Stacey Dooley visiting mental health wards; my thoughts on this episode. 🧠🤯

Stacey dooley on mental health wards- the most recent episode on BBC iplayer.

She interviewed a lot of mental health patients and also witnessed people under immense distress having to be put in isolation and put under restraint which was very hard to watch.

I have struggled with my mental health since I was 15 years old and my mental health issues were caused by childhood trauma.

Trauma is the most common reason for mental health issues being experienced and diagnosed during later life.

The impact of childhood trauma has a significant impact on emotional development, brain development, future relationships, cognition and childhood trauma is linked to increased risk of chronic health conditions in later life.

This is a study from Harvard University studying the link between past trauma and chronic health conditions into later life.

Watching Stacey Dooley in mental health wards hit home with me not because I have been in one (although I was close in one point of my life) but because of what she discovered and the point that was made.

Mental health is getting more common especially in younger people and most of the severe mental health issues are due to trauma and instead of dealing with the trauma at a young age it is often ignored and during later life it recurs causing serious repercussions.

Stacey and other mental health professionals believe that if trauma was treated at a younger age that a lot of people wouldn’t not suffer with as serious mental health issues as they get older or difficulties with dealing their mental health and I agreed with this because I believe personally that if my trauma was dealt with at a younger age straight after it happened, then maybe I wouldn’t have suffered as much as I have during later life with both my physical health and my mental health.

My trauma was due to childhood trauma, so growing up I blocked out a lot of the bad memories; upon getting older I felt like my mind was invaded and I started remembering all these bad memories that I had compressed deep down within my subconscious and this was a very stressful and confusing time for me.

I went to numerous conciling sessions including family conciling but it didn’t work, only in college was I offered CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) sessions from a college councillor who was practicing CBT and I found it helped. When I went to university I was offered more CBT which helped me with the ability to manage my stress levels and keep on track with my moods and adapt healthy habits into my daily life to help with my mental health…

It has taken me until age 27 to be offered psychotherapy which is especially for trauma patients and those suffering PTSD. After spending my entire adolescence seeking help with my mental health I was quite understandably upset that this was not offered to me a lot earlier! Maybe if this was offered to me earlier for example after being diagnosed with CPTSD I might have not struggled as much!

I agree with the staff on the mental health ward in this programme and believe that the NHS need to seriously rethink the mental health sector especially when it comes to trauma. More therapies need to be offered, more alternative therapies such as mindfulness courses and community projects set up to support mental health survivors which have been proved to be a life support for those who suffer mental health difficulties or even those in crisis!

I really hope I see the mental health sector improving in the near future.

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