Lived Experience Forum

[Jlol]

Due to my worsening MH, I am becoming unable to keep on top of normal "life" things like paying bills, or attending appointments.

Of crouse, I'm trying to seek help from psychologists/psychiatrists, but to be honest just don't like doing that kind of stuff anymore as it has been quite unhelpful, stressful, and expensive for me.

What are people meant to do at this point where they are losing the ability to do these regular things? I worry that it will eventually only make my situation worse.

[Asgard]

Hi @Jlol 

Sorry to hear that things are not going so well for you.  When I found myself in that situation, I essentially planned on doing just one thing for each day, just one thing, and if i did it, it was a small victory for me.  I decided that I needed to be in control of my own life. so I broke things down to first principles, I made doing stuff as easy as possible for myself.  I know you can do it, have faith in yourself........Asgard

[Jlol]

Thanks @Asgard

I think the problem for me though is they are not little things and their are always many of them each day.

For example, I have not done my tax for the last year. I don't know how. I don't where to start. I can't afford an accountant. I don't know who to ask for help. I don't have time to go through it.

Unfortunately, it's not just a matter of sitting down for an hour and pummeling it out. I have a feeling this sort of thing would take me weeks just to find all the documents alone. And in that time other similar things would back up and not get done.

And so on, and so on.

[Glisten]

Hello 👋🏼 @Jlol 

You have raised the important issue of affordability in mental health.

On-going affordability to access a mental health professional is an important and often overlooked part of our lives.

Thank you very much for sharing your experience. You have eloquently articulated what it is like for me to get the help I need to function on a daily basis.

I hope your post is add to the SANE Community Feedback on the Federal Budget - May 2024 

Paying $500 annually to my psychiatrist seems fair, but if you have to choose between that and car registration or rent in the same fortnight, which one do I choose?

As you get older physical changes may exacerbate mental health issues, yet government wants us to have a longer working lifespan.

@Jlol, I agree with you. The continuing struggle to help ourselves is exhausting, demoralising and depressing.

Thank goodness for your post, because I forgot that this forum is also a place to advocate for my needs.

G

[SmilingGecko]

Hello @Jlol 

Sorry to hear you are not coasting along well. I studied accountancy at university and can say they trained para-tax advisors to do free tax returns through my local Citizens Advice Bureau. I am fairly convinced it was for free. They train laypeople in basic taxation and walk you through the forms with a licensed tax supervisor overseeing it. It was designed so people could be more empowered and in control of their tax returns. Maybe when you feel up to it you could give your local citizens advice bureau a ring to see if something like this is in your area when you feel up to it perhaps? 🙂

[Asgard]

Thanks @SmilingGecko 

Thanks mate for providing that advice for @Jlol , I was checking on line whether there were services that assist people with their tax returns.  If its just a personal tax return then the ATO site is easy to navigate, if its a company then it would be harder.  Around me, tax professionals charge around $300 to do your return for ye.  Just get all your recipts in a bag and give it to them to sort out......Asgard

[Jlol]

Very interesting points you raise @Glisten 

I too am interested in the Federal (and states) Budgets in regard to mental health, and have been active in my state's Mental Health Commission, but I have a different point of view on some things.

This might not go down well with some people here, but I don't think the answer is just for the government to throw more money at mental health professionals. Why? It avoids addressing the tough issues.

Take housing, for example. You're worried about your housing situation, or dont have a home? Of course you're going to be depressed and/or develop other MH issues. But the government(s) will not admit there is a link between housing, or lack thereof, and mental health because it would be an admission that their policies are causing harm.

'Mental Health' is a dynamic phrase. To me, it imparts a lot of responsibility on the individual. You have poor cardiac health? That's your fault for not exercising and eating well. You have bad dental health? That's your fault for not brushing and flossing everyday. You have bad mental health? That's your fault for not practicing mindfulness, gratefulness, and meditation.

We need to get the government to take responsibility for factors that cause bad mental health, not just through money at professionals. Someone who doesn't know where they're going to sleep tonight will be depressed and anxious, regardless of how many psychologist and psychiatrist appointments they attend.

I'm not saying that government policy is 100% responsible for poor mental health, but, hey, they put 5 star nutrition ratings on food didn't they? And banned leaded petrol. And asbestos. And put a lot of restrictions on smoking.

Also, I'm using homelessness and housing as examples here, but I think the government's responsibility to protect peoples (mental) health should extend to other areas, including, but not limited to:

 * Domestic violence (including psychological abuse)

 * Loneliness

 * Wage stagnation

 * Cost of living

 * Decline in communities

 * Access to education

 * Social media

These are all big, expensive, difficult, and disruptive problems. So what does the government do? Go for the low hanging fruit by simply throwing more money at MH professionals (who will probably just adjust their prices to envelope this anyway). They'll carry on about how they've committed $X million dollars to MH and score points that way. But, really, how long have the past state and federal governments been doing that for? 10? 15? 20 years? I haven't noticed any major improvements in the general publics MH, have you?

To use a poor analogy, it's like the government is funding more money into asthma medication, rather than looking at closing down the factory that's belching smoke into the air next door.

[ArraDreaming]

Hi @Jlol I’m sorry to hear you are finding it hard to keep up, it’s just tough hey, here to listen and support

[Glisten]

@Jlol  You’ll get no argument from me.

I think @Jynx taught me about Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs. Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first thing that motivates our behaviour.

Having shelter/housing and safety.

A basic human right and mental health necessity.

G

[tyme]

That’s helpful to know about the lay people trained in taxation @SmilingGecko .

I used to do all my tax, but it’s too complicated now and too stressful. Last year was the first time I paid an accountant. @Jlol