I had a breakdown last year. I was aware that a few friends had been to therapy, and it just sort of got into my head that maybe I should try, without exactly knowing why.

I've had bad experiences with the NHS in the past, I didn't want it in my medical records and I wanted to be in control, so I decided to see someone private - which meant it wasn't a long process. I emailed my T, who runs an assessment and referral service where you say what's brought you to therapy and they suggest some suitable Ts for you.

He offered me an appointment about five days later I think. We talked a bit about what brought me there (I wasn't exactly sure, loads of random stuff came out), what I wanted from a T, how much I could pay, gender, geography, etc. He emailed me later that week with a few suggestions, including going back to him, which I decided to do.

If I couldn't have paid, I wouldn't have got something so quickly, which isn't right. I don't normally use private services on principle, but I gave in on this occasion. In the UK it's unfortunately very hard to get good long-term therapy otherwise, and depends a lot on where you live. There aren't any low-cost services in my area.