A long rave

[eth]

I could rave about the frustrations of the process to get support workers through a coordinator of supports @Mazarita but I've probably chronicled it enough on the 'Anyone Started with the NDIS?' thread.  It looks like I'll have support workers from 3 different organisations in the early days.  One of the challenges is having to take them when they're available and then trying to find activities that are on during those time slots.  I spent ages looking for activities in the community for Sunday afternoon and the best I can come up with so far is touristy things or going for walks.

The CoS says just to get started with them whenever they are available and hope that their available times change.

I need help to identify things I want to do that will help work towards my goals too, and then try to get sw's for when those things are on.

[Former-Member]

Hi @Mazarita not too bad just feel anxious. Didn’t get much sleep last night again & sorta paced around the house trying to control it. How are you? 

[Mazarita]

Sounds like a frustrating scheduling tangle, @eth. Grrrr to the NDIS processes, so poorly thought out, it seems. I've also seen news reports about community mental health organisations going under because of the NDIS, leaving gaping holes in support for mental health in the community. And an article about the many qualified and experienced mental health workers being put out of work because of the NDIS, thereby impoverishing the whole mental health support sector.

During this past two months of deep depression, I have repeatedly thought I needed help to get out of the hole I was in. But of course there was no support available to me, as I am not part of the NDIS scheme. As you know, I previously I found assistance for these problems through the Phams scheme, no longer operating.

[Mazarita]

Hi @Former-Member, we posted at almost the same time. I always say 'snap!' when that happens. Good to see you this morning. 

Sorry to hear you had a difficult night's sleep and are feeling anxious. Is there anything you do, or have done in the past, to help with that?

I'm okay this morning, but had a bad dream before waking, which left me feeling weird. Overall, though, I'm relieved to find these past few days that I don't feel the irresistable need to sleep almost all day and night.

[eth]

I feel for you @Mazarita and I know what it's like not to have any supports beyond the mainstream medical and allied health professionals i.e. psychiatrist and psychologist.  That was me for many years. I think maybe Partners in Recovery (PIR) still has some services for non-NDIS people.  It's a terrible state of affairs for so many people with MH challenges, for so many reasons. I could rant!  That's why I kept fighting for NDIS for so long.  They've created a huge 'grey zone' where people have no services available any more coz all the organisations have switched over to NDIS and lost their funding for non-NDIS clients.  

I heard that PHaMs actually has funding til mid next year - is there no possibility of getting them again?  

[eth]

BRB @Mazarita

Hi @Former-Member @Exoplanet

[Mazarita]

I think I will be okay now without a support worker, @eth. The anti-depressant increase that happened a couple of weeks ago seems to have started helping over the past few days.

By the by, I saw both my psychiatrist and psychologist within the past couple of weeks. The psychologist, who is against medication in many ways, sees my depressions as 'endogenous' (primarly biologically based, rather than due to external experiences). She emphasised that, in my case, it will be necessary to take medications for the rest of my life. In short, I believe most of my problems over these recent months have been due to instability in my internal brain chemistry, which in turn has been due to instability from all the medication changes this year. Feeling hopeful at the moment that we may have a better mix at this point.

[greenpea]

@Mazarita Hi Mazzy and everyone 🙂 Mazzy it looks like rain here too which is great. Will also have a stay at home day today.  In fact after some qigong I am going back to bed  with a hot water bottle :D! Hoping everyone has a kind and calm Tuesday love gp

[eth]

I'm feeling hopeful for you too @Mazarita.  Very glad things seem to be levelling out for you over the last few days.   I'm currently on a total of 4 psych meds - a total cocktail - and it seems to be keeping me fairly stable with the bipolar 1 so far.  It's a year since I had hypomania and about 3 months since I had more than mild depression but none of it helps with cPTSD and none of it has improved my sleep pattern.  I still have an average of 5 sleeps overnight.    I recently started a new one that blocks adrenalin receptors but it doesn't seem to have made any difference so far - still gradually increasing the dose tho so I still have a drop of hope that it will improve my nights at least.  I am reconciled to the fact I'll have to take psych meds for the rest of my life.  It's better than the alternative.

[Mazarita]

Hi @greenpea, haven't caught up with you in real time for quite a while. Good to see you! 

Awesome that you are doing the qigong, as well as your other exercise activities. Enjoy that warm bed! I'm doing my best to stay out of mine at the moment! 

@eth, sounds like the cptsd is more likely to respond to psychological approaches, rather than psychiatry. Good that you are proceeding with that with your psychologist, and have more appointments with her now. That's one benefit of the NDIS. I'm still getting broken sleep too but only short wake-breaks now, instead of waking up fully alert and unable to get back to sleep. Hope your new med starts helping with the sleeping problems you have very soon.