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[Branwell]

Hi there, first time poster, long time waiter to get my approval!  Yes, I work in mental health, more specifically 'older adult mental health for persons suffering from organic disorders of the brain', so include Alzheimer's Disease, Pick's Disease, Korsakoff's, stuff like that.  More specifically I work with people with behavioural problems.

In my brief career as a nurse (about 19 years now), I've notices the 'older adult' bracket being stretched as people are presenting with dementia younger.  I suppose that the younger people are presenting with frontal-type dementias and the alcohol problems, Korsakoff' disease and so on.  Our demographic people tell us it is going to turn into a blizzard as the people who were turning on with ecstacy in the 80's & 90's start coming in - but who knows?  At least we don't see GPI now, thank God.

I'm different to most of the posters here in that I'm a specifically mental health trained nurse (Registered Mental Nurse) from the UK.  Another difference with me is that I'm also a service user!  I have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, something that's affected me since my teens.  I'm pretty stable on meds now, stable enough to work and even to be respected by my peers for the work I do.  Not too long ago, my illness would have precluded me from even thinking about doing anything except the most menial work in a hospital.  Hooray for anti-discrimination laws!

I should say that I live in what was the catchment area of Whittingham Hospital ~ featured on this site ~ and we pick up the patients that would have gone there.  We nurse them in a shitty 70's cheapo build unit with no access to the outside world in a vast district general hospital.  These people were probably better off in the old-style hospitals (errrm, not withstanding the well documented abuse recorded  about Whittingham)

[Kitten7]

Welcome Hammie , Ladyamethyst, and Branwell.
I work/worked in mental heath also. I have my liscense to administer meds to residents of our housing and I work at our Social/Vocational "club" also.  Even though I am presently only an "on call" worker , I did work full time there and became staff supervisor. Who would have thunk it?  I got a degree from a college that works with "consumers" of mental health services to enable them to be "productive" again. That's why I still find it hard to believe I went to college and got this job.
I haven't worked full time in a while but I still refer to all the residents as "my guys".  You deffinately won't get rich working in mental health, but it's rewards are priceless.

[Branwell]

I don't do too bad really, last year I earned just under 60k and the 'household' i.e. me and my girlie who is also a mental health nurse, turned over just under 98k.  She only works two days a week though, the lazy thing.  Seems she prefers gardening!  
Having said that, the cost of living is high in the UK.  But the chocolate is better.   Beer too.

[Kitten7]

I don't do too bad really, last year I earned just under 60k and the 'household' i.e. me and my girlie who is also a mental health nurse, turned over just under 98k.  She only works two days a week though, the lazy thing.  Seems she prefers gardening!  
Having said that, the cost of living is high in the UK.  But the chocolate is better.   Beer too.

The hell with everything we were talking about before...Did you say chocolate???   :lol:  =P~

[Ogee]

Hi Hammie (and everyone else!), I am new here also.  I'm not in the mental health field but I have done volunteer work in a private group home for schizophrenics and I have done a few security shifts at a mental hospital here in California.  It was graveyard so it was uneventful...the heavily sedated hours.  Regardless, I decided not to accept anymore shifts there, I didn't like the atmosphere at all.  You're a brave soul!  I would much rather explore them once they are abandoned than be there while they are in use!!!  I did work for a state school in Texas that was horrible.  Some of the photos on this site make me sad because I know that things in the field may have changed but out there in the dark recesses of the still functioning state schools, hospitals, orphanages, there are more pictures to be had of drooling, neglected, ill clothed, over medicated, sad individuals living in poor conditions.  Some of the things I've seen, especially in Texas.  I imagine these places will too be explored and wondered about one day too.....