[fluffycat]

Hi everyone, just been to see a psychotherapist privately here in the UK through my husbands medical insurance and this guy is good, I trust him and feel at ease. Its only been 6 weeks since my diagnosis of BP2 - is it too soon to start therapy? The waiting list here on the national health service is 6 months but I feel totally desperate and am not getting the support from the community mental health team that I had expected - its almost like "here are the meds get on with it!".

[HomeDawg]

its never to early to start therapy when it comes to your mind.I wish you the best of luck and i hope everything goes okay with your new therapist.

no its not too soon in fact most people don't have a diagnosis until after they start seeing a therapist for depression or anxiety or a life situation like a death in the family before they get a diagnosis and then the therapy professional notices other problems showing through and has the person see a psychiatrist or psychologist for a psychiatric or comprehensive psychological evaluation in which the testing professional using all the diagnostic testing tells the client that they have a specific disorder. So no you seeing a therapist 6 weeks after being diagnosed is not out of the ordinary if anything Im surprised its been 6 weeks before you were able to get into therapy.

[fluffycat]

Thanks for your replies. Here in the UK it is appalling the waiting lists on the NHS and that includes mental health problems. I have often thought about moving to the USA, and in fact my husband is in Pennsylvannia on business this week! I also have an aunt in Florida whom I have never met and lots of cousins out there. Its so tempting to get better healthcare for us all and especially for my 10 year old son who has autism.

I have had terrible terrible issues with my mother for years, my 3 brothers never bother with us or our children they are so entirely selfish and my husbands parents both passed away - so we have very little family and what we do have we have just had one hassle after another after another, its been hell and back for both of us.

It will be good to get therapy underway, I just want to feel well - I havent been happy in such a long long time.

Thanks for listening

[JustBen]

Wow, that's an interesting cultural difference. The waiting lists are so much a part of life that they've got you thinking that it's normal to wait for weeks before starting therapy. Meanwhile, we've got so many therapists here in the US that we think it's normal to start almost immediately.