I find that eventually I forget about the tiredness, and can get through to the evening.

Stay on your feet as much as you can, so your brain doesn’t have time to think it’s a good time to sleep. Avoid reading too much, sitting at the computer, watching TV (aka sitting down), and if you like exercise, that will help too.When I was very desperate to fix my sleep, I would tend to stay up for the full night and next day to try to sleep at a regular hour, but that’s not healthy, and it never really helps. 

The best way to keep your nocturnal habits consistent is to follow Sleep Hygiene. To give you some ideas, I’ll list some of the tips.

Avoiding stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine close to bedtime. 

Exercise to promote good quality sleep.  As little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise, such as walking or cycling, can drastically improve nighttime sleep quality.

Ensuring adequate exposure to natural light.

Establishing a regular relaxing bedtime routine.  A regular nightly routine helps the body recognize that it is bedtime.This could include taking warm shower or bath, reading a book, or light stretches.

Go to bed the same time every night.

It is important to subconsciously connect being in bed with sleeping. Don’t read in bed or talk on the phone. Remove clutter and items that remind you of work from your bedroom as well, such as your computer.

Try to stop using all electronics 1 full hour before bed. That includes your television, computers, phones, e-readers, and tablets. If you absolutely can’t tear yourself away from any of these items, at least turn on the red light filter.

If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, leave your bedroom and do something relaxing somewhere else. You don’t want your mind to associate your bed with frustration.Do the same if you wake up during the night and can’t fall back asleep. In either scenario, don’t focus on the time, as it will just cause unhelpful anxiety. Read a book, sketch, or do another calming activity that can be done in low lighting. Do NOT turn on your electronics!

I know some of these tips are a bit daunting and don’t sound very fun, but even utilizing just a few of them can help tremendously. I hope you get some rest!

Having trouble falling asleep? Here are some tips from followers that might help.

“Sleep Better, Cope Better”: 6 Insomnia Causes & Cures

Sleep Hygiene

Hi Anon!

Without too much information, I can’t give you a specific reply. But I can give you some ideas that you may see fit your situation or not.

Delusions are based in the fact that you think they are real. This doesn’t mean you can’t be aware it’s a delusion; for example, I may think that I’m being monitored by a paranormal entity. I believe it, however I know that this is something pretty “out there” and would be considered a delusion. But it’s still real to me. Usually my thoughts come down to “well, it probably isn’t, but what if it is”.

The step down from delusions is magical thinking. This is most prevalent in Cluster A personality disorders, but can be seen in other illnesses, and can even be a pattern in thinking that was just not addressed during growth, and persisted into adulthood. Magical thinking can manifest in lots of different ways, and most generally can be described as “Odd beliefs and behaviours inconsistent with subcultural norms.”

Hope this helps!

Hello Anon!

Experiences brought about by hallucinations (or delusions) absolutely can cause trauma to someone. Whether it be something that emotionally moved you to this or something that visually left scars for you, it is valid. The brain is an incredibly powerful organ and even “imagined” events can be effective negatively or positively in our lives and have lingering effects such as symptoms of trauma.

To our brains, something hallucinated and something real are nearly indistinguishable from one another, as they both trigger the same firing of neurons that would be present from regular stimuli. The trauma one might get from hallucinating (for example) a stalker versus someone really being stalked are no different. Something does not have to cause PSTD to be considered traumatic, and you shouldn't feel that it isn’t valid just because your brain conjured it up! Traumas come in different severities, and confirmation from other people do not matter, if they didn’t experience what you did.

I hope that helped some!

You Feel Like Shit – An Interactive Self Care Guide might help you calm down during an episode

Here are some tips and tricks on coping with flashbacks.

Coping with flashbacks

Here is also some information on exploring and coping with panic attacks

Here is some information and self help tips on how to handle panic attacks.

Here are some exercises you can do that helps to keep you in the present: grounding techniques, mental grounding exercises, physical grounding exercises, soothing grounding exercises.

Hello! I’m so sorry you’re experiencing this anon. I myself struggled for about 3 years until I could get a service dog, and I had lots of bumps in the road that made me feel like I would never get one at all. 

An ESA should not cost money, excluding the price of the actual dog (which I’m positive would not be 40K) and its necessities + a note from the therapist. If it is not an ESA because it went through task training, it is really not helpful to call a verified service dog an ESA, especially for invisible disabilities; this is already a problem the outside community berates PSD’s on.

Owner training is a great idea! I am currently owner training a new puppy with the help of a wonderful dog trainer who has experience training dogs for service work, as my old SD is needing to come to retirement. It is best if you plan to owner train and SD that you have some sort of trainer you can go to (if not see regularly, but I’m going with low cost recommendations atm), and it’s best to start with a puppy, whether a rescue or from a breeder. If you do that, you should absolutely bring a trainer who has experience in SD’s to help you pick which one has the appropriate temperaments. 

Depending on where you live options for this may be either limited or bountiful; there are always nonprofit Service Dog programs that are either entirely by donation, or have a very low cost to assist people who need it. (10K+ medical necessities for people is frankly ridiculous, especially when people who need it cannot work for whatever reason!)

You can search at ADI programs Search to specify for your location, or even talk to your doctor about programs they know of that are in your budget.

I hope this helps! If you need any more information, feel free to address me off anon and I will reply to you in private!