Tag: #depression

Lack of collective accountability.

While it’s easy to feel anger toward the family for their inaction, it’s worth considering that their avoidance likely stems from fear, guilt, or emotional paralysis rather than malicious intent. That said, this doesn’t excuse their behavior—it just provides insight into why they might act this way. Compassionate but firm confrontation is often necessary to disrupt these patterns.

Ultimately, the well-being of the person with psychosis must remain the priority. If the family won’t step up, external systems may need to be involved to ensure they receive the care and dignity they deserve.… Read More Lack of collective accountability.

Linda C J TurnerLeave a comment

Self-preservation

When you leave in your head years before you leave physically, it’s often because your inner self has started recognizing the toxic dynamics. You might have reached a point where you stopped believing the excuses, stopped blaming yourself, and started imagining a life free of the control, manipulation, or harm. This mental separation is an act of self-preservation—a way to begin reclaiming your identity and autonomy, even if the external reality feels inescapable at the time.

What’s important to remember is that this process is part of your journey to freedom. Mentally leaving is the seed of hope that helps you survive and eventually move toward physical separation. Even if it took years to manifest in action, those years weren’t wasted. They were part of your path to regaining strength, planning your way out, and building the resilience you needed to take that final step.… Read More Self-preservation

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Burdensome

When family members prioritize their own comfort over truly supporting someone who is struggling with a mental illness, it can leave that person feeling abandoned, misunderstood, or even burdensome—a feeling no one should ever have to endure. It’s a stark reminder of how important empathy, genuine care, and shared responsibility are within families.

If your family is trying to “palm you off” onto someone else, it may stem from their discomfort in addressing your mental health needs or their inability to understand what meaningful support looks like. Unfortunately, mental health struggles can make people around us feel helpless or unsure of how to act, and sometimes they may look for an easy way out instead of stepping up in the ways we hope they would.… Read More Burdensome

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Their problem—not yours.

It’s a complex and often painful realization when you see someone maintaining a facade—presenting an image that is far from the truth—while those around them, including family and friends, choose silence over confrontation. This dynamic can be frustrating, particularly when you know the reality behind their behavior and can sense that others do, too. Here’s a deeper look at this situation and ways to navigate it:
… Read More Their problem—not yours.

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Playing the Sympathy Card

In close relationships, like with family or a spouse, this behavior can lead to a breakdown in trust. Loved ones, who are often inclined to be supportive when they believe someone is genuinely ill, may eventually feel deeply betrayed if they realize the illness wasn’t real. Once trust is compromised in a relationship, it’s challenging to rebuild, especially when loved ones feel they were deceived on such a personal level.… Read More Playing the Sympathy Card

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Disclosure

Increased Emotional Distance
Hiding a mental health condition often means avoiding honest conversations, concealing emotions, or covering up behaviors. This secrecy can lead to an emotional barrier between you and your partner, which may make it difficult for you to connect authentically. Partners may sense something is off, even if they’re unsure what it is, and this can create a sense of distrust or confusion.… Read More Disclosure

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Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD)

The symptoms of PPD can appear similar to other mental health conditions, particularly psychotic disorders. The critical differentiator here is the persistent, pervasive distrust that exists outside of any psychotic episodes. In schizophrenia, for instance, paranoid delusions might arise, but they occur within the broader context of psychotic features (hallucinations, disorganized thinking). A clinician must determine that these suspicions are not better explained by another mental health disorder to reach a PPD diagnosis.… Read More Paranoid Personality Disorder (PPD)

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Double Life

Increased Stress: The effort required to maintain two different personas can be exhausting. The fear of being “found out” or exposed adds to the emotional strain.

Isolation: Those who live a double life often feel deeply alone, believing that no one truly understands them or knows who they really are.

Worsening Mental Health Symptoms: Suppressing emotions and refusing to acknowledge one’s mental health can make the underlying issues worse over time, leading to deeper depression, heightened anxiety, or more severe mood swings.

Delayed Help-Seeking: The longer someone keeps up the facade, the harder it becomes to ask for help or to admit to themselves and others that they are struggling.… Read More Double Life

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Supplying ketamine to vulnerable adults

Sentencing under Class B drug offences (Ketamine):

As ketamine is a Class B drug, the maximum penalty for supplying it remains up to 14 years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both.

However, where vulnerable adults are involved, the likelihood of receiving a longer sentence is higher due to the additional exploitation.

Targeting vulnerable adults is seen as particularly serious, often leading to the upper range of sentencing guidelines being applied.

Other offences:

In addition to drug-related offences, supplying ketamine to vulnerable adults could also result in charges related to abuse, coercion, or even exploitation if it is proven that the supplier took advantage of the adult’s condition.

If the vulnerable individual suffers harm as a result of the drug supply (e.g., an overdose or serious injury), the supplier may also face additional criminal charges, including gross negligence manslaughter in extreme cases.… Read More Supplying ketamine to vulnerable adults

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