#crisisteamfail on Twitter, Thoughts of Crisis Team personality types

I'm not sure how long this tag will be useful, but #crisisteamfail on Twitter has seen a lot of activity recently.  Notably from people expressing that they are glad that they are not alone in the absurdities they face when trying to talk to Crisis Team professionals. It's a battle for basic empathy when they at their most vulnerable, and that's before access to practical advice and support.  Also many of the professionals seem to be under pressure to ask the callers clear the line for others, which always works well for people with low self-esteem (not!), who may have already been on hold.  And this is just phone lines.

I was developing a personal theory, which I guess might be a bit prejudicial, but it's based on the fact that most of the MH Crisis Team workers I've met have a background in MH ward nursing.  I often wonder how it is that people lacking "people skills" end up in such jobs, but also I think that there may be a specific mindset which works well in the hectic ward environment but isn't very supportive on the phone.  Maybe there just isn't enough training between ward work and outreach/crisis teams.  One minute , as a ward nurse, you are in a role where you're an expected to be a practical, yet compassionate, hands-on, 15 tasks in an hour, type of person, maybe improvising, maybe observing many rules, jumping through hoops set by a doctor-registrar-matron hierarchy, generally fighting fires and surviving the odds until the end of the shift; and a year later you're having to match you thoughts to someone who can barely visualise stepping out of their door or do the washing up.  Also the really tough ones never leave the service.  Maybe they are encouraged to join the Crisis Teams to get them away from disgruntled colleagues on the ward, or where the patients are more likely to have recourse re. negative incidents and poor care?

In saying this, we've been lucky recently,  J and I have seen some pretty amiable personalities providing some half reasonable support, almost pulling strings to set up care and I still don't know if this is partly the result of our complaints after years of crap treatment.  However, the whole system is still a dysfunctional mess, despite all the faxes, calls and "handovers".  They need more protection for whistleblowers perhaps?

It's been a tough few weeks.  My partner J has asked that I don't broadcast everything just for the moment.

Just as an end note, with 566 comments as I type, I think Rethink might not have been expecting so many responses to such simple questions.  And to think, many of those people will have already filled in NHS feedback forms, questionnaires and made complaints.  I approve of awareness, but it's not enough.  So much needs to change.  

Rethink Facebook: Have you been an inpatient in a mental health unit? If so how would you rate your experience? In what ways could your inpatient stay have been improved?