Monday, October 12, 2009

Reflections from work

Last week was pretty busy work week for me, and I wanted to pass along a couple of observations. (I still agree to do more than I should. When will I ever learn!)

For the past few months I have mostly been taking care of some truly mentally ill people, those who have a hard time distinguishing between what is real and what is not. One of the women patients became physically weak for a few days, and what was so heartwarming was how the other women, in spite of their own handicaps, showed concern for her and tried to nurture her. It is instinctive in most of us women to caretake when the need is there, and for women to understand other women.

Another situation happened Friday in the day program. We noticed that one of the patients was going to have a birthday the next day. Before the group left, we quickly announced it and started singing Happy Birthday before he got a chance to protest too much. When the song ended, he said that was more of a birthday celebration than he had had in twenty years. And we wondered why the depression has been so long lasting. Recognizing birthdays and milestones is validating to all of us, making us feel a little special for a while.

Some mental problems just happen but others can be prevented.

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