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East17
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Default Aug 31, 2019 at 12:22 PM
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by writbre View Post
Going to Four different GP's,
Calling a therapy place,
contacting several therapies online,

And months later I am nowhere. GP's gave me leaflets for therapists that deal with low anxiety and school stress. I am 20 years old showing signs of a psychiatric disorder with extremely complex problems on top.

I call a therapy hospital and they place me on an 8-month waiting list after I talk about sometimes feeling suicidal.

I contact several therapies with my problems to have them - not bother replying, tell me they can't help, OR direct me and fob me off as someone else's problem... The list goes on and on.
Four months later here I sit still on this god damn 8-month waiting list to see a therapist that specializes in stress from school exams, parental divorce, anxiety and depression - that sort of thing.

Psychiatric disorder Bi-Polar runs in the family, I have trauma, disabilities, suicidal thoughts sometimes, self-harming addiction, show signs of either Borderline or Bi-Polar not sure, dissociation- the list goes on. My problems are the size of a novel.

So why does my system keep fobbing me off, and referring me to doctors that don't deal with disorders and only focus on bloody anxiety? I've had depression and anxiety since I was 9 for christ sake, I don't need someone to sit there and be like "aw you feel sad sometimes, huh?"

I need a professional psychiatric doctor to assess whether or not I suffer from a genuine dangerous psychiatric disorder.

It's just funny that when I was younger and sick from my disability the system had no problem throwing me at a psychiatric doctor to assess if I was making up my illness (which they said I was until I got an actual diagnoses) but I tell them "sometimes I feel suicidal and I can't keep going on like this?" and their response is "8 months. Hang in there." I kid you not.

But also after 5 minutes of speaking to me: "YEAH, You don't have Bi-Polar" 5 minutes of speaking to an anxious girl who can barely stutter out a sentence and you've made up your minds huh?

And my sister's doctor don't get me started - there are very few people I really dislike but she's one of them. Herbal medicines and snorting at people's problems and ignoring her phone calls and not bothering to schedule appointments is NOT how you deal with a patient who is diagnosed with Bi-Polar. The best thing is if I get referred I have to see the same doctor, YEAH **** that!

Suffice to say this mental health system is definitely: "Huh, guess I'm going to give up and I'll get some help when I inevitably have a mental breakdown and try to end my life. If I fail I might actually get some help, if not then oh well!"

What kind of system has people sitting down saying to themselves - "Guess I'll wait until I eventually end my life." ????

I'd just sit down and sort it out like I have every other problem - ALONE. If I didn't worry I might have something that can ONLY be cured with MEDICATION.
@writbre, I too am in the UK and being failed by the mental health system. I think the basic problem is that there is too much demand and too little resources (money/qualified people), so the sub-par system that is in place, ends up failing most rather than helping everyone.

8 months to a year+ on a NHS waiting list is nothing unusual unfortunately. What little resources there are, are stretched so thin as to be ineffective and meaningless.

The much-touted IAPT (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies)..... 3 month wait just for a telephone assessment, only to be told 'you are too high risk for our service, we can't help you sorry'.... bump back to GP. GP refers to CMHT..... 2 years it took for referral from primary care to secondary care (and that was with the support of a MH Advocacy service). It's not good. However, CMHT does vary according to where in the UK you live, to so-called postcode lottery... Have you tried referral to a Community Mental Health Team? If not, might be worth a try. Can't promise it will be quick but at least you will be on a list whilst sourcing other avenues of support.

Good luck.
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