Mental health patient 'reborn' at foundation home

Mental ill health affects every fourth citizen yet, despite the large portion of people affected by such problems, the battle against stigma remains a hard reality.

This was recognised in the European Commission's Green Paper on mental health released last November, where mental ill health was defined as including mental health problems and strain, impaired functioning associated with distress symptoms, and diagnosable mental disorders such as schizophrenia and depression.

The paper - entitled Improving The Mental Health Of The Population: Towards A Strategy On Mental Health For The European Union - notes that such health problems affect 25 per cent of citizens and says "stigmatisation, discrimination and non-respect for the human rights and the dignity of mentally ill and disabled people still exist".

John* is one of the estimated 100,000 people on the island who suffer from mental health problems, and now, at the age of 30 he has developed his own philosophy on the subject.

"One has to be tough in life. Try to do what you can and when you can't manage, seek help... Then, if you are left to live your life, without any teasing, you won't feel the stigma," he says with a sparkle in his hazel eyes.

John explains how mental health problems have been present in his life since he was a child. Between the age of four and 20 he moved from one children's residence to another and was sent to a school for children with special needs.

"At the age of six I was labelled 'disabled'. At the time I did not know why. No one explained to me and, being a child, I never asked," he smiles.

When he was 20 years old he left the home where he was living at the time, and for the first time, he stepped into the world of work.

The next five years were a struggle.

"Due to the fact that I was brought up in an institute I was paid a pittance. At work there were people who helped me and others who tried to break me. Some colleagues teased me and this used to bother me a lot.

"I spent five years working as a dishwasher. There was pressure on me - a lot of pressure. Then, when I found it hard to cope at work I did what I didn't want to do. I started drinking," he said.

He recalled getting drunk during a work Christmas party which ended up with him being admitted to Mount Carmel Hospital.

This was not the first time he had been taken to the hospital. "The first time I can remember being admitted in Mount Carmel Hospital was when I was at work and started making several threats, such as to harm myself. People called the police and then I was eventually taken 'up there'."

After a series of such episodes John was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, or manic depression, a mental health problem characterised by distressing and disruptive mood swings from high (manic) to low (depressed) states.

As John was placed on medication, he sometimes found it hard to get to work due to side effects. Work became more and more stressful until he was forced to leave.

This was a very distressing time during which he was often admitted to Mount Carmel.

Then, two years ago, his doctor recommended Villa Chelsea, a rehabilitation facility run by the Richmond Foundation offering day and residential programmes, to persons with mental health problems.

"Villa Chelsea helped me learn how to apply things I already knew how to do. There I could follow a rehabilitative programme and re-learn skills such as washing clothes, cooking, working, attending house meetings and entertaining myself in healthy ways." "Sharing the experience with people in my same situation helped me a great deal. It helps to meet other people and see what they are going through. It helps to realise that you are not alone," he said.

When John left Villa Chelsea after seven months it took him some time to get accustomed to his new life but he has been living in an apartment with two flat mates for the past two years.

His advice to people who face similar hurdles in life is: "Visit a psychiatrist or a doctor and follow their advice. If you need to go up there (Mount Carmel) go - even for a short time - and when you get better maybe you can go to Villa Chelsea where you learn more.

"At Villa Chelsea you are reborn. There you learn a lot," he said.

John is very much aware that he has to live with his mental health problem for all his life and chooses to make the best out of life. "I do what I can," he says.

Now, he has one wish and that is to work and earn his own living... if only employers would give him a chance.

*His name has been changed to protect his identity

Helpful foundation

Richmond Foundation is a non-governmental organisation that provides services for persons experiencing mental health difficulties as well as services aimed at preventing mental illness from developing.

The foundation runs Villa Chelsea, a rehabilitation facility offering day and residential programmes to persons with mental health problems. Clients, like John, have the opportunity to relearn the necessary skills which will enable them to live as independently as possible in the community.

Through the Supportive Housing Scheme, clients who do not have accommodation are helped to find suitable housing whilst the Home Support Service ensures that clients are supported in their own homes.

And to help people like John make a simple dream of employment come true, the foundation also has a Supported Employment Programme through which it supports persons to find suitable, paid employment, by providing training and support on the job.

The foundation also offers the Staff and Organisation Support Programme and Self-Help groups.

Anyone who would like to help the foundation can call on 2122 4580 or 2148 2336, send an e-mail on info@richmond.org.mt or visit the website: www.richmond.org.mt.