Psychiatric prfession today?

[elizabeth]

Yes well Im bipolar, and Im about to go to a new psychiatrist. I havnt been in awhile. I use to go to Abc Behavioral health for a few years and I hated it. Timberlawn is still here in Dallas though a state ward instead of private ward and ABC Behavioral health is right next door to it, and Ive always wondered if ABC was connected to Timberlawn.I diddnt like ABC because Christians were always witnessing to me all the time.I jsut went to a Bipolar support meetup for teh second time whos run by a lady who volunteers for NAMI shes got alot of info on mental health but shes Bipolar and has several mental illnesses herself.

Personally i still dont like the psychiatric profession today nor the attitude of people involved with NAMI either. I was telling this lady who runs the Bipolar supports in Dallas that I felt like I was traumatized by my past and that Psychiatric groups seemed to be like all happy and positive about the psychiatric profession when I really think we need to be able to gripe and complain. She said she agreed with me she didnt want it to all be a happy sappy lets get excited about psychiatric profession environment.But then after that she made the whole group like that. One woman talked for an hour and took up all the talking time an dshe took it up with talk about her emdication changes, now I would understand talking about that along time if your in a  crisis situation and having a hard time but she wasnt. Infact she was peppy and happy and all excited about it and seemed like she did just sit there and made the whole thing like lets get into our psychiatric problems and they were getting into it and made it seem like if your not leading your life as someone whos obsessed with their teratment and psychiatric profession and all hyped up and excited about the psychiatric profession that your leading your life wrongly. It reminds me of the old hate group Pentecostal church I was a member of for 9 years where everyone was obsessed with the church!


She also said at the end that she thought if I were gonna get therapy for the abuse I suffered as a teen in psych wards sense its been a long time Id need to get over it soon, its in the past and I need to learn to grow up and get past it. In other words GET OVER IT! Cute but theres a problem, uh sense i probably have PTSD from being tied down to a bed and chair and physically abused for 6 months at Baylor adolescent wards and talk in my sleep and have nightmares still time to time from it thats gonna be hard to do.


Timberlawn has a trauma unit you can check into but forget it dont want to spend anymore time in the psychiatric wards for trauma from the psych wards dont trust them! Im about to see a new psychiatrist and I deifnitly dont trust them.


Imd like to start a new meetup.com gorup to ahve a b**ch and gripe sessions for us psychiatric patients but the last one I put up nobody joined it so i took it down but still am paying for my meetup.com groups as administrater. if anyone who lives in the Dallas area is interested in starting a meetup group psych patients let me know and Im paying for it but Ill let anyone else help me run it and put it up for me and discuss the name of it and eveyrthing else.Jts let me know ok.

[Ursus]

Yes well Im bipolar, and Im about to go to a new psychiatrist. I havnt been in awhile. I use to go to Abc Behavioral health for a few years and I hated it. Timberlawn is still here in Dallas though a state ward instead of private ward and ABC Behavioral health is right next door to it, and Ive always wondered if ABC was connected to Timberlawn.I diddnt like ABC because Christians were always witnessing to me all the time.

From what I can tell, ABC Behavioral Health is actually located on the grounds of Timberlawn, but is, in fact, an unrelated organization. At least it used to be. I'm sure that the two have some psych professionals in common or that once worked for one organization and now work for the other.

I'm curious about your description of Christians always witnessing to you while you are at ABC Behavioral Health. ABCBH is part of a larger organization that appears to have a community grassroots mission of life improvement, which includes housing, jobs, etc. Despite the apparent universal appeal of its alleged goals and the length of time that it has been in existence, there is not much known about them.

[Ursus]

ABC Behavioral Health recently updated their website. Actually, they created a completely new one. There are enough significant differences between the two, imo, to warrant perusal of both. The old one is still currently available on Google's cache, as well on Web Archive.

Here is their old About Us page:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

[Logo - ABC Behavioral Health]
MENTAL HEALTH RECOVERY SPECIALISTS

The goal of the ABC BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, L.L.C. team is to help people with mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depression. And because these conditions may be accompanied by substance abuse, we often use multiple interventions for total success. ABC is firmly committed to effecting genuine and lasting recovery for our patients, not just through counseling and medication, but by teaching them the skills that enable them to manage their illnesses, to become self-sufficient, and to reach their full potential in all aspects of their lives. We teach patients to use their new skills to improve their lives, often without having to leave their home communities.

ABC can refer patients to psychiatric hospitals, chemical dependency treatment facilities, and other health-service providers. We accept patients who come to us on their own initiative, as well as those who are referred by family members and other professional service providers.

ABC partners with the Dallas Housing Authority to provide supportive housing during treatment. We are a member of the Dallas County Mental Health Jail Diversion Program, which reduces recidivism via collaboration with law enforcement, the judicial system, and mental health service providers. ABC also operates a comprehensive Homeless Services Program.

A non-profit organization under contract with ValueOptions (a behavioral healthcare organization), ABC is a Specialty Provider Network. We serve the NorthSTAR area, including Dallas, Collin, Rockwall, Hunt, Kaufman, Navarro, and Ellis Counties.


# #

[Ursus]

And here is ABC Behavioral Health's current About Us page, typos and all:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

ABOUT US

ABC Behavioral Health L.L.C. (ABCBH) was incorporated in September 2000 in the State of Texas with services in Dallas. The primary purpose of ABCBH is to provide behavioral health services to the NorthSTAR adult population of persons with serious mental illness. ABCBH is a subsidiary of Alternative Building Concepts Group (ABC Group). ABC Group and ABCBH are both non-profit corporations and recognized as a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization the Internal Revenue Service.

Alternative Building Concepts (ABC Group) was incorporated in April 1991 in the State of Hawaii. ABC Group was initially established By Dr. Carol Eade to address the difficulties of the homeless, utilizing a remarkably innovative and subsequently proven, and multi-faceted approach. Rather than simply providing basic shelter to those in need, the ABC Group developed and implemented programs which combined housing with individualized social services designed to tap into clients' potential and their desire to become self-sufficient and enter mainstream society.

The initial success of ABC Group's programs brought to light an overwhelming need for housing that was more than just basic shelter. In order to succeed in their goal to promote self- sufficiency, the ABC Group recognized that tenants needed to take a number of small steps to achieve success. The organization developed a range of programs, all including social service components, that allowed for continued progress on the road to self-sufficiency. These programs included emergency shelter facilities and transitional housing facilities specifically designed for the elderly and persons with disabilities. Since 1995, the ABC Group has served hundreds of persons with mental illness and substance abuse disorders in Dallas County.

Over the past eight years, the ABC Behavioral Health program has expanded housing options.At this time, approximately seventy five beds are available directly, and another forty through the City of Dallas Shelter Care Plus program. These beds are used in conjunction with an intensive individual and group Psychiatric Rehabilitation program that teaches basic and more abstract skills, along with providing case management to help individuals learn to navigate community resources on their own.

We have also expanded our services to individuals who are more stable but still need to continue medication management along with case management on an as-needed basis. More peer-led services have been established, and currently most groups are led by Peer Specialists. ABCBH is considered a leader in services for individuals with co-occurring disorders, combating psychiatric illness along with chemical dependency disorder. The groups offered at ABCBH help an individual with learning skills to cope and manage these two problems as well as develop a system of peer supports.


Copyright © 2011 ABC Behavioral Health