Blogs
Julie's Mum invites you into her world caring for her 16 year old daughter who has a serious mental illness. Life as a nursing student with Florence Nursing Tales, and the latest thoughts of Britain's Nurses in the Bulletin.
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Psst... Have You Got Some... Stuff?
Julie's Mum |
For anyone interested in mental health nursing it has been both an emotional roller coaster and a privilege to read Julie's Mum's blog. This will be her last installment for a while and she is in a reflective mood...
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Mr Grumpy
Julie's Mum |
What does an office maintenance man and a consultant have in common?
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Making Decisions
Julie's Mum |
These days Julie attends school most days for a few hours and then comes home again. The rest of her time she divides between hospital and home
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Things to Be Grateful For
Julie's Mum |
Julie has become very literal: it has always been something I was aware of, but it has become a lot more marked recently.
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A Bit Like Shackleton But Without the Heroics (Or the Penguins)
Julie's Mum |
A sense of 'reckless optimism' is required when Julie's condition lapses back to the limbo of last winter.
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And it's all too familiar...
Julie's Mum |
"Julie's younger brother Duncan is depressed. I hesitate to admit to this because frankly it makes me feel like a fool. To have one child seeking psychiatric help is a misfortune, but to have two children..."
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Half Term
Julie's Mum |
Half term for Julie take more planning than most, but when it's right it's really works.
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Making Plans
Julie's Mum |
Many mundane things are different for those with a mental illness - filling in forms for instance.
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The Things You Leave Behind
Julie's Mum |
Caring for a child with a serious mental illness takes its toll on the family.
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The Days Go By
Julie's Mum |
Julie is considering options for sixth form college. Her mum is considering the difference having people to help has made.
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Maths Equipment
Julie's Mum |
You might think there is nothing unsafe about a basic pencil sharpener, but if you have a self-harming teenager in the house it is one little item that can cause a lot of damage.
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CAT: You Gotta Have a Map
Julie's Mum |
Julie has been trying Cognitive Analytic Therapy and it's producing great results!
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September
Julie's Mum |
The move from child to adult services is off to a calm, autumnal start. Can it last?
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Back to School
Julie's Mum |
It's that time of year again - back to school, but for Julie's borther, Duncan, it's also a trying time.
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Who is in Control?
Julie's Mum |
The meetings about Julie begin, and the issue of self-control soon emerges.
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The Curse of Meetings
Julie's Mum |
A week of meetings about Julie is planned, but what it likely to be the outcome?
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The shark in the swimming pool
Julie's Mum |
Vampires, sharks, exploding shower heads is very much part of Julie's reality when she is unwell. Find out how her mum is coping with the nightmare visions.
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Mrs. Rochester claims DLA (with apologies to Charlotte Bronte)
Julie's Mum |
The joys of applying for Disabilities Living Allowance as seen through the eyes of a Charlotte Bronte's Mrs Rochester.
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Improvement
Julie's Mum |
Julie's holiday seems to have worked and her confidence is starting to recover.
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That Old Familiar Dance
Julie's Mum |
Just planning a family holiday becomes almost impossible as Julie's condition is looking precarious.
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A Tough Test
Julie's Mum |
It's been a bad week with Julie overdosing twice.
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Work Experience
Julie's Mum |
Work experience with the travel, unfamiliar situation and independence throws up several challenges for Julie. But it turns out it's something she is actually thriving on.
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It's like riding a bike
Julie's Mum |
Julie continues to make progress, but there's a new challenge approaching: work experience.
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Music Therapy
Julie's Mum |
Julie has gone back to music, a huge boost to her and her music-loving family.
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Can I do this? Yes I can!
Julie's Mum |
Julie's Mum takes part in a video interview to help find ways to improve CAMS care.
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Yes Please. But Please Don't Push
Julie's Mum |
Outreach support is supposed to ease the transition to day patient but it is not without its stresses and problems.
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Julie's Awfully Big Adventure
Julie's Mum |
Julie and her mum head to London to explore the National Gallery and beyond.
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Can I do this?1
Julie's Mum |
Can inviting families into a hospital, and listening to what they want, really make a difference? Maybe, but for Julie's Mum, it needs a change in attitude from the staff too.
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Off to camp
Julie's Mum |
Her son's scout trip brings back memories of leaving Julie on a hospital ward for the first time for Julie's Mum.
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Calmer Waters
Julie's Mum |
Two warm days, and Julie's mood is sunny too. She has survived another week of being a day patient at the hospital...
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Life as a Day Patient
Julie's Mum |
Adapting to life as an day patient is having a impact not just on Julie, but on her Mum too.
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A difficult relationship
Julie's Mum |
A difficult relationship at school is proving hard for Julie to escape.
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Out on License
Julie's Mum |
Julie has come home, but not in the way that she came home last autumn. The family has stood in this spot many times before, on the threshold of a new regime.
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Voluntary work
Julie's Mum |
Voluntary work is providing Julie with a chance to take on responsibility.
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Educating Julie
Julie's Mum |
Exams time for Julie brings extra stress, but also an A*...
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A Spring Picnic
Julie's Mum |
To celebrate the last day of the Easter holidays, Julie's hospital unit arranged an outing and invited families to join in.
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Firm Pressure
Julie's Mum |
Being a mum to a child with very special needs and navigating the complexities of hospital rules is very much like being at the bow of a very unpredictable rowing crew.
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Taking a Break
Julie's Mum |
Paris without a mobile phone was just what I needed.
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A Tale of Two Walks
Julie's Mum |
Mindful walking and tears in the sunshine
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News from the Hospital2
Julie's Mum |
A phone call from the hospital late at night...
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Fine Spring Weather and Hospital Meetings
Julie's Mum |
In the search for a diagnosis and the right medication Julie's mum wonders if too many psychiatrists spoil the broth?
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A present for Mother's Day2
Julie's Mum |
Julie spends time at home, but has a parting gift for Mother's Day
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Jumping out of the plane
Julie's Mum |
It's been a little while since we last heard from Julie's mum. What's been happening?
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Wug1
Julie's Mum |
What is "wug" you ask? "Wug", gentle reader, is the sound a parent makes when they come back to earth with a bump. One of the pitfalls of parenting a child with mental illness is that you start to identify with the outcome.
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Meet Julie's Mum
Julie's Mum |
Get the inside story on life as the mother and carer of a 16-year-old with a serious mental illness.
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A masterclass in relaxation
Julie's Mum |
As soon as half term began, Julie and I set off for our "spa day". It was Julie's first experience of anything like a sauna, and she embraced it enthusiastically.
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Am I her mother or her carer?
Julie's Mum |
Over the last few months, there has been a gradual shift in the way I think about myself. Even six months ago I thought there was something preposterous in calling myself a carer. I was her Mum...
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Things I like about living with teenagers
Julie's Mum |
Plan B, minimalism, the joys of text punctuation, and a touch of sadism: there's a lot to like about sharing your home with teenagers.
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The eye of a needle
Julie's Mum |
One of the things that Julie finds difficult at the moment is threading a needle. The medication gives her hands a fine tremor that make it almost impossible to line up the thread accurately with the eye.
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Looking good
Julie's Mum |
When there has been a gradual change over time, it is not always easy to see the whole picture. It is only when you stop and look back that you realise how high you have climbed.