Mental Health Awareness Week: Processing my experiences and triggers helped me to continue to work

For Mental Health Awareness Week, were sharing a story about Gemma, 39, who works as a Forensic Scientist examining evidence for the Criminal Justice System. Gemma has had many things happen in her life which have become very overwhelming for her, and she has found these very difficult to deal with alone, both physically and psychologically. She has been supported by Nottinghamshire Healthcare's Primary Care Psychological Medicine (PCPM) service and she says it has given her more confidence and is helping her to understand and process her triggers.

 

Gemma shares her story:

“Things have happened to me throughout my life which started in childhood and which came to a head about three years ago” explains Gemma.

“Everything became so mentally and physically overwhelming and too difficult to deal with. I was finding I was becoming triggered emotionally by things in situations, feeling I had no control over it. This made me limit my activity because of pain and fatigue.

“This made me feel very anxious and distressed about being in places and around people when this happened.”

Clinical Nurse Specialist, Matt Thompson and Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Paul Baggaley, work in the Trust’s Primary Care Psychological Medicine (PCPM) and have been supporting Gemma.

Matt says, “We know that mental health and physical health are inseparable, and PCPM embodies this principle. PCPM is a specialist, trauma-informed/specific service who focus on treating the whole person – the physical, psychological, social, environmental and cultural aspects - rather than simply focusing on a singular element, such as physical or psychological symptoms.”

“We use an integrated approach - including expert physiotherapy, specialist occupational therapy, psychotherapies (including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), and liaison psychiatry - to help reduce the person’s overall distress and increase their resilience and functioning.”

“Gemma, Paul and I work together collaboratively in creating and implementing care plans – we believe that Gemma is the expert in her life, not me or Paul, and that she is at the centre of what we do.”

Gemma added “Talking to Matt and Paul has definitely given me more confidence to finish my degree and start full-time employment. They have helped me to understand and process my triggers and provided lots of resources to help manage when I feel overwhelmed. Paul has given me exercise to help improve my strength and mobility.”

“Going forward I’d like to continue with processing my experiences and triggers and allowing me to continue with work and to focus on my career. I am also hoping to go on holiday with my family in September.

My longer aim is to live a normal life, progress my career and support my children in their lives.

Our Primary Care Psychological Medicine (PCPM) is a holistic, integrated primary care service. It aims to improve the experience of patients who present with complex Persistent Physical Symptoms/Medically Unexplained Symptoms, alongside a reduction in their functioning and quality of life.

The service is available to people who are aged 18 years or over and are registered with a GP practice in South Nottinghamshire (excluding City at this time). Patients can access the service in their own home or in a clinic and they will need to be referred by their GP or Primary Care Clinician.

If you would like more information on our Primary Care Psychological Medicine (PCPM) Service and how to contact the team, more information can be found on our website: https://www.nottinghamshirehealthcare.nhs.uk/primary-care-psychological-medicine