A-Z of mental health
Information and advice on a huge range of mental health topics
“Keep an eye on her, she’s crazy”
Posted Monday 8 February 2010
A guest post by Izzi, who writes the How to Juggle Glass blog
I was in a pharmacy and handed in my prescription and went to loiter around the shop while they made it up for me. Now, the thing you should know is that I take some “serious” medications and it appears the pharmacist had noticed this. I was minding my own business, looking at lipstick or some other tat, when I heard the pharmacist whisper to the assistant:
“Keep an eye on her, she’s crazy”
It would appear that the pharmacist thought that I was going to steal something or maybe start proclaiming myself to be Jesus in the shop. I have no idea what was actually going through his mind at the time, but come on; I’m just trying to get through life/uni/work etc. I’m not out to make some kind of scene in your pharmacy.
No matter how hard I try to ignore the “crazy” comments and get on with my life, there are some that hurt deep down. I try so hard and yet sometimes I still feel like I will always be “that crazy person”. If I had a broken leg then it would be fine; but because I have something that cannot be seen and people don’t fully understand then it will have an impact on how people treat me and how I can live my life.
This feeling haunts me wherever I go. I’m always waiting for the next time someone treats me like this.
Izzi
14 Comments
-
It dawned on me when I was publishing Izzi's post that it might cause some people to be anxious or embarrassed about picking up prescriptions. My experience is that pharmacists are usually very professional, and useful sources of info about possible drug interactions, etc. I'm sure Izzi's very unpleasant experience was fairly unusual!
-
I live in a small village so there is the potential for easy loss of anonymity. I have used a whole range of 'serious' medications for many years for my mental illness. I order them from the health centre and collect them from the chemist. My experience has always been that the pharmacists and assistants are discrete and professional especially when potentially addictive drugs require additional signature at the counter. If the above had happened to me I would have phoned from home the manager of the shop to make a proper complaint and to ask for a response telling me how the situation had been dealt with. Must be unusual though.
-
I should add that this happened only once and that although this is a stark reminder that people can be frankly offensive, the vast majority of people are not like this.
-
I think that the pharmacist and the staff at that chemist need to update their training as to how to deal with people with a mental illness. I am very lucky where I am, Ive always been treated with respect and dignity.
If I were Issi I would make a complaint firstly to the pharmacist and then to the national health board, surely there must be some laws in force to deal with a complaint such as this..At times some people find it a task to go and get the prescription when they are feeling unwell, myself included, and the last thing you want to hear is a comment like that.
Keep your head up Issi. -
I have had problems with a couple of pharmisists who have treated me differently and sometimes aggressively when I've picked up my medication.
-
The Pharmacist said "Here we go love, same as usual!"
-
Dear Izzi,
I appreciate that the pharmacist's comment really hurts. I don't think it is down to professionalism bearing in mind that she actually didn't say it to your face. That comment is not so much to do with who she thinks you are and definitely nothing to do with you as a person. However it sadly speaks volumes about her own insecurities and issues. If possible forgive this attitude and behaviour in others or at least try to ignore them as best as you can.
Best wishes,
Rani
-
Dear Mind,
I have experienced stigma a different way. The prevalence of the new NHS electronic records, means that even if you have worked hard at recovery and achieved it, the old diagnosis remains top of the list at your GP's - they dont often understand the recovery agenda at all. I only recently came across this after being in full time work since 2000, even holding a public appointment - but on recently being referred for minor surgery, I discovered my GP had referred me with the old mental health diagnosis at the top. Imagine if you try and tell a hospital consultant that you dont really have ''x'' condition anymore, and are recovered!
My ex shrink has written to my GP saying that I have long been discharged, and that she expects me never to relapse - to no avail. I have an appt next week with my GP - I am applying for new jobs and want to implore her to not put my old mental health diagnosis, on my health reference.
Any ideas? If GP's dont get with the Recovery agenda, and adjust their records, how are people supposed to overcome stigma and get jobs? -
I had a really helpful pharmacist, I was working away from home and ran out of my antidepressants because I'd missed getting home to my surgery to collect a prescription. The pharmacist gave me a weeks worth to tide me over and then dispensed the rest of my medication when the prescription arrived by post. He completely understood the stress and anxiety I was feeling at running out. They're not all bad! The worst discrimination I have faced was while working for an NHS Mental Health Trust- explain that!
-
I am a registered Dispenser working with in a large multiple of Chemist- and I cannot believe how you were treated in such an unprofessional manner. You are able to complain via the NHS if you would like too. My daughter has just re-admitted to a mental health hospital and so I have experience from both sides of the counter. I treat all my patients with the respect they are entitled too what ever they are coming to me for. We have needle exchange patients, patients from the local drug service clinic, many mental health patients, we also dispense for a local prison- all with the same care and attention. All pharmacys follow a strict patient confidenciality protocol- please get back in touch if you need any help
-
What was experiended by Izzi is more normal than most mental healt.h professionals will ever admit.
-
I to have had similar issues, not with mental health medications, but with medication for another (non-obvious) condition I'd rather not be disclosed, both at the pharmacy and hospital.
I feel it's not stressed enough to pharmacists and other health workers the absolute importance of patient confidentiality. Anyone who doesn't need to know, be it another nurse or a member of admin, shouldn't.
-
Is there another pharmacy you can go to, I would takes business elsewhere! I've also experienced the problem mentioned of old diagnosis being top of med records which I did not know til I was going through legal process for work injury. It is definitely a situation that needs addressing.
-
I get similar treatment in my local pharmacy where I take my prescriptions for steri-strips and the like (I self-injure). On the counter they always have a little basket of Wilkinson Sword razor blades for sale, and whenever I go in there I can guarantee that within 20 seconds a member of staff will position herself next to that basket and not move until I've left the shop - once or twice they've even moved it under the counter! It's quite amusing to me, I do wonder what they think I would do - maybe they think the very sight of a basket of blades would have me unable to prevent myself tearing all the wrappers off and uncontrollably cutting myself in the middle of a busy chemist! Sometimes I've considered buying a box just to see their reaction...
However the inherent lack of understanding evident in my own experience and the others above is unacceptable. Does the pharmacist in Izzi's case also warn colleagues to stay away from people picking up prescriptions for contagious conditions in the same disrespectful manner?
As others have suggested, my first thought on reading Izzi's experience was "those staff need training", but I'm not sure how much you can train someone to just treat people like human beings.
Commenting is now closed.