"Who will break the spell?"

I find myself at Northlands again,with a loved one, this time to see a Psychiatrist.

I really do feel for those who work in this area, seeing souls drowning in torment before their eyes on a daily basis but not being able to dispense any hope, only tablets.

The Psychiatrist seemed to genuinely care yet could not break the spell of my loved one's 'sleeping beauty' existence. An existence induced by medication. Who will break the spell?

The future is spelt out bleakly, it is the side effects of medication. My relative wants to join a gym, but is too tired, he has the motivation, but medication has robbed him of energy .

I look at the psychiatrist, stating there is hope, they remain silent. I tell my relative there is hope. I know there is hope of alleviating suffering through building up people's self esteem and reassuring them that if bad things have happened to them, namely abuse, that it wasn’t their fault. I try desperately to gain a listening ear from the psychiatrist as they show us to the door. They answer me stating that we don’t retraumatize people. I get that, yet without finding out what fuels symptoms, how can people be helped? I have another relative with me, who was helped so much by dealing with past issues, being built up and me confronting what the voices he heard said, how can people move on if left in torment?

I feel so low myself now, I battle for my loved one's survival, you don’t, won’t listen to those with lived experience whose input could help so much.

Things carry on as normal,visiting Northlands leaves us feeling full of despair and hopelessness.