Dicing With Mental Health
Although no official announcement has been made yet, mental health services are about to receive another major cutback. Hot Press spoke to one patient about how he will be affected by radical changes to the ‘psychiatric scheme’ being planned by the HSE.
Valerie Flynn, 09 Dec 2009
Rory Stokes will be known to many readers as former frontman with Dublin punk band The Sussed, who shot to prominence in the 1980s with their hit song about Sellafield, ‘Don’t Swim on the East Coast’. In the 1990s he became a DJ on the acid house scene, organising raves in the Point Depot and around the country that have become the stuff of legend.
It was while DJing at a holiday resort abroad that Stokes – a cousin of HP editor Niall – had a terrible experience that led to his first breakdown. In a library one evening, he found himself one of only two people left in the building.
“The guy didn’t realise there was anyone still there,” says Rory. “He got kerosene and poured it all over himself and set fire to himself. He turned around and saw me and he was screaming and screaming and bawling for mercy. I couldn’t get out to get help or do anything.”
In the wake of what was a terrifying and appalling experience, Rory began to suffer from panic attacks characterised by palpitations and sweating, though at first he did not know what they were. Although he had previously been an extroverted person, he began to find it tough even to go outside. He was subsequently diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
For twelve years, Rory has taken anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication (Zispin and Xanax), as well as medication to help him sleep. Something as simple as a car misfiring or a car door slamming can bring on a panic attack – but with the help of his medication, he has made a good recovery. He works in a mobile communications company.
However, Rory Stokes has learned that – if planned cutbacks currently being hatched within the HSE come to fruition – he will soon be unable to afford his medication at its current dosage. The medication has been provided free for many years under what is loosely called the ‘psychiatric scheme’. The scheme, which has been in operation since 1998, allows some psychiatric patients, like Rory, to receive their medication without charge if they are being seen at an outpatient clinic rather than at their GP’s surgery. Strangely, the scheme is only operational in the area that was previously covered by the Eastern Health Board. However, that fact doesn’t make the proposed cutbacks any less dramatic or potentially damaging for those who will be affected.
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