Princess Vibes’ Sectioned Vibes: Part I – Day 4

A diary of our lived experience being sectioned under the mental health act…

We did meet a psychiatrist dressed as above, as it presented an opportunity to pitch VibeSpace Mental Health and #Sparkle4MHA to them, plus we enjoyed spreading positivity around A&E, which we found to be a very bland clinical place.

Introduction:

In the realm of mental health, there are situations where individuals may require urgent intervention and treatment to ensure their safety and well-being. One such legal mechanism is being sectioned under the Mental Health Act Section 2, a process that allows for a person to be detained and assessed for up to 28 days. In this blog post, we will explore what it means to be sectioned under Section 2, the reasons behind it, and my personal experience navigating this challenging journey.

Understanding Mental Health Act Section 2

The Mental Health Act is legislation that provides a framework for the care and treatment of individuals who are suffering from mental health issues. Section 2 of this act is specifically designed for the short-term detention and assessment of individuals who may pose a risk to themselves or others due to their mental health condition. Some key points to understand about Section 2 include:

1. Duration: Under Section 2, an individual can be detained for up to 28 days initially. This period allows for a comprehensive assessment of their mental health needs.

2. Medical Examination: The process begins with a medical examination by two registered medical practitioners, one of whom must be approved under the Mental Health Act. They must agree that detention is necessary for the person’s safety or for the protection of others.

3. Reasons for Detention: Section 2 is typically used when it is believed that a person’s mental health condition requires assessment and treatment in a hospital setting, and it is necessary to detain them to ensure they receive the care they need.

Our Personal Experience

Our journey through Section 2 of the Mental Health Act has been a deeply challenging one so far as it started in handcuffs with the police and 3 days In A&E. 

We found coming to the psychiatric ward incredibly stressful, challenging and scary, particularly as we learned they had powers to take over my guardianship and enforce medication, without consent. 

We’ve been put on 5mg of Olanzapene, it helped us have an really deep long sleep last night, the first night in the psych ward, as we’ve not been sleeping well for well over a week prior to admission to hospital.

We foresee this will be a transformative experience, which began when concerned family members, friends and healthcare professionals recognised the severity of my mental health condition and the potential risk it posed. The decision to be sectioned was not taken lightly, and it was made in our best interest..

The process started with a medical assessment by two compassionate and qualified doctors at Homerton A&E. They explained the reasons for my detention and ensured that we understood our rights during this period. It was difficult to accept at first, but we gradually came to realise that this was a crucial step towards my recovery.

We have learned that during my time in the hospital, we will be receiving tailored treatment, therapy, and support. So far  the staff have been empathetic and dedicated to helping me regain stability. Being in a safe and controlled environment, away from toxic people and substance abuse, so it will hopefully allow us to focus on  well-being without external pressures or distractions.

The team in charge of our care on the “Joshua Ward” at Homerton Hospital have been lovely and have assured us that we will have access to occupational therapists, help with finances and housing to help us rejoin society having recovered from the mental health crisis we experienced, with bipolar and undiagnosed PTSD and fear based rages psychosis & delusions of persecution & multiple personalities we’ve been experiencing lately (hence referring to ourselves in the plural form).

We have detected several personalities that exist within us, so have started using our time on Joshua Ward, the psychiatric ward at Homerton Hospital to write poetry as all of them, which we will release in due course. 

We feel they all play important and different roles in navigating our life, particularly when we find ourselves facing scary and life threatening scenarios, as it helps us compartmentalise the trauma we experience, which there has been a lot over the years and far too much recently, which has led to these circumstances, to us being in hospital.

We feel that being around the other patients with a variety of mental health problems and experiencing all the different therapies and facilities that are currently available then we can aim to find areas to improve when we are back out into society in supported accommodation. 

Today was a beautiful day, where we shared music with some of the other patients and a support worker in the garden and ate some delicious fresh fruit washed down with OJ in the courtyard garden we can see from our window. If you wish to come and visit us, please send a message using the form below and we can allocate a time for you to come and visit with our care team.

We have informed our care team that we have booked a training course with Big Business Events, which takes place on the 16th September.

We hope that if our recovery goes smoothly, our psychiatrists and care team will let us attend this course and a reward for good progress as we journey back to balance and stability from our delusions of persecution and frightening psychotic episodes we’ve been experiencing this past month!

In the meantime stay tuned for part 2 of “Princess Vibes’ Sectioned Vibes” which will follow in a few days to document our journey through being kept safe (we don’t like the term they use “detained” 😳) for up to 28 days under section 2 of the mental health act.

If you want to help support us in our recovery and help fund the campaign and it’s future to bring about a positive change revolution to U.K. mental healthcare please consider becoming a campaign sponsor.

May peace, love & positive vibes be with you always.

Princess “PsychWard” Vibes 🤪🤕🧚🏻🌈❤️‍🩹✅xx