Ways to get help

This list is for ways to get help that are available in Sydney. However, some are available in whole NSW or Australia. You may be able to find similar things in your area too. This is what I found trying to recover from Trauma. You might find it useful for other mental health problems too. This information is based on my own experience, therefore very limited source, but it would help me a lot if I had this information when I got injured.

Please check When you cannot cope if you are feeling overwhelmed. Daily functioning tips might be useful in day to day situations. For further reading about trauma check Trauma related resources.

Ways to get help:

• In person: Someone close to you, ED, GP, Psychologist, Safe Haven, Safe Space, Support Groups, Community / charity organizations
• Over the phone: Help Lines
• Online: groups, resources.

We do not need medication we have a cow

Here is a short story before diving into help for mental health issues. I have heard this story on TV. I hope I am retelling very close to how it was told.

Australian doctor comes to Vietnam to promote antidepressants. It is some time after civil war and there is a lot of traumatized people. After one of the conference where he advertised antidepressants he speaks with GP from some village. Local GP tell him that they do not need antidepressants, they have a caw. "What do you mean you have a caw?" - confused asks Australian doctor. "Well, let me tell you a story" replies Vietnamese GP: "There is a farmer who used to work in rice fields. One day while working he stepped on a mine. It blow up and he lost a leg. Some time latter he come back to his village with prostate leg and tries to get back to his life. However, while working in fields prostate rubs and causes pain. In time farmer stopped working in his fields and not having any income could not do other things he enjoyed. He got depressed and do not even leave the house. Relatives contacted GP for medication. Instead he suggested to buy a caw. Villages donate the money and bought him a cow. Now he takes care of it, milks it and sells milk. It requires less waling and his leg does not hurt anymore. In time his depression went away".

I do believe in moral of this story. If you remove cause of depression, it goes away. I was depressed some time before. When I realized and removed the cause of my depression life started getting better. When I learned to take better care of my emotions it was even better than ever before.

My life is crippled by PTSD. I may be depressed now, but it hard to feel it as fear from PTSD overrides all feelings. PTSD is so devastating that I can not even compare to the depression that was many years ago. However, I believe if I could get justice I would feel safer and would be much easier to treat PTSD. If I could get rid of PTSD depression would go away. So, the first thing that you need is help with the core problem. Then there may not even be mental health problems to deal with. This is why a lot of this site is about my experience dealing with road traffic injury all the legal problems and the lessons I have learned.

In person

Dealing with trauma is a difficult task. There is a good reason why now research points that trauma sits in the body. Therefore face to face communications have many advantages.

Someone close to you

Trauma and consequent PTSD are the things when you will need someone close to you the most. Many other events in life can be experienced relatively the same being joyful or sad, and difficult no matter is you going alone, with loosely related social goop or with people very close to you. Trauma is different because it is so debilitating that you cannot deal with it on your own. The chances to develop PTSD are strongly correlated by the support you have. The more support you have the better chances are to recover from trauma. It helps a lot to have someone you can rely on, who will take responsibility to take you through the recovery. That person does not have to expert in trauma but has to be able to investigate what is needed and to carry on actions, that you were not able to do.

There may be many reasons, why such person is not around you when trauma happens. In that case, I try to provide the list of possible help, that may be sufficient to recover from trauma as much as it is possible. I wish I found such list when I was injured.

Emergency Department (ED)

ED is most likely the first place you will visit after trauma. While there are many types of events that are traumatic, however, sever injury has a good chance to cause trauma. ED is a place where you may get first help after you got injured.

Problem. In my experience ED is not trauma informed place and does little to reduce the emotional impact of trauma. To make it worse I have not been checked for brain injury. I did it only 8 years after the injury only to find out that I had brain injury. Because I was waiting together with all people in very cold waiting room I felt (and still believe) that I was more in danger there than going back home and trying to heal by myself. Since then, I had some better experience at ED, but when I needed it the most it was very bad.

Solution. I put it in sorted list based on the criteria how I would imagine I would do it now. Mostly one item is enough, but if you cannot do it, then take next item.

• Call close person to come and help. If they will not be able to help, they will be still in better position to look for a help, than you on your own. It might be not possible if you are an immigrant (temporally or permanent), and people close to you live far away maybe even in time zone with several hours difference.
• You do not need a group of people. One is enough.
• Call acquittance to come and help. Prioritize first the ones who may have better skills to deal with it. An acquittance is still more likely to be a better option that indifferent ED employee or yourself after experiencing trauma.
• If you have no phone with you ask for help other injured people in waiting room to help to reach them, maybe you remember phone number (very unlikely), but maybe you can find them through social media.
• Be prepared for very long waiting time and indifference. Keep asking to get help as objectively as you can and remind them that you are still waiting to receive help. It is unpleasant and stressful, but this is a cruel reality of the world and you been very unfortunate to get injured.

The workflow at ED may be poorly organized and stuff cynical and indifferent (possible as a coping mechanism seeing too many injuries) causing unnecessary wait and frustration. Do, raise your concerns of not getting proper treatment, but you may need to leave other problems behind. Most likely you will not reach someone who can or will do anything about it. You can come back to systemic or particular ED problems, but now it is not a priority. Now priority is your injury.

If you cannot reach help while you at ED, do it as soon as you are back home. There are plenty of studies that having good support after trauma may reduce chances of developing PTSD.

There is also some information that not sleeping first night in order to avoid solidifying memories of traumatic event may help to reduce chances of getting PTSD. However, I did not find confirming studies (but I am not an expert). Drugs like ketamine may be used for the same purpose.

General Practitioner (GP)

General Practitioner (family doctor or other names) is a doctor that you might see as first point of contract after the trauma or after symptoms caused by trauma persist or some of them even get worse. GP may not be familiar with PTSD to provide treatment but should be knowledgeable enough to send to appropriate specialist.

Problem.

• Often GP are concerned to pick first option that come to their head as sure treatment and send you off as quickly as possible. PTSD is very complex illness, and many symptoms overlap with other illnesses. It is very easy to be misdiagnosed and then spend time and effort getting treatment that may not be helpful while core problems deepen increasing the feeling that there will be no help.
• Most of GPs I met had no clue what PTSD is and how to treat it. Often, they will listen till they find one symptom that gives them opportunity to diagnose depression. You can almost see the lightbulb moment when they come with the thought "Oh it is depression, I know what it is!". As a result, you are likely to get antidepressant medication, that will not be useful in any way only will add some negative side effects.
• I think attempting to recover from PTSD without help of psychologist is a fullish way to go. It is a red flag for me if after trauma your GP does not check for PTSD or after finding PTSD symptoms does not recommend seeing psychologist or another specialist in trauma.

Solution

• Do not hesitate to get second opinion. It is absolutely fine to seek second opinion or change GP completely.
• Read about basic symptoms and treatments for PTSD. Do not be shy, to disagree with GP and ask for treatment you need.
• If you still cannot find useful GP, go around this step and go straight to psychologist. They will help you to deal with GP.

Psychologist, psychology clinics

This is where you will get most of your help if you suffer trauma and got PTSD. There are other places that will help better dealing with trauma early on, but after any trauma I would recommend seeing psychologist at some point of time. Prevention is better than cure. There are several forms of treatment for PTSD and most likely there will be combination of them that will help, but in any case, you want psychologist that has good understanding of trauma treatment.

Problem

Support Groups

• Starting August 2024 there is online Trauma & PTSD Support Group. If I understand correctly it is started February 2024 as hybrid group. They also run support group in person in Melbourne.
• I go to 2 support groups organised by WayAhead:
  • Newtown
  • Glebe

  The groups are friendly and well managed. Anxiety is part of PTSD and they do not shine away from trauma related topics.

Community / charity organizations

Flourish Australia is a non-for-profit organization RichmondPRA Limited ABN 66 001 280 628 helping people who struggle with mental health challenges.

Mentoring Men is a non-for-profit organisation MENTORING MEN LTD. helping men who need support to find mentor to help to deal with their current life struggles. The organisation is based on volunteers. They match you with someone who is as close as possible to your needs. You meet with mentor for several moths on regular basis (for example weekly). This way you have someone who knows about your situation and whom you can talk to about your ongoing struggles and it does not have to be limited to psychological health.

I had few mentors over past few years and I can provide only positive feedback.

https://fearless.org.au/

Wayside chapel, Salvation Army

Exodus Foundation Ashfield

https://www.enoughisenough.org.au/

https://synapse.org.au/

https://ambercommunity.org.au/about-us/

https://www.roadtraumasupportnsw.org/

MindSpot provides free mental health service for adults in Australia. It is funded by the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, and run by MQ Health, Macquarie University ABN 90 952 801 237. You can apply for 8 weeks online treatment course or 4 weeks telephone counseling.

Over the phone

• Help Lines

Online

Online groups

https://supportgroup.mhfa.org.au/trauma-and-ptsd-support-group

Online resources

https://www.mindspot.org.au/treatment/our-courses/ptsd-course/ https://www.aftertrauma.org/