I just finished reading a friends blog.....she wrote about a work experience, where a kid came in, got his 1st national team uniform for the Pan Am games in Houston. He was SSOOO excited! He tried everything on, he wanted pix to show everyone. He grinned like a little kid on Christmas morning. It was a "dream come true" for this young man, and Kate got to share it with him. I felt jealous.
The only time on a psych unit that I get to see people dance with joy is when we admit a Bipolar patient in the midst of an acute manic episode. It's slightly amusing, but not always pretty.
So I had to stop and think....did I witness any joy, did I see a dream come true? Well, no. But (always seeking the silver lining) I hope I did see a dream start. Or at least a step in the right direction....and it will be a long walk with millions of steps. I'll call her....Tiffany. She was admitted to us after her 2nd serious suicide attempt in less than 8 weeks. Although she is only in her 20's, she has spent just under 1/2 of her life in institutions. Her history is a series of traumas and one disaster after another. She of course, has Borderline Personality Disorder, along with a mood disorder, PTSD, substance abuse...
The change I saw was that we went from angry despair and hopelessness to cracking the door of hope open, just a tiny bit. Yes, I used the word "we", because the path is a joint journey. 1st I dragged her, then I could get beside her, and finally I could nudge her from behind, towards the door. She was the only one who could decide to turn the knob and find a glimmer of hope.
"Hope is a waking dream" : Aristotle
Of completed suicides; 20% had a mood disorder, 15% had a personality disorder; 10% had substance abuse disorders. I am not naive. I do not have the power to make someone decide to live.
Maybe it's my dream. My hope at work is always the same. If I can help one person to choose life over suicide I have succeeded, if I can help one person out of that profound darkness, I have succeeded.
So this week, my dream came true. I can't speak for tomorrow, but I will celebrate today!
The only time on a psych unit that I get to see people dance with joy is when we admit a Bipolar patient in the midst of an acute manic episode. It's slightly amusing, but not always pretty.
So I had to stop and think....did I witness any joy, did I see a dream come true? Well, no. But (always seeking the silver lining) I hope I did see a dream start. Or at least a step in the right direction....and it will be a long walk with millions of steps. I'll call her....Tiffany. She was admitted to us after her 2nd serious suicide attempt in less than 8 weeks. Although she is only in her 20's, she has spent just under 1/2 of her life in institutions. Her history is a series of traumas and one disaster after another. She of course, has Borderline Personality Disorder, along with a mood disorder, PTSD, substance abuse...
The change I saw was that we went from angry despair and hopelessness to cracking the door of hope open, just a tiny bit. Yes, I used the word "we", because the path is a joint journey. 1st I dragged her, then I could get beside her, and finally I could nudge her from behind, towards the door. She was the only one who could decide to turn the knob and find a glimmer of hope.
"Hope is a waking dream" : Aristotle
Of completed suicides; 20% had a mood disorder, 15% had a personality disorder; 10% had substance abuse disorders. I am not naive. I do not have the power to make someone decide to live.
Maybe it's my dream. My hope at work is always the same. If I can help one person to choose life over suicide I have succeeded, if I can help one person out of that profound darkness, I have succeeded.
So this week, my dream came true. I can't speak for tomorrow, but I will celebrate today!
