By any other name...,

I saw a film today. A film about one of my patients, a man with the most severe and frankly staggering psychiatric illness I've ever encountered.

Not that you'd know it when he's well, at which times (almost all of the time I've known him) he's a lovely, thoughtful, articulate family man, working hard, and well thought of in his community.

But not by the mental health service, which has invented the most amazing barriers I've ever seen, out of fear of him in his ill state.

After his last episode (having addressed at least some of those barriers), an idea was put forward of making a video, showing his recovered self and family, and also highlighting what he went through. He was up for it, and I went to the first screening of it (for staff) today. It was really good.

Afterward I learned that while an inpatient in our then-fairly-new unit, he was one of the patients who contributed to a tiled mosaic out the front of the unit. So I hied me thence to find and photograph the rose he added - this rose.

I learn a lot from this man; working with him is a powerful experience.