A somewhat whimsical look at how NOT to help someone who is a panic attack sufferer.
Firstly, I am a sufferer of 13 years, albeit on the mend now. I have endured everything from panic attacks to real head on the floor depression, all of which can be frightening, really frightening.
This story I hope will make a very good, and important, point. It takes a slightly humourous approach to something which is far from humourous, but I am sure the reader will forgive the latitude I take here. It is an honest attempt to get over something very important.
The story is about a man who trips and falls into a large hole. He is a panic attack sufferer, and starts shouting for help as the hole is too large for him to get out of on his own.
A rich man walking past hears him and drops in some money, saying “there you go, I am sure that will help”, to which the sufferer replies that is no good to him, and asks how can that money get him out of the hole. But the rich man takes no heed, or maybe did not hear him, and walks away.
A priest then walks past, hears his cries for help and drops in a bible telling him that will help, but the sufferer replies that surely will not get him out of his hole either. The clergyman walks on however, believing he has done his act of kindness for the day
A passer-by, hearing the shouting from the hole and realsing the man’s predicament, calls for a therapist. The therapist drops in one of his leaflets and tells the man to make an appointment to come and visit him when he manages to extricate himself, explaining that his fees are on the leaflet, along with his phone number and address.
The man’s response is probably best not repeated, but when the therapist realises that his attempt to help is going to prove futile, he decides to call a doctor.
On arriving at the hole, the doctor drops in some medication for the man. The man’s response is as before i.e. he has no idea how that is going to get him out.
The man in the hole suddenly finds he now has a companion alongside him, as someone jumps into the hole. The sufferer is perplexed and asks his companion why they did such an apparently stupid thing, as they are now both trapped.
But, the man who jumped into the hole replies that help is at help and not to worry any more. He has been a sufferer of anxiety disorders, understands the predicament the man is in and, most importantly, knows exactly how to get out of the hole.
The moral of the story is of course painfully obvious.
Well meaning people most times do not understand, but a fellow sufferer, or ex-sufferer most certainly does. And they know the way out of the predicament.
It took me a long time to realise the moral of this story for myself, but eventually it was through such a source that I found my way out. But for too long I had been seeking a solution in the wrong place.
I listened to the people who had gone to the same source, read their own heartfelt testimonials and decided this was for me.
The quickest way for anyone to get out of their own particular hole is of course to go to the right source as soon as possible. Only there will you find both the understanding of your predicament and the permanent solution you seek.
Related Reading:
Essentials of Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing: A Communication Approach to Evidence-Based CareThis focused approach to psychiatric mental health provides you with an uncomplicated way to understand the often-intimidating subject of psychiatric nursing. Inside you'll find two themes of psychiatric mental health nursing: the "How" of Communication and the "Why" of Evidence. You will also find easy-to-understand explanations of the research that applies to psychiatric nursing issues and how to incorporate this evidence into everyday care.- Emphasizes evidence-based practice related to nursing interventions and the profound impact of research on the advancement of treatment options for individuals with psychiatric disorders.
- UNIQUE! Examining the Evidence boxes ask a realistic question and then explore the research on the topic to demonstrate how best evidence can be used in everyday practice.
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- Numerous vignettes offer real-life glimpses into clinical practice by describing patients and their psychiatric disorders.
- Potential Nursing Diagnoses tables give possible nursing diagnoses for a particular disorder along with the associated signs symptoms.
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- Pharmacological, Biological, and Integrative Therapies sections of the clinical chapters cover the range of available treatments for a given disorder, including both traditional and non-traditional treatments.
- Key Points to Remember, Critical Thinking questions, and Chapter Review questions help you understand, apply, and remember important information.
- A companion CD, included with the text and Student Resources on Evolve, reinforce concepts with a variety of engaging learning tools.
Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions: Standards and Cases (Oxford Textbooks in Clinical Psychology)Most mental health professionals and behavioral scientists enter the field with a strong desire to help others, but clinical practice and research endeavors often involve decision-making in the context of ethical ambiguity. Good intentions are important, but unfortunately, they do not always protect the practitioner and client from breaches in ethical conduct. Academics, researchers, and students also face a range of ethical challenges from the classroom to the laboratory. Now in a new expanded edition, Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions, the most widely read and cited ethics textbook in psychology, has emerged with a broadened scope extending across the mental health and behavioral science fields. The revised volume considers many of the ethical questions and dilemmas that mental health professionals encounter in their everyday practice, research, and teaching. The book has been completely updated and is now also relevant for counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, and psychiatrists, and includes the ethics codes of those groups as appendices. Providing both a critical assessment and elucidation of key topics in the APA's guidelines, this comprehensive volume takes a practical approach to ethics and offers constructive means for both preventing problems, recognizing, approaching, and resolving ethical predicaments. Written in a highly readable and accessible style, this new edition retains the key features which have contributed to its popularity, including hundreds of case studies that provide illustrative guidance on a wide variety of topics, including fee setting, advertising for clients, research ethics, sexual attraction, how to confront observed unethical conduct in others, and confidentiality, among others. Ethics in Psychology and the Mental Health Professions will be important reading for practitioners and students-in training.An instructors manual is available for professors on http://www.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780195149111
