Unemployed, homeless, violent background, feeling overwhelmed

lector · ‎27-03-2016

hi a little about myself...l am bipolar 1, ptsd,personality disorders, anxious and possibly depressed, im also unemployed and have been homeless for nearly a year now...l have spent a lot of my life in & out of psychiatric units, sometimes against my will, l come from a violent upbringing & family so l got to watch a lot of my friends & family members die, often in tragic circumstances...l am a substance abuser,have been since l was twelve, often to cope with the violence at home...l am disconnected from my two children, friends(only 2 left), and family who no longer want to be a part of my life which l understand because l have caused a lot of pain, to them family and friends.. l am completely detached from society. My support network is gone & doctors have told me they no longer know how to help, im in the too hard basket & am not young anymore, im in my late 30's. You could say that l am currently overwhelmed and while a positive attitude is a must, especially when hardest hit, its becoming extremely difficult to initiate this positivity in my current climate. The question is, can one come back from so many obstacles & no support networks? ps because of my homelessness & never staying in the one place more than a day or so l am told that support services can only help me if l stay in the catchment areas...this is most times impossible to do due to safety concerns, police harrassment and fear of abuse. While l live by my motto NEVER EVER GIVE UP, l hope l can maintain hope...thats all l have left. thanks for allowing me to vent...best wishes and good health to all you members out there, hopefully a silver lining awaits us all

White_Rose · ‎27-03-2016

Dear Lector

Hello and a warm welcome to the BB forum. I am so sorry that you are in this dreadful position, and I do not know what to say, which is most unusual for me. Can I ask if you take any medication regularly? That probably sounds as though I think there is a simple solution, but I wonder if this could help. Sorry if I am being a bit simple.

I cannot imagine anyone living in this way, though I do know many people do have this life. What do you think anyone can do to help you? What would you like? Your motto is fantastic and you have my greatest admiration for living by this. I hope that every day you receive help of some sort and find the strength to carry on.

How did you manage to get on to BB? Do you have a computer of some sort or do you use internet cafes? Also, may I ask if you are male or female. Your user name gives no clue.

This is just a quick response because I wanted to tell you I care about your situation even though I probably cannot assist you physically. You may well live at the other end of Oz to me.

If you gain some support or comfort from posting here, please continue.

Mary

lector · ‎27-03-2016

hi l am a male...l often use the library which is free or my smartphone, its old but workable...im not currently on any medications for my bipolar 1 because the doctors have told me l am exhibiting symptoms of many forms of mental illness...they think l have ptsd, a personality disorder of some sort, severe anxiety and possibly depression....so l seen a psychologist to determine this but we cancelled after two sessions because im homeless l dont stay in a particular area long enough to receive help or l simply do what iv always done...l do it myself and alone.lm often dismissed by doctors or shuffled along told theres nothing they can do for me or they dont know how to help me. They even ask me what meds l believe l should have as l have been on most drugs for bipolar....now they dont treat me at all as they cant get a current diagnosis due to my instability/homelessness. l understand the need to be stable but this is impossible for me. l have an aunty who offers me great support but know she needs it as she takes fulltime care of my nan who has dementia and her brother, my uncle has just found out he only has a month or two to live...he is dying of 4th stage cancer. Unfortunately as much as l want to support my aunty, my dad resides with her and we have a very difficult relationship...he often bashed me & abused me from a young age so l tend to avoid him, especially if his stressed as he can lash out. lm completely overwhelmed

Kazzl · ‎28-03-2016

Hi Lector, good to meet you mate. I'm glad you've found us, seems like you've had more than your fair share of bad circumstances eh?

Seems to be that not having a fixed address is complicating things and making it difficult for you to get the medical and psychological services you need. So I guess that's the first thing to try and tackle. You say you have to move around a lot - do you want to talk a bit more about that? Are you in danger or needing to avoid someone?

It might seem like all's lost at the moment but hang on to those positive thoughts - things can turn around mate, and the support networks are there. I expect you've already tried a few, and you might need to try a few more before you find what works, but they are there. And with that attitude of never giving up (which I love), I reckon you can find them.

You might have already tried the Salvos or Red Cross? If not, they have crisis accommodation for people who are homeless. And take a look at this government website - it will tell you about financial support and help with accommodation (you'll have to google it because we can't post live links).

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/subjects/accommodation-renting-and-homelessness

It might seem really hard to go to established agencies or charities when maybe you've had a bad time with authorities in the past, but these organisations would be used to that, you wouldn't be the first mate, not by a long shot. You might have to stay put for awhile, and again, I'd like to know more about the circumstances that make that hard for you.

Are you receiving any benefits at the moment? If so, can you give doctors etc the address you registered with? And if you're not, well, you probably should be. You're entitled to it mate - it's our social safety net, for everyone.

Keep talking to us Lector, and I hope you can also use your time in the library to seek out the places that can help. If you tell me what state you're in I'll see what else I can find out about, if that helps.

Take care mate, hope you're somewhere warm and safe tonight.

Cheers

Kaz