Hello writbre: Thank you for sharing your struggle. The more I read about people's struggles with the mental health system in the U.K. the less enthusiastic I am about the prospect of universal health care here in the U.S. It just seems as though the NHS in the U.K. is broken beyond repair. Hopefully coming here to PC can be of some comfort & support for you while you wait out what's left of your 8 months on the waiting list. Here's a link to an article, from Psych Central's archives, on the subject of surviving suicidal thoughts:

How to Survive Suicidal Thoughts

I hope you find PC to be of benefit.