"Total lack of professionalism and respect"

Knowing my own mental health needs and wanting to take care of them, I recently admitted myself voluntarily to the Psychiatric department at Forth Valley Royal Hospital, upon which I was admitted as an inpatient.

I spent some time on this ward and made a good recovery, and was moved to another ward which provides less intensive care. Whilst on this ward I came across a distinct lack of professionalism, had my liberties denied to me with regards to access to certain facilities, and my privacy was not at all respected. I was unsure if the staff I came into contact with were working in my best interest as a patient, and felt that I was treated very unprofessionally by them as a result of speaking my mind.

Things culminated in me being moved back to the first ward. I had had previous difficulties with being on this ward, but still had faith in them. However, I felt the doctor I encountered there was extremely unprofessional – they spoke to me in an extremely blunt and disrespectful manner and I felt that they attempted to bully me by dredging up past matters dealt with by other doctors, played psychological games with me, and treated me with a general lack of tact and respect.

I truly felt that this doctor is not helpful for the people that they are treating – they would rather define you in what you do rather than take the time to listen to you and understand. To me, the doctor demonstrated a complete lack of ability to think beyond what they must have learned by rote from a textbook, and seemed completely incapable of running the ward, leaving me with many flaws in my care.

In my opinion this reflects how fundamentally flawed the Scottish healthcare system is, which is the real root of the problem, particularly when it comes to Psychiatry.