[iditp20]

I had an appointment with my pdoc today. My CPN was going to attend with me, to discuss the misdiagnosis and put me on new meds.

I thought that the appointment was at 2:30, turns out it was 12:30. My CPN didnt bother to ring me or anything. I am seeing them as I have very suicidal tendencies and can not manage daily normal life. I suffer with short term memory loss and voices in my head telling me to do things.

Now i have to wait 3 more weeks to see the pdoc after already wait 2. My CPN can't see me until next tuesday. I am really stuck. I just want to top myself and have done with it.

I am so angry, I can't function or manage daily life and I have to continue on with this and not have anyone to talk about it til next tuesday. I sleep 4 hours a night and this has being going on for over 1 month. Then on top of that I have to wait an extra 3 weeks for them to even do anything about this.

I lost my job, I can't attend Uni because of my mental health. Theres no point in me.

[BBB2]

Sorry you're having such a rough time.
Please hang in there.

[Altered Moment]

I am not in the UK but you are not the only one around here frustrated with the NHS Mental Health system. A number of people here are in the UK.

[Fuzzybear]

[waggiedog]

Hello and I HEAR YOU! I am in the UK and I have been treated in this way a number of times. I do have a crises line to intervene by way of the telephone, but of course it's not like having somebody talking to you in real life. I've recently been through a very stressing time. I had an appointment with my psych Dr yet the best she could come up with is that I've done a years DBT and she felt it was time to discharge me from further care of the team! If I were you, and it will be difficult to do, you've gotta keep on and on contacting them. Could you talk to a duty worker attached to your mental health team? Do please keep yourself safe and let us know how you get on. Xxx

[ToeJam]

If you have a cpn then you 'should' (and I'm hazarding a guess due to the confusion that is the nhs county to county) have access to the duty officer via the phone during work hours (and perhaps crisis line out of hours... but again it depends on the county ); call them... tell them what is going on... what is said will be passed on to your cpn and might bump up the schedule for him/her seeing you sooner.

Personally, yeah I'm pissed off with the nhs too... it's just a mismanagement headache... too big a machine with no communication between departments + lackadaisical staff who say one thing and then don't deliver heh.

Was told by the personality disorder team I'd get a follow up letter beginning of last week (not arrived)... been waiting for a screening appointment for aspergers since August (still not been scheduled nor any real clue when it will be)... and my cpn is scatty as hell (lovely guy, don't get me wrong)... I'm now having to text him two days before I see him to 'remind him' of what he needs to do on my behalf such as discuss meds with my p-doc or chase up other departments as listed above.

So yeah... I very much sympathise with what you're having to deal with.

[Idiot17]

((((Iditp))))

[TheOriginalMe]

I can relate to services being patchy but it is far easier once you are in the system so hang on in there and as others have suggested contact the duty worker if you need to.

[Creative1onder]

Originally Posted by iditp20

I had an appointment with my pdoc today. My CPN was going to attend with me, to discuss the misdiagnosis and put me on new meds.

I thought that the appointment was at 2:30, turns out it was 12:30. My CPN didnt bother to ring me or anything. I am seeing them as I have very suicidal tendencies and can not manage daily normal life. I suffer with short term memory loss and voices in my head telling me to do things.

Now i have to wait 3 more weeks to see the pdoc after already wait 2. My CPN can't see me until next tuesday. I am really stuck. I just want to top myself and have done with it.

I am so angry, I can't function or manage daily life and I have to continue on with this and not have anyone to talk about it til next tuesday. I sleep 4 hours a night and this has being going on for over 1 month. Then on top of that I have to wait an extra 3 weeks for them to even do anything about this.

I lost my job, I can't attend Uni because of my mental health. Theres no point in me.

Hi there. I can relate to you. I'm from the UK and I had negative experiences with staff both at mental health service and in A&E. I don't know if the way people are treated /level of help and care differs from place to place, but what I went through was bad and it put me off totally from going down the GP and mental health professional route. My bipolar has affected me a lot in different ways. I wasn't taken seriously by professionals.

[iditp20]

Originally Posted by ToeJam

If you have a cpn then you 'should' (and I'm hazarding a guess due to the confusion that is the nhs county to county) have access to the duty officer via the phone during work hours (and perhaps crisis line out of hours... but again it depends on the county ); call them... tell them what is going on... what is said will be passed on to your cpn and might bump up the schedule for him/her seeing you sooner.


Personally, yeah I'm pissed off with the nhs too... it's just a mismanagement headache... too big a machine with no communication between departments + lackadaisical staff who say one thing and then don't deliver heh.


Was told by the personality disorder team I'd get a follow up letter beginning of last week (not arrived)... been waiting for a screening appointment for aspergers since August (still not been scheduled nor any real clue when it will be)... and my cpn is scatty as hell (lovely guy, don't get me wrong)... I'm now having to text him two days before I see him to 'remind him' of what he needs to do on my behalf such as discuss meds with my p-doc or chase up other departments as listed above.


So yeah... I very much sympathise with what you're having to deal with.

I know there is a duty worker to talk to, but I feel a bit awkward talking to them cause last time they weren't very helpful. I had voices in my head and they told me to tell them to shut up and she said your welcome before is even said anything and then hung up.

I am diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, but don't think it's accurate as my moods last for 7/8 months at a time. But they don't take anyone very seriously because you know, we aren't as qualified as them.

I always think they aren't too bothered because they aren't experiencing it. My mental health is practically disabling me and they just expect you to live with it.

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[iditp20]

Originally Posted by Creative1onder

Hi there. I can relate to you. I'm from the UK and I had negative experiences with staff both at mental health service and in A&E. I don't know if the way people are treated /level of help and care differs from place to place, but what I went through was bad and it put me off totally from going down the GP and mental health professional route. My bipolar has affected me a lot in different ways. I wasn't taken seriously by professionals.

Are you on any medication?
I don't think even the professionals can deal with mental health because if it's something different to text book they don't know what to do.
You sort of just feel lost in the end

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[Creative1onder]

We don't have qualifications of mental health professionals but we are the ones who experience our conditions and know what its like to have them, how debilitating, severe they are based on how greatly they affect us, and way of life and their duration. I know what i have-bipolar. I don't need their confirmation of what my illness is or its degree of severity. When i was referred to secondary care recovery team, i was assessed but they didn't think i have severe condition needing their help. They denied me therapy and support i need.

[Altered Moment]

Originally Posted by Creative1onder

We don't have qualifications of mental health professionals but we are the ones who experience our conditions and know what its like to have them, how debilitating, severe they are based on how greatly they affect us, and way of life and their duration. I know what i have-bipolar. I don't need their confirmation of what my illness is or its degree of severity. When i was referred to secondary care recovery team, i was assessed but they didn't think i have severe condition needing their help. They denied me therapy and support i need.

From what I have read here on peoples experience with the NHS, and this is true in the US too, there are "gate keepers" in place and it is their job primarily to save money. So they say we are not severe enough to deserve services and then the private insurance in the US or the NHS saves money. Insurance companies making health care decisions based on cost when they have absolutely no experience as a health care provider. It's an administrator sitting in a cubby some were making crucial decisions that effect our lives.

[TheOriginalMe]

Just to confirm how bizarre getting access to state run services is in the UK (and elsewhere too I guess) today I saw my CPN who said to me "I don't get why we didn't take you on in February". What the ****? I went through 9 months of despair believing I wasn't good/ bad/ deserving/ ill enough to get a service, turns out all along I was! I double checked and she said that risk alone is never a deciding factor, I went through 9 months of believing the only way in was by si or making a serious attempt, I got pretty close more than once. All that because someone interpreted the rules badly.

OP sorry for my self indulgent rant, I guess I'm trying to say get back in touch with your CPN, even if it is only a phone conversation, don't just roll over and give in, you need help and sometimes the only way to get it is to fight for it.

[Oceanview150]

I have been in a crisis too these last 2 months. I have extreme depression returning as a result of extreme anxiety. I needed more medication but the care-coordinator was not allowed to prescribe it to me without having to see the psychiatrist formerly again which I am afraid of and too sick to cope with right now. Yet the psychiatrist said that let the care-coordinator know of additional medication and it can be prescribed. Early intervention team were much faster to respond, they would bring the prescription quickly. Without me even asking for medication as they could tell if I was becoming unwell. I'm now with CMHT and they have a bigger caseload so in times of crisis it takes a long time.

[ToeJam]

Just to follow on from what Zinco and Originalme said: Gatekeepers

My p-doc while in hospital referred me to the mental health team to be assigned a cpn... When I got out of hospital, 2 cpns visited me and said that they were 'assessing' me as admin would review their recommendations (which they advised - I should be allocated one).

Received a letter 2 weeks later saying 'no'. At my p-doc appointment I'm asked about my cpn that I don't have and she has to directly instruct the admin to allocate me a cpn.... Bloody messy

[Creative1onder]

I don't have control or power to change how the mental health system works. If they dont feel someone meets their criteria, then you get rejected simply whether it is severe or not. I felt that professionals just didnt make a lot of effort to listen, show care, understanding and help me with my circumstances. GPs can't do a lot apart from refer to mental health service and recommend medication. I was referred to secondary care mental health service after going to A&E which i needed to do but i suffered from bullying and neglectful behaviour by staff there who didn't want to help and didnt show any sign of care or concern for me. I saw crisis teams who were horrible towards me and forced me away from hospital even if i went there by ambulance. I tried 3 different A&E hosptials. The second one i went to by ambulance, i thought would be better experience at beginning but after waiting a long time in distress, hoping to see psychiatrist, crisis team turned up and said immediately to leave the place, so all the staff turned against me to bully me out back home. I phoned samaritans in tears. Then police came to drive me home. At secondary mental health service,I was put in touch with an Occupational Therapist as a care coordinator to assess me and refer me to pshyicatrist and for therapy. I saw two different psychiatrists both didnt want to take seriously my circumstances. The last diagnosis was cyclothemia-thats cos they didnt see i have severe depressions and mania, which i have experienced both. I was told i can have therapy and support through the service but i wasnt treated well at all and not offered even an assessment by psychological department. I just saw care coordinator who i tried my best to give a lot of information about me, my experience with condition but didnt lead to good outcome.

[ManOfConstantSorrow]

Originally Posted by iditp20

I know there is a duty worker to talk to, but I feel a bit awkward talking to them cause last time they weren't very helpful. I had voices in my head and they told me to tell them to shut up and she said your welcome before is even said anything and then hung up.

I am diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, but don't think it's accurate as my moods last for 7/8 months at a time. But they don't take anyone very seriously because you know, we aren't as qualified as them.

I always think they aren't too bothered because they aren't experiencing it. My mental health is practically disabling me and they just expect you to live with it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The system can be very difficult - MIND can give you free advice on how to get the help you need: Information & support | Mind, the mental health charity - help for mental health problems