The U.K just got worse, regarding receiving treatment for mental health issues

I've just been prescribed; nothing.
Literally nothing, --- "or go privately."

I have 2 anxiety disorders and 3 personality disorders, and CEN.
I used to be with my local CMHT.
I was discharged after being too ill to attend a few consecutive appointments.
I then was referred to the 'living well hub' now known as the 'single point access hub'
The single point access is time limited, 3 months precisely.
6 weeks after being referred I had an appointment with a psychiatrist who refused to refer me for therapy; as I'd already had some for my anxiety disorders and personality disorders are "un-treatable" (which is a lie)
11weeks after being refered to this 'single access hub' I met my keyworker for 30 minutes, I was discharged at the end of that appointment.

This psychaitrist, in addition to refusing to consider me for ongoing therapy - also refused to refer me back to the CMHT that I was previously at, sticking by her 'care plan' for me which consisted of; Risperidone and Fluoxetine. --- "If I don't like my 'care plan' then I can go privately"
That's it. Just two meds.
Fluoxetine (which I was very clear about - had no benefit and made me suicidal) and Risperidone. (which recent evidence has shown it to have no more effect than placebo at treating OCD)
veale.co.uk/news/comment-on-risperidone-v-cbt-for-ocd-study/comment-page-1/
'There was no difference between those who received risperidone or placebo'

I contacted my G.P(general practitioner doctor) about trying to be re-refereed to the CMHT and have now been informed that now my G.P no longer has the power to refer me to the CMHT or for therapy....
Now this power resides purely with the 'single point access' team.
There is a single psychiatrist working for this 'team' that covers my entire borough. I live in south London.... a lot of people in this borough.

This is terrible. I'm completely alone against a plethora of mental health issues and trauma... and upon reaching out for help I've been prescribed a abstinence of any support at all.
There is no one to appeal to, no second opinions as there is only one psychiatrist. My only option is to go to PALS or a 3rd party advocate service to try and complain/appeal the decision.

I've witnessed this kind of cohersion and streamlining in inpatient wards - where you are a prisoner and have no choice but to go along with what is prescribed.... and now it's out in the real world.
Now there is:
One doctor, One opinion, One course of action, No re-course.

This country is officially ******d.
I thought things couldn't get worse in terms of having mental health issues in the U.K but now things just took a major dive in the last 2 weeks.
I have no idea what to do. I said to my doctor "They are literally telling me that they will offer me no help, and if I don't like it to go and buy my own" - The doctor agreed and said she's sorry, but that's unfortunately what it's come down to.
I am on disablilty benefits - I don't have money to go privately..... barely enough to get by period.

The power has been taken away from G.Ps. Now It's just a single psychiatrist (who undoubtedly has conflicting interests regarding budgets - even said as much to me)
I'm shocked. I don't even know what to think.
Further down the rabbit hole.

It's always been bad.
I ended up going private.
To be honest. It's a better experience.

I've been hearing people complain for over a decade about mental health treatment from NHS in the UK.

Try the free psychotherapy network Map of FPN therapists | the free psychotherapy network

I'm sorry things are so tough for you.

I've heard of this scheme:

Low Fee Psychoanalysis | Institute of Psychoanalysis

But maybe you could also try to get help from a charity:

Counselling and Therapy Services from Charities | WHERE to TALK

Have you ever considered the Maudsely Institute? I had a friend who is on what amounts to disability in the US (vunerable person) and she takes dexedrine for adhd. When she could no longer go private she had to use them to finally get rediagnosed and get her medications. Some of it seemed to drag on and she had hoops to jump through but she was even given a service worker who came to her house to meet with her and work on goal setting.

I'm so sorry you're going through this, circles. Hugs!!!
I hope you'll find help in one of the links provided above.

I'm terrified of something like this happening down the line over here. Everyone seems to think something like the NHS would be awesome... I mean in theory, sure, but I've never heard anything good from anybody about mental health services in any countries offering public healthcare systems.

I am so sorry you are in this predicament. I don't suppose claiming you're suicidal and having yourself admitted to the hospital would make a difference?

This is exactly what single payer health insurance does when it starts running out of money...and they all DO run out of money.

I just want to say for the record that the NHS is amazing and I feel eternally grateful to live in a country offering free universal healthcare. I feel privileged to know I will never have to pay for any medical intervention, no matter when or how I need it. Nationalised healthcare is the best thing that's ever happened to this country in my view.
That said, state management of mental health care has never been as good as it should be. There is no reason why it shouldn't be better, but at the moment it is really bad. Therapy should be as widely and fully available on the NHS as physical health care. Attitudes of politicians need to change for this to happen. And they need to stop using the NHS as a political tool.

Absolutely this. People who complain and criticise the NHS are indirectly commenting on a lack of spending on, and investment in, public services. The NHS struggles because of governmental decisions and policy which persistently and savagely cut spending on healthcare. This is in addition to associated policy decisions about education and immigration which mean the UK can no longer train sufficient numbers of our own nurses, nor support immigration of international healthcare workers. Nationalised healthcare is not the issue, successive governments failing to invest in the system is the issue.

100% spot on

So no critism is legit?
The NHS at best can contain. The training of mental health workers is awful.
Yes there are big funding issues. But I've come across some awful mental health individuals within the NHS in my journey.

I literally just criticised the mental health provision. The MH workers you describe are likely low-paid, low-band poorly/quickly trained workers who are cheaper for the NHS to hire than qualified counsellors and psychotherapists who are registered, ready to work, and stuck in voluntary roles in struggling charities or private practice due to the fact that the NHS hasn't been properly equipped to hire the psychotherapists that are desperately needed. It is a political problem. It is systemic.

So a Dr telling me to next time make sure I do it properly - re a suicide attempt - is a political problem? Health care workers abuse the old and vunrable because they're not paid enought?

I'm British. I don't want rid of the NHS. But it's an old boys club. Where else can someone go if they're not satisfied. Many have become to comfortable with their roles within the NHS. They in some instances, come to dispise those that are trapped within the system. It needs a good shake up!
It's not just funding and politics.

Yes, criticism can be legitimate. However, we should be clear about what we are criticising. Are we criticising systemic problems (for example, lack of training in mental health because of lack of funding in education and health care provision); or are we criticising instances of poor practice (which can also be linked to funding but are also about individual circumstance and not just service-wide culture)? The former can be addressed by generous funding, the latter will always exist because some people are awful at their job - regardless of the system in which they work. Abuse, neglect and poor practice all happen in private health care.

Old boys' clubs are a patriarchal problem, not one of nationalisation. I agree with you, but it is a mistake to think that other healthcare systems are any more inclusive or less hierarchical.

I didn't say other health care systems were better. All much the same.
That's why I went private. I have choice and more power

They do. But you can move on.

And that is a lovely choice for those who can afford to buy it.

Sliding scale. Hard work. Sacrifices.

These are things which some people can access and tolerate, but the most vulnerable in society can not. Luckily, this lack of privilege was realised back in the 1940s. Since then, compassionate and rational people have been trying to build a society and healthcare system which looks after those for whom there is nothing else to sacrifice and for whom hard work does not pay enough.

And failed where mental health is concerned. Mistreatment of this in our 'carehomes' is a crime.

I'm not privledged. I'm a supermarket worker. If I can do it. Others surely can.

Nice try though.

While I'm very happy you can afford mental health care on a tight budget, it's unrealistic to say anyone can simply sacrifice more and go private. There are people out there who have less income or no income (unemployed, job seekers, carers) and more outgoings (dependent children, high-cost of living areas) who can't just make it work if they try harder.

Is private healthcare better? In my experience, yes, but that's true of virtually everything, from education to roads to live-in childcare. And I suspect private mental healthcare remains relatively affordable in the UK precisely because private therapists know clients have the option of going to the NHS and paying nothing.

I'm not a huge fan of the NHS. I've had exceptional care, but I've also had care that was incredibly poor.

Some of the issues I had with the NHS are down to a**holes who shouldn't be working in healthcare to begin with. But a lot of the issues were down to understaffing and a lack of funds.

Countries that don't have public healthcare have their own issues. I grew up in Canada (which had universal healthcare), and went to university in a town that bordered the US. I worked in a supermarket with a pharmacy. The number of Americans hopping the border to buy insulin because they couldn't afford it at home was shocking. Some told me they rationed it.

I'd rather live in a country that provides both public and private services.