We have been asked to comment on other blogs related to occupational therapy.

The first blog is something i have stumbled upon before. A woman blogging about her husband and her own experience of a stroke. I enjoy her honesty, feelings and recorded video of his first OT session. Here is a link to the blog and my comment.
http://www.strokesurvivorblog.com/2008/02/28/first-therapy-session/comment-page-1/#comment-20810

This blog is written by an Occupational Therapist traveling the world with her degree. She has great examples of what Occupational Therapy is and where we can work. I enjoy her honesty and experience in many different OT settings. Here is a link to the site, my comment.
http://karajojo.blogspot.com/

This next link is to a Hamilton students blog of which i commented on. I commented below the youtube clip she had posted about wii therapy and the affects it has had on their work and ward environment.
http://lucyotkelly.blogspot.com/2011/04/wii-therapy.html?showComment=1304737568310#c1457173476117606533

Adventure therapy blog! This blog is a great read, I really enjoy reading about Adventure therapy as i would love to work in this type of environment with the mentally or physically disabled. This is a story of one mans experience with his son and adventure therapy.
http://aspirogroup.wordpress.com/2010/11/22/aspiro-family/#comment-106

I just found the most amazing video in a Hamilton students blog of a father competing in a triathlon while hauling his disabled son along for the ride. truly amazing video check it out. made me so happy :)
http://laura1participation.blogspot.com/2011/03/tutorial-five-services-offered-by.html?showComment=1304739957410#c1948834393800127615

well, enjoy these other blogs that i have found and commented on. chow :)

Posatives and negatives of online communities,

Benefits of online communities:
people writing do not need to disclose who they are.
individuals aren't being 'judged'.
only have to disclose as much of the situation as they want, and questions aren't usually asked, if they are, an answer is not always needed.
Conversations and blogs can happen any time.
Reaches a wider range of people.

Benefits of traditional geographical communities:
There is a face to a name, which can be more comforting.
tea and cake can be involved, comforting again.
non verbal communication can bee read about others feelings.

Online communities lack what the traditional communities have. For some people it may suit them perfectly, which might be why thy do it. Although the list of positives for traditional communities is lacking from the online communities.

Online communities and ethical issues

This post is in reference to the three online communities that i have previously added.

There are many ethical issues that would have to be considered when setting up or using one of these online blog communities for mental health.

privacy seams to be one of the most common ethical issues between all the sites. Users of the online communities are all to be confidential. For reasons such as keeping location, age, sex and family name confidential and that relationships between users stays an online one.

Conversations on these online communities has to stay on topic. When i say this i mean it cannot evolve into conversations about HOW to commit suicide, they can only talk about suicidal thoughts or feelings. never what they will do or when. If these sorts of conversations happen then other users become involved and try to intervene, and this putting many people at risk.

The lack of accountability for what has been written. There is a certain amount of anonymity on these web sites, individuals might end up posting things they would not normally say in person.

Intellectual property rights, things posted on these sorts of web sites can be copied and copied again and the owner of the image or information is lost and re used over and over.

Online community for family, temporary psychotic opisodes

This site I have found is a rather specific online chat community. Here we have family members talking about their loved ones having psychotic episodes as a result of UTI's urian retract infections. Mainly it seams the writers are talking about their elderly parents in hospitals or rest homes. The experiences seam relatively fimmilar and writers are consoling in each other.

Here is the web site link: http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8719974289750676722

Intended purpose of this web page seams to be, to find out further information about others experiences, and consolation by talking to other that have been having a similar tough time with their loved ones. this site is interactive it seams as though most of the comments get responded to and questions are answered by others, and their messages are left for others to see and join the conversation. People contribute to this site by creating a log in and posting your thoughts, opinions ideas and situations. It appears people are contributing by posting their situations to others looking for answers, and answers and opinions on others situations are expresses. it appears pepole choose to contribute to this community because they are seeking to console and get answers from others by keeping themselves and their family unknown.


Quote:
Originally Posted by laurac260 View Post
http://www.medicinenet.com/icu_psychosis/page3.htm

I was wondering if anyone here on TUGs had experienced this, either personally or if a family member had experienced this.

MIL is back in the hospital again, 3rd trip since December (long, long story). She dealt with this back in Dec/Jan, and is going thru it again now. We've also learned that UTIs (which she has) also very commonly causes dementia in the elderly
Yes. My mother was hospitalised due to a fall and delirium followed. The hospital was treating the fracture but didn't recognise the UTI. She improved when given treatment for the UTI. Over the next few years she suffered regular UTI's (in one year she had about 9 episodes) and these caused her to fall often as well as act demented. She was in a nursing home for 3 years and I observed that UTI's are very common among the elderly and that they can have a dramatic impact on behaviour.

response:
What I find interesting is the different scenarios the brain comes up with for its hallucinations. Some are pleasant, some are disturbing. Some seem to be rooted in a person's past (such as seeing loved ones or beloved pets) and some seem to have no connection to anything.

response:
I work in a busy noisy ICU and many of our patients exhibit signs of this.

It's usually cured by sleep and when they get transferred to the floor they miraculously seem to improve.

As someone who has had to listen to 12 hours of non-stop yelling, spitting, and many other hallucinatory actions, sometimes the only way to cope with this is to laugh. It's not that we are laughing at the patient but you have got to be able to keep your cool as you deal with this til it passes and we are only human. Some patients will literally yell and scream non-stop for hours which can really grate on your nerves even if you are the most patient person in the world.

It really is a problem. Sadly the need for very loud life support alarms only makes things worse but are required for legal and safety reasons.

Can you imagine trying to sleep with loud blaring bells and whistles just when you fall asleep jolting you awake? I really feel for our patients on this one.

Sometimes I think we should give earplugs to the patients.

I've got a friend who has an apple iphone app that measures decibels and he measured the decibel levels in our ICU during the daytime and they are at deafening levels.

Mental health online communities,

I have found another example of an online community providing support for the mentally ill and also specifically individuals experiencing psychotic episodes.

http://www.mentalearth.com/
It is the mission and motto of Mental Earth Community (MEC) to provide support for people with mental illnesses / mental disorders, those recovering and those in remission as well as their families, friends and mental health providers in a Safe and Secure Environment.

This site is very interactive, although the privacy of this web site is very high and a log in is needed, to view blogs and messages individuals have been leaving and chatting about with other members. people can contribute by logging on and creating a profile. From here members can chat to other members and provide support and understanding. I cannot provide examples of what information is shared as i have not created a log in. I believe people choose to contribute to this community if they are in need of mental health support and because of the promised support in an alternative safe secure environment. information is reciprocal between professionals and other community members. Members are seeking support from others who are or have been through similar situations with also support from prefesionals Members also seek the privacy of false names.
I cannot provide examples of text as the privacy security is very high and i cannot view members posts.

New York Times article, Mental health and online commuinities.

CRITICAL THOUGHT 

Vaughn Bell, a British psychologist, first began tracking sites with reports of mind control in 2004.

Top of Form

By SARAH KERSHAW

Published: November 12, 2008

FOR years they lived in solitary terror of the light beams that caused searing headaches, the technology that took control of their minds and bodies. They feared the stalkers, people whose voices shouted from the walls or screamed in their heads, “We found you” and “We want you dead.”

When people who believe such things reported them to the police, doctors or family, they said they were often told they were crazy. Sometimes they were medicated or locked in hospital wards, or fired from jobs and isolated from the outside world.

But when they found one another on the Internet, everything changed. So many others were having the same experiences.

Type “mind control” or “gang stalking” into Google, and Web sites appear that describe cases of persecution, both psychological and physical, related with the same minute details — red and white cars following victims, vandalism of their homes, snickering by those around them.

Identified by some psychologists and psychiatrists as part of an “extreme community” on the Internet that appears to encourage delusional thinking, a growing number of such Web sites are filled with stories from people who say they are victims of mind control and stalking by gangs of government agents. The sites are drawing the concern of mental health professionals and the interest of researchers in psychology and psychiatry.

Although many Internet groups that offer peer support are considered helpful to the mentally ill, some experts say Web sites that amplify reports of mind control and group stalking represent a dark side of social networking. They may reinforce the troubled thinking of the mentally ill and impede treatment.

Dr. Ralph Hoffman, a psychiatry professor at Yale who studies delusions, said a growing number of his research subjects have told him of visiting mind-control sites, and finding in them confirmation of their own experiences.

“The views of these belief systems are like a shark that has to be constantly fed,” Dr. Hoffman said. “If you don’t feed the delusion, sooner or later it will die out or diminish on its own accord. The key thing is that it needs to be repetitively reinforced.”

That is what the Web sites do, he said. Similar concerns have arisen about a proliferation of sites that describe how to commit suicide, or others that promote anorexia and bulimia, providing detailed instructions on restricting food and photographs of skeletal women meant to be “thinspiration.”

For people who regularly visit and write on message boards on the mind-control sites, the idea that others would describe the sites as promoting delusional and psychotic thinking is simply evidence of a cover-up of the truth.

“It was a big relief to find the community,” said Derrick Robinson, 55, a janitor in Cincinnati and president of Freedom from Covert Harassment and Surveillance, a group that claims several hundred regular users of its Web site. “I felt that maybe there were others, but I wasn’t real sure until I did find this community,” Mr. Robinson said.

There is no concise survey of mind-control sites or others describing gang stalking — whose users believe that groups of people are following and controlling them, as part of a test of neurological or other kinds of weapons likely conducted by the government — on the Net. But they are easy to find. Some have hundreds of postings, along with links to dozers of similar sties. One, Gangstalkingworld.com, welcomes visitors with this description: “Gang Stalking is a systemic form of control, which seeks to destroy every aspect of a Targeted Individual’s life. The target is followed around and placed under surveillance by Civilian Spies/Snitches 24/7.”

The site lists more than 71,000 visitors, and it has links to several other sites, including Harrassment101.com, which has 965 posts.

One poster to Gang Stalking World wrote in August: “It’s insane that I daily have to come home and try to figure out if my Web sites will still be up or shut down. This week they have really been playing with me, and so it was my time to play back.” The post directs readers to other gang-stalking sites should their favorite sites be shut down.

Mr. Robinson said in an interview that that he has been tortured and abused by gang stalkers and by “neurological weaponry” since leaving the Navy in 1982. “To read the stories and the similarity of the harassment techniques that were going on, to hear about the vandalism, appliance tampering and all the other things were designed to drive a person crazy, who do you go to with this?” he said. “People will say you are delusional.”

For Mr. Robinson and several other Web site users interviewed for this article — all of whom insisted they were not delusional, including one man who said he had been hospitalized in psychiatric wards — the sites provide the powerful, unfamiliar experience of being understood by others.

“By and large, most people are sane and coherent and can relate exactly what’s happening to them,” Mr. Robinson said. “They can say the things that would otherwise get them labeled as delusional.”

His group of self-described “targeted individuals” met offline in Los Angeles last month for their inaugural conference, he said, where they attended a meeting to share stories, including the humiliating experiences of being told they are insane.

Mental health experts who have closely looked at the Web sites are careful to say that there is no way to prove if someone posting on, say, Mr. Robinson’s site, Freedomfchs.com, which says its mission is to seek justice for those singled out by “organized stalking and electromagnetic torture,” is suffering from mental illness.

Vaughan Bell, a British psychologist who has researched the effect of the Internet on mental illness, first began tracking sites with reports of mind control in 2004. In 2006 he published a study concluding that there was an extensive Internet community around such beliefs, and he called 10 sites he studied “likely psychotic sites.”

The extent of the community, Dr. Bell said, poses a paradox to the traditional way delusion is defined under the diagnostic guidelines of the American Psychiatric Association, which says that if a belief is held by a person’s “culture or subculture,” it is not a delusion. The exception accounts for rituals of religious faith, for example.

Dr. Bell, whose study was published in the journal Psychopathology, said that it does not suggest all people participating in mind-control sites are delusional, and that a firm diagnosis of psychosis could only be done in person.

For people who say they are the target of mind control or gang stalking, there may be enough evidence in the scientific literature to fan their beliefs. Many sites point to MK-ULTRA, the code name for a covert C.I.A. mind-control and chemical interrogation program begun in the 1950s.

Recently the sites have linked to an article published in September in Time magazine, “The Army’s Totally Serious Mind-Control Project,” which described a $4 million contract given to the Army to develop “thought helmets” that would allow troops to communicate through brain waves on the battlefield.

And the users of some sites have found the support of Jim Guest, a Republican state representative in Missouri, who wrote last year to his fellow legislators calling for an investigation into the claims of those who say they are being tortured by mind control.

“I’ve had enough calls, some from credible people — professors — being targeted by nonlethal weapons,” Mr. Guest said in a telephone interview, adding that nothing came of his request for a legislative investigation. “They become psychologically affected by it. They have trouble sleeping at night.”

He added: “I believe there are people who have been targeted by this. With this equipment, you have to test it on somebody to see if it works.”

Dr. Bell and some other mental health professionals say that even if the users of such sites are psychotic, forging an online connection to others and being told — perhaps for the first time — “you are not crazy” could actually have a positive effect on their illnesses.

“We know, for example, that things like social support, all of these positive social aspects are very good for people’s mental illness,” Dr. Bell said. “I wouldn’t say it’s entirely and completely positive, but it can be positive.”

Some research has shown that when people with delusions undergo group cognitive therapy, the group process can be helpful in their treatment.

But the Web sites are not moderated by professionals, and many postings discuss the failure of medication and say that mental health professionals are part of the conspiracy against them.

“These people lead quietly desperate lives,” said Dr. Jeffrey A. Lieberman, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University. “And if they are reinforcing each other and pulling people toward something, if they are using the Internet and getting reinforcement, that’s good.”

The mind-control sites remind some experts of the accounts of those claiming to have been abducted by aliens in the 1970s and ’80s. One person’s story begat another until many insisted they had had virtually identical experiences of being taken onto space ships by silvery sloe-eyed creatures.

Some of those now posting on mind-control sites say they are being remotely “sexually stimulated” by their torturers. Some alien abductees had said similar things. Subsequent research generally showed that those who believed they had been abducted were not psychotic, but suffering from severe memory and sleep problems, or personal traumas, Dr. Bell said.

Psychiatrists and researchers say it is too soon to say whether communication on the Internet among people who may be psychotic will negatively effect their illnesses.” This is a very complex little corner,” said Dr. Ken Duckworth, the medical director for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an advocacy group. “Some people may find it’s healing, but these are really hard questions. The Internet isn’t a cause of mental illness, it’s a complicating new variable.”

More Articles in Fashion & Style » A version of this article appeared in print on November 13, 2008, on page E1 of the New York edition.

Online communities and psychosis,

My first placement as an Occupational Therapy student was in Wellington at a community mental health service. Here clients were dealing with bipolar, depression but most commonly psychosis. I thourally enjoyed my placement and have been very interested in mental health ever since. I have decided to provide here an example of three online communities related to psychosis. 

This first example is from a site called PsychCentral. 

Here is the link, happy learning- http://forums.psychcentral.com/

This site provides a list of questions and answers, and opportunity to ask your own questions, suggested blogs to read, to do with various mental illnesses, news, research, resources, an online community and an option to find more help. I think this website has been created as a way for individuals with psychosis to be apart of a psychosis community, with out being forced to identify themselves. This community provides good general information for family, friends and individuals experiencing psychosis to educate themselves.  

This site is relatively interactive people can contribute by logging in for free and writing in the blog section. Here anybody can write about their issues and apply for help. This is an example of an individuals first blog on this site.

thinking. wondering. hoping....

---

well hi, i feel so out of place that i'm almost scared to post this. i'm so afraid of being rejected and putting myself out there about this. i've been doing lots of research, i finally listened to people suggesting maybe i was bipolar, and now i'm accepting it and almost positive i have manic depression. it's painful but a relief at the same time because i feel less crazy lol... i'm tired of the horrible cycles of not being able to get dressed to running around trying to climb mountains. i'm want help but... still working on that :l atleast now on this site i don't have to constantly be afriad to show what i really feel. i can't hide it anymore

It seams to me that individuals use this site to blog as another method to apply for help. To connect with others about something very personal but able to use false names and stay confidential. Individuals on this site seek help, communication and support. Information is shared publicly and people who log on can reply. Bloggers also have an option to keep posts private so only members can view and respond to them. Here are some other examples of some posts made on PsychCentral:

Sometimes just needs someone to talk to

---

Hi all. I'm 24, I'm currently studying at uni...and the reason I'm on here is due to depression. I've been on anti-depressants for just short of 6 months I think, I thought they had worked like magic but recently I seem to be having the really low dips every now and again. I don't really feel like I can talk to anyone about it - only my Mum and my housemates know...I don't want to worry my Mum and my housemates...well I don't want to burden them, and I think they think that the tablets will solve everything, I don't really think they understand, but then again why would they?!
Sorry for the ramble - it would be good to have someone to chat to on here every now and again

Responce:

Re: Sometimes just needs someone to talk to

---

Even meds that work need to be tweaked time to time. Talk to your perscribing doctor, and please feel free to talk to us! There are so many people here who understand what you are going through, and they are all willing to share with you!

The Kindness of Strangers

---

It's nice to find a place to go where I don't know anyone and can receive unbiased opinions that have nothing to do with what I consider to be suspecti personal motivations. I'm hoping that I can get some stuff off my mind without getting any eye rolls, which is all I get from the inner circle of friends these days. Here's to productive dialogue and the kindness of strangers!

Responce:

Re: The Kindness of Strangers

---

It is funny but sometimes talking to complete strangers is easier than talking to our friends or family.

This has been an interesting site to look around, if you have the time you should take a look. The next two online psychosis communities will be coming soon!! 

Technology and the Family

Just an example of the use of technology in everyday life in the home. Technology has become very common place, and very accepted in many daily environments.

what does YouTube provide?

YouTube is a popular free video sharing web site which lets users upload, view, and share video clips, the service utilizes Adobe Flash technology to display video. The wide variety of site content includes movie and TV clips and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging. The following five videos are sourced from YouTube. I have used these videos to explain for me, my personal occupation of photography.

National Geographic's Best Nature Photos Of The Year

Improving Wedding Photography

BEST OF WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Canon Professional Network - CPN at the World Press Photo Awards Days - ...

Photography Tutorial 1 (Fundamentals)

Photography Tutorial 1 (Fundamentals)

Tutorial 5 is all about linking a personal occupation to your blog. My personal occupation is Photography. As previously mentioned i have a study background of design majoring in photography. I have been asked to attach 5 videos of differing aspects or views on photography to help explain the topic. This first youtube video is a technical tutorial, explaining stutter speed,aperture and ISO which are described as the fundamentals of photography. Enjoy :)

Digital Imaging and technology In O.T

Before I committed to my Occupational Therapy degree I did work experience at a brain injury clinic. It was here that I observed an OT performing a (P.T.A) post traumatic amnesia assessment with the use of digital images displaying objects and family members for the client to remember. 

On my first placement I worked in community mental health, here i helped to plan and execute group work. Email was used to inform patients of the weekly group details and theme. cell phones were also used to txt patients reminders for time or to check up if they were coming. A digital camera was used during group work also. Used to document the day and progress photograph things made.

Microsoft word documents were used post group workshops to document the day and write client notes. 

There didnt seam to be any issues arround technology use between the client and therapist in my placement. Clients gave there case manager/ OT their contact details willingly and further permition was requested to have txt and email contact with the client. 

Everyday Information technology gets used in practice such as cameras, phones and laptops. Specialty areas of OT also use more specific technology for the speech and sight impaired. Such as specifically adapted computers and voice machines to suit individuals and increase their abilities.

Ethical Issues- image capturing

I remember at school when Pixt-phones were all the rage, it was a large issue for our teachers and  matrons of the boarding house. The use of cell phones in school and in the boarding house had to be re assessed. I remember the rules changing to only allowed cell phones between the hours of 4pm till bedtime which was around 8pm. Rules still progressed to banning pixed cell phones all together, the matrons unforced this during hand in checking that phones didn't have cameras and turning all phones on and off to check they were real. I think the issue was Pixt bullying but of course we were never told.

Cameras today are made very small and it is easy to take photos of people manipulate the images taken and upload them to the internet. Internet sites such as Facebook, Bebo, blogger and youtube are very public and have millions of people logged in and viewing images at any one time. Photos can be copied, manipulated and published anywhere very easily with today's technology.