David - Interview 18

Age at interview: 40

Age at diagnosis: 18

Brief Outline: David was in a 'right state' when his family called the psychiatrists and was admitted to hospital. Over the next five years he had eight admissions to hospital. He was out of hospital for 11 years, then had 3 admissions over 1.5 years. He has since done acting, comedy nights, compering, and gardening.

Background: David is training to be a counsellor, is single and has one child. Ethnic background' White Irish.

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David’s mum was diagnosed with schizophrenia and he can’t remember when his mum was well. The house was not kept well and he remembers her not being able to cook. He was admitted to hospital when he was 18 as he had come out of a club near a station and walked on top of a train, and had come into contact with live wires. When David was 17 he hitched down to Bournemouth, where his brother was living, and got drunk, did drugs and began to sleep rough. When he went back home he was in ‘a right state’ and his family called the psychiatrists and he was admitted to hospital. Over the next five years he had eight admissions to hospital. When he was first admitted he thought he could just walk off the ward, and was given a three-day section. He says that it is difficult to remember a lot of this period, but knows that he felt ‘intense bewilderment’ and was ‘meandering around the place’. He was given a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.

 

Later he had varying experiences of social workers, including one who ‘didn’t do anything’ for him. However one social worker sorted out his mum’s benefits, which he appreciated, and was ‘very professional’.

 

David did amateur dramatics at a local arts centre and they did performances at local day centres. In addition to this, David has completed level two and level three in a counselling course and wants to complete a diploma. David finds that he is more comfortable in the company of service users, but occasionally he goes to a local Irish pub. He noted that mental health problems were more common amongst Irish migrants, and wondered if that was because Irish society was more ‘anarchic’ and English culture more ‘procedural’. He finds the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia ‘hideous’ and says that schizophrenia is ‘horrible’ and a ‘big word’. However his experience is just ‘disordered thoughts’ or ‘not reading situations well’. He has recovered now; once he was walking around in rags on the ward, but now does a lot more things in his life.

 

David’s family have been supportive. Last time he was in hospital they decorated the flat for him. Although some of his family live abroad he has siblings close by. He thinks he was a ‘pain in the arse’ at times, and knows he has been violent in the past, although now he ‘wouldn’t say boo to a goose’. He had contact with police for smashing up a telephone, but can’t remember much about it. Now he does have a ‘drink problem’ but he is getting it under control and has been to AA. When he separated from his partner he felt bad and got ‘fed up of thinking’, so got drunk. He went to a support group but felt alienated and heard some ‘real horror stories’.

                                                   

To keep himself well day to day, David makes sure he has a shower, and has a diary to jot things down in to make sure he turns up. He thinks it’s important to get involved with the service user movement and is involved in the positive mental health group and a group called Sure Search – Service Users in research. He also does role play for the BA Social Work course. He says that he did get ‘nervous’ going to groups and it ‘could be hell’ but now he doesn’t get nervous.

 

Over the years he’s had high blood pressure and high cholesterol, but now he has started eating more healthily and also takes vitamin pills in the morning. He has written some memoirs at a local day centre because he wanted to share his experiences. He doesn’t particularly like day centres, but does enjoy the camaraderie. Generally he finds them a bit depressing. He has done lots of creative writing and helped set up a local poetry trail. About 18 months ago, he went to a service user conference, but got the date wrong, and as a result felt like a ‘right idiot’, got drunk, and then had a ‘hyper-manic episode’. Now he feels a bit burnt out creatively. He says that he has been trying to learn the guitar, and that art and gardening are really good therapy. He says that although it’s never the same again when you’ve been to hospital, you do get better. 

David started doing pantomimes, open mic sessions and comedy sessions for service users. Although funding was difficult, the activities provided a fun experience.

 I was doing amateur dramatics down the Custard Factory and that. With [name] and do performances about mental health and pantomimes and things like that. So things like that.

 

I’d love to know more about that? What was going on?

 

Oh it was just a thing down the Mag… down the Custard Factory called Mad cap in NV17 about 47 of us there. We used to perform little performances and that around city day centres and the Old Crown would do little Monty Python sketches. There’s an open mic session there once a month. For service users. Yes, just goof about and go home.

 

Did you have good time doing that?

 

Yes, I do actually, yes, I’m still friends of [name] yeah. It’s closed down, because it lost funding. But they want to start it up again. And I pulled out about a year and a half ago. It closed down about a year, and opened up a year later. It was really good. We soon lots of people, people like to come and things like that.

 

What was good about it particularly?

 

It was just fun devising plays and that you and acting it if you get a reception it’s been you know …

 

Were you ever nervous before you performed in front of people?

 

A bit yes, I suppose so, yes. I did. But not so much now… a little bit nervous is good I suppose. 

David tried to walk off the ward and was sectioned. At first he was frightened by the strange behaviour of other patients in hospital, but then he met some friends and found the staff to be professional.

And so you got admitted into the hospital. What was that like?

 

Well when I was first was admitted I came in voluntary and honestly I tried to walk off the ward and they give me a three day section, you know, an assessment section but I know when I arrived, I know I was a right place by you know, I stayed there.

 

And how did you find it in hospital?

 

It was all right yes, yes. I was, I felt safe, I was not in the right place. It was a bit frightening with all the strange behaviour going on, you know, but yes … but like I say I felt that was the right place like, you know.

 

And what happened then?

 

Oh gosh. Well my social worker said I had eight admissions over five years. So I was in there for a while. My first admission I was there five months. Five months in the gate house and four on the wards and what not. It was all right. The hospital, [name] is a big old Victorian asylum I was at, so now you know, but … I met people, people that I am still friends in there. So … it was all right.

 

You got on well with them?

 

Yes. Yes. Most of them.

 

And what were the staff like in hospital?

 

They were okay, like. I don’t know. You have your favourites, and the ones you don’t like, you know. But yes, it was all right, they were professional you know