It follows a year in the life of adolescents in the McGuinness unit in Manchester which is an inpatient unit for teenagers with mental health issues
This week the documentary focused on 3 stories
Beth 17, who we were introduced to last week
She suffers with anorexia and depression
Crystal 14, who sees people and animals who aren't actually there
And Gillian 17, who we also met last week
She suffers drastic mood changes and was considered a danger to herself
Beth |
Last week we saw Beth really struggling
As I said in the last post, as first I thought that Beth was not that bad and some comments that you left said the same thing
A couple of days later a friend of Beth's left a comment on my blog saying that Beth in fact had been on a medical ward before she was admitted to the unit to stabilise her weight
Refusing to eat or to be weighed, Beth was threatened with being sectioned
Beth thought that they were only trying to scare her
But they did in fact section her
This now meant that they could force her to eat
Beth started to make slow progress
She started going in to the dining room and eating with others
She made an appeal to get her section overturned
Unfortunately it was turned down and she was deemed too sick
I don't know if Beth self harmed before she came to the unit but she started to
In fact it seemed that all the girls there did
Beth described how all the bad feelings and thoughts went away as the blood trickled out
Even though Beth was in the grip of this illness, her personality still shone through
She was bright and bubbly and so pretty
Her friend that commented on the last post said that Beth is now home and doing well
She has returned to her beloved dancing and is going on holiday soon
I hope and pray that she can over come this although I know chances of relapse are high
Maybe the fact that there was an early intervention will stand to her
I hope so
Then we were introduced to Crystal
At 14 Crystal was the youngest on the unit
She spoke frankly about how she could see people and animals
We saw pictures she had drawn of them
They included a little girl and also rats
She gave them names like 7 and 24
So called because they were there 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
She said the voices told her to do things
That she was afraid of some of them
Crystal was adopted when she was 4 having been abused at home
It was at this age that she first began to see and hear things
She settled in to her new home but the characters didn't go away
She described how the voices told her to kill her adopted father
Tests were done and Crystal was deemed not to be psychotic and not a danger to herself or others
Her doctor explained that at the age of 4 she had invented a fantasy world to help her cope
She imagined this world so she could also choose to not see them
Crystal was discharged
She is now back at school and doing well
We first met Gillian last week when she escaped the unit and took an overdose
She suffers with drastic mood swings and struggled to control her anger
For a lot of her stay she was being held in the acute part of the unit
It was distressing to see her being restrained and it happened quite often
Gillian had not spoken to her mother in 6 months and this was causing her a lot of distress
Eventually though they did make contact and her mother started to come and visit her
This seemed to be a turning point for her and she began to make progress
Gillian |
I thought that the documentary was good
It gave a good insight in to different mental health issues
However I would have liked to have learned more about their back stories
Especially Beth
She seemed to have everything going for her
She was pretty, outgoing and smart
How did she fall prey to this cruel illness?
And I firmly believe that for everything we do, there is a reason
We don't starve ourselves for no reason
There's always an explanation
We also don't starve ourselves because we are vain and want to be thin
It's not that simple
It runs much deeper than that
Restricting and the pursuit of thinness masks a whole host of issues beneath the surface
I wonder what happened to Beth that compelled her not to eat?
And it doesn't have to be this big traumatic event that triggers an eating disorder
More often than not it is a series of little events or triggers
For me it was a combination of things
I was unhappy at home
I was a dancer and swimmer so my body was exposed a lot
I remember every comment anyone ever made about my weight or shape
They are all filed away at the back of my head under the heading 'Reasons to hate myself'
The seeds of my eating disorder were sewn long before I stopped eating
Our experiences, especially as children, mould us in to the person we are today
We look for ways to cope and unfortunately sometimes these methods are unhealthy
Also it was a bit unsettling watching kids who were at their most vulnerable
Yes, it's important to raise these issues and get people talking
Mental health is still something that is whispered rather than spoken about openly
We like to pretend that it's not there
But the reality is that one on four of us suffer from some form of mental health
We don't feel uncomfortable talking about diabetes or a broken arm
So why do we have such an issue about talking about our mental health?
So any of us are suffering in silence
Too afraid to open our mouths
Too worried about what others will think of us
Anxious that people won't understand and think that we are crazy
Talking about it is so important
It's vital
Keeping it all in is exhausting and draining
And it does leak out in other ways
I thought that some of the footage was unnecessary
It showed graphic images of the results of self harm and I'm sure that triggered some people massively
Also showing young people being restrained was uncomfortable to watch
The documentary focused on all the dramatic incidents and failed to show that most of the time nothing happens and people are generally very bored
It did show some of the girls having fun but I don't think it accurately described the strength of the bond you form with other patients
I thought that some of the footage was unnecessary
It showed graphic images of the results of self harm and I'm sure that triggered some people massively
Also showing young people being restrained was uncomfortable to watch
The documentary focused on all the dramatic incidents and failed to show that most of the time nothing happens and people are generally very bored
It did show some of the girls having fun but I don't think it accurately described the strength of the bond you form with other patients
I have huge admiration for the young people that were in this documentary
They showed huge courage for speaking out
They also gave these conditions a face and I think that's so important
Did you watch this documentary?
What did you think of it?
Hi Love,
ReplyDeleteI don't think we need to analyze the exact whys of the mental illness. Isn't it just a chemical imbalance in the brain that causes us to self harm and try to end our life? That isn't normal human behaviour. That isn't how we were meant to be. We need drugs to balance these chemicals. We need to eat healthy fresh foods and go for a walk, get the blood flowing.
Take care of yourself sweet thing.
how do you watch the documentary free online? it sounds so interesting i would also like to watch it :)
ReplyDeletei tried searching youtube but they didnt have it.
btw i am a fan of ur blog :) i think you have been doing a good job updating almost everyday and ur posts are always so inspiring and interesting, so different from a normal ED blog. :) you do deserve to have won the best blog award :) Congrats :)
But perhaps you could share more about how you intake and weight has been too? What kind of foods do you eat? Do you still restrict yourself?
In the UK you can watch it on BBC iplayer otherwise I have no idea
DeleteEpisodes are available on youtube, i just found them tonight. I had seen the 1st episode on tv and missed the ones afterwards. So anyway in short they are on youtube. Really reflective documentary.
Deleteother than this documentary on eating disorders, can you name others that are a good watch too? I really wanna watch them! :)
ReplyDeletei know "starved" is one :) do you know of any more?
I might try to look this one up. Oh, graphic imgages of self harm, restraints, etc would never really pass in the U.S. At least not without serious backlash.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I disagree with Vanessa's comment about "just a chemical imbalance" and the bit about needing drugs. Yes, a LOT of disorders are caused by imbalances, but I don't think it's right to look at anyone that self harms and say "There's something wrong with your brain." On drugs, it's become a quick fix, it's become almost popular to pop a few Xanax or Prozac and be on your merry way. Sometimes doctors give you so many different dosages and combinations of drugs when they'll just have to wait and see. Maybe I'm just really personally against drugs and prescriptions, but I don't think handing someone an orange bottle makes them not want to harm themselves anymore.
Hope you're doing well Ruby. And on the blood pressure meds, please try to take them. That's the kind of stuff that can help prevent a cardiac problems. Take care hon.
I watched the first episode of this and I loved it. I think it's amazing that TV cameras were allowed into a mental hospital and that they got all the permissions they needed to air it. I wonder how the patients feel when they view it.
ReplyDeleteI too thought that Beth was very bubbly and fun-loving. But people are good at hiding their pain.
I haven't seen this but it would have distubed me to see the cutting and restraining... I think it's good they put a face to it though...
ReplyDeleteI haven't watched it,but I'll look online one of these days. My mom had to be hospitalized for a bit and she was constantly bored and I thought it was offensive that they had children's books and puzzles for the people there. My mom is suicidal, not developmentally disabled. It's sad and I hope that by working towards becoming a counselor I can help people be okay with bring broke. We all are.
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it yet, it's on 'the list'. I think I really want to see it because it's a unit that deals with general psych as well as EDs, which I find strange. When I was ages 14-16 I had a few stays on an adolescent psych ward for depression/PTSD/anxiety, and sometimes we'd have ED patients on the unit because all ED units were adult. I can't imagine how hard it must've been for them to not have specific care.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear Beth's doing better. I love 'where are they now?'s for documentaries.
Take care dear Ruby <3
xxxx
I thought some of the footage of the self harm in particular was really unneccessary and could be triggering. There's a thin line between showing the stark truth and dramatizing it - it was getting to the level where it was detracting from an understanding of the issues rather than adding to it. The illness is in the mind not the body and by focusing too much on the body the programme started to forget that.
ReplyDeleteI really identified with Beth's story and would love to know more about it. Her hospitalization did make me wonder though - it seems to me that many others don't get hospitalised despite being as ill or worse even than Beth. I am NOT minimising her illness - it's not that she wasn't really ill, she obviously was and it was right for her to be there, rather that I think that there are others as bad who perhaps should be hospitalized but are not. Why is that? Is it just the inconsistency in treatment according to where you live and which doctor you see?
It also strikes me that much of the support that is available for minors is stripped away as soon as you turn 18. Treatment seems to be reasonably accessible in the UK for under-18s, but post-18 you have to fight for the basics. I spent months desperately suicidally depressed and yet when I made a serious attempt on my life I was given no follow up whatsoever once I had been treated for my physical needs and discharged. I was probably in a similar state to Beth, though granted without such severe ED behaviours. I'm not saying I should've been hospitalised but I should have had something. I've heard of other similar situations too. Why do you think that is? Is it the age thing? Or is it that anorexia (obviously) is such a prioritised reason for admittance? Or the inconsistency in treatment? Any other ideas?
I am slightly hooked on this series and it is a shame it is only 3 episodes long. I agree with a lot of your opinions on it.
ReplyDeleteAt the end of the day the BBC is a business like any other and they do want to make money and get viewing figures up so unfortunately I think they slightly over dramatised and skewed the reality of MH units. To many of us that have been in one we know the reality- the monotony, endless days, the sheer boredom, but to people who haven't I don't think they would have got an honest insight.
I was slightly indignant about the conclusion that as Crystal was 'not physcotic she was not a danger to herself or others'. I personally think when people suffer any form of MH they become very capable of being such a threat to themselves and others, not being physcotic doesn't exempt you from violent or suicidal urges.
Overall I'm just happy the Beeb are giving the subject airtime! Good article Ruby xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Adolescent mental health units can be very different to mainstream units. However although I am glad Beth is getting the help she needs this is sadly not the case on the whole. The unit I was in specialized in eating disorders and you woudn't get admitted until your BMI was below 12.5. This meant you had a lot of very severe cases who had been ill both mentally and physically for a very long time often making the road to recovery much longer. With such low numbers of hospital beds - I think 18 beds for a large part of the south-west of england, there is a good reason why they try to treat people in the community.
ReplyDeleteThere is a big part of me that thinks this program should not have been made at all thought. These are not consenting adults, they are vulnerable teenagers and young people who at the idea of being on TV may live to regret these decisions. Also, if they are mentally ill enough to be in hospital and often sectioned are the well enough to agree to being on a TV program?
I don't know if Americans would be able to handle a show like this, we really would rather it stay out of sight out of mind. I know that when I have to watch a patient in restraints, like Tuesday morning, I have a rollar coaster of emoitions. It just seems like a horrible treatment that I don't see as theraputic. I know our laws will allow restraints on if the person is an active threat to themselves or others. We try several different things and that is the last option. I think seeing kids like that would be too much for most people. Plus who is giving the informed consent for the minors?
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteJust started following your blog and really enjoying it, in that i can relate so much to what you're talking about. Also following this series and finding it very interesting. Do you have links for your blog archive posted somewhere? I've been reading but keep losing my place. I hope thats not weird, its just seems difficult find relatable bloggers who are also living with a disorder amongst the frenzy of material promoting illness. If not, or if you have a reason for not disclosing it, thats fine....just thought I'd ask : )
I don't think they have shown this doco down here yet.
ReplyDeleteI'll see if I can find it online somewhere, I'm interested in how mental illnesses are represented. I like to see shows that break stigmas instead of perpetuating them for the sake of sensationalism and increasing views.
Has anyone else noticed the striking similarity between Crysal's problems to a little girl called Jani who I have seen on youtube... the characters are very similar and have similar names such as '24 hours'. Jani is diagnosed with childhood schizophrenia. After watching the BBC doc, watch this and see the similarities http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjqRYgICgdU
ReplyDeleteAnyone know Beth's last name or twitter (if she has one)
ReplyDeleteBeing in a similar situation I know when you have support it's easier to get through each day, so I just want to drop her a little tweet to say congrats (:
I know what you mean, it is kind of offensive the activities they have for inpatient adults. I used to work in a psych facility and I felt so bad for the patients who had literally nothing to do but color all day. It's because the facilities won't allow SO MUCH stuff that it leaves next to nothing you can actually provide for them to do. Coloring, books, puzzles, and board games. That was basically it. And when someone is there for months it gets old. I will say, we did have a gym, fooseball, radio headphones, and a wii. But those were all restricted to certain times and rules. It's not constructive and it makes adults feel like 5 year olds and I hated that I really couldn't do anything about it.
ReplyDeleteCrystal was 100% faking it. She was copying Jani who she had obviously seen on youtube or oprah. Clearly desperate for attention. Sad.
ReplyDeleteNice blog
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