Another rant mental health services

Specific disabilities and conditions
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Sorted out help for my caree but on waiting list, so no help available, phoned up the mental health crisis line.

Told to contact the doctor, yes the doctor can ring me, but its not me that’s the issue here, can I leave a message no we don’t do that.

My carees mum rings up (shes in her seventys) , my daughter is crying in her bedroom, she needs help now.

Doctors we are very busy, have you tried the mental health crisis line, yes they told me to call the doctors.

Well we are very busy, mum says this is urgent, mum had phoned 111 and been told to ask for an urgent doctors appointment.

Well we are very busy, gonna get a jumper printed out for this receptionist, “well we are very busy”

That was Monday still waiting for urgent mental health help.

The crisis team said daughter needs to be referred to the mental health services, tell us something we don’t know.

Mum says why isn’t my daughter in the mental health services, daughter was dumped last year from the mental health services.

Crisis team, I can’t answer that, can you refer my daughter to the mental health services no we can’t do that has to be the GP.

so what do I do now, take my daughter down to A&E? daughter had been hours in A&E last year was refered to charity councelling service 8 sessions then no more help supplied, have to go back to the doctors, went back to doctors, doctor did nothing.

Still waiting for this urgent help to be supplied.

Don’t know what else to do carees mum has texted, still crying.

They write all these strategys and suicide prevention stuff but to try and actually get the help it just doesn’t exist.

What are we supposed to do, get one of those lorrys with a big advertising display on the back, park it in front of the doctors?

“please can you refer my daughter to mental health services” flashing on the display?

One phone call could solve all this but the people aren’t allowed, has to be GP.

And where is the promised early intervention before crisis occurs?

Mental health services, you got more chance of winning the lottery than getting help from mental health services.

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Hi Londonbound

I’m sorry to hear this, it sounds very stressful for you and your careers mother, and upsetting for her daughter too.

Mind have support pages for people who are caring for those with mental health problems. There is some crisis information in there which may of help to you:

Best wishes

Jane

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Both of us have talked to Mind, mum went to see a solicitor half an hour free, they didn’t do much, advised to contact the MP.

The local inpatients unit has been cut in our area, the mental health services have said they are providing more community services to prevent mental ill health, there is a community team but not been refered to the community team.

The GP has done nothing, but been told to contact the GP, trying to get an appointment its 3 weeks and what then nothing.

The mum has asked about a CPN, not allowed a CPN, basically on antidepressants.

So we need advice from Carers UK, about rights to treatment, does the daughter have a right to see a mental health specialist?

What should the crisis team be doing, referring to the GP, the GP knows about the Daughters mental illness and has done nothing.
And unpaid carers, have the right to a carers assessment, are carers assessments still running?

And what about early intervention, preventing issues before they occur, again who do we contact, told to contact the care co Ordinator, there isn’t one, care plan, no care plan.
So how does the daughter get a Care Co-ordinator and a care plan,treatment and support?

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Hi Londonbound

Sorry to hear you’re still not getting the help you need.

If you want to contact our Helpline the number is 0808 808 7777 from Monday to Friday, 9am – 6pm or you can email them at advice@carersuk.org.

Best wishes

Jane

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I feel your frustration, been through it all with my daughter.
They basically say that unless she’s made a serious attempt at suicide there’s nothing they can do.

When she was living alone, a friend of hers contacted me to say she was really worried that my daughter was going to do something. I contacted crisis line, they said I needed to call police.
Another time they advised me to take her to A & E. My daughter refused to get out the car. I went in & spoke to reception & a nurse. I was told if she wouldn’t go in there’s nothing they can do.

The service is not fit for purpose.

Contacting mp is worth a try, also any local charities.

I wish you luck
X

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The mental health services make all these claims but the reality is there is little help support accessable.

You have to qualify to get the help be the right type of box.

If someone anyone has emotional issues, depressed, anxious, distressed, they need proper help and support

but I have heard and experienced some ridiculous tales.

Go have a hot bath that will make you feel better, sit down and read a book.

The average doctor has little experience with mental health, refers the patient to the mental health services.

Months later the patient will come back unhappy no help supplied, what can the GP do?

There is IAPT you can refer yourself for therapy but not suitable in a crisis.

Sufferers of mental illness have to rely on family and friends, what if there is no family and friends?

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Still no help been supplied.

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I am so sorry that you are going through this. Mental health services really must be improved. It is so upsetting how uneducated people are in this field. And it is because not many people stress the importance of mental health. I think it is as equally important as physical health if not more so. As it has a direct link to your physical health, and can make it so much worse if you are not taken care of up there. :-???

I am carer for my mum and it has been extremely hard, and so isolating especially during the lockdown.

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Even after my wife attempted suicide (the Golden Ticket) the mental health team were trying to send her home with me. It was when I told them that she was convinced I was filming her and that people around her were talking about her that we got her admitted. Problem is that most elderly wards have a high proportion of dementia patients and inundated. Once you get them into Mental Hospital there is a race to get them out to your care again. Not fit for purpose currently as the routine is feed them/drug them.

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This is one of my points attempting suicide that’s when you supposedly get help, but there should be help before this.
But yes my caree has attempted suicide gone to A&E, been there for hours and just discharged with a few leaflets.
That caree suffers from Borderline personality disorder, there is specialist therapy and support for this but just refused.

Anyone with depression or other mental illness’s should be able to access good quality treatment and support before crisis point, suicide point.

All the GP’s do is give antidepressants and you have to be very unwell to get therapy, a mental health nurse visit etc.

The buzz word is home treatment, being in hospital is old fashioned and expensive, patients are able to live in their own home and be able to access treatment.

Trouble is they can’t, been refused by mental health services, none of my carees are receiving any kind of treatment help or support from Mental Health Services, are left reliant on family friends and neighbours to give the support.
Many as well have physical health problems, combined with mental health, money problems, bad housing, its a recipe for disaster.

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Home Treatment is a laugh. A fortnightly Depot injection and a once in a blue moon OT contact does not turn a depressive psychotic around, it just converts the carer into a depressant too.

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sorry to hear that. Even my wife to suicide two times. I dont know is problem with her. Even we consult the psychologist but the doctor said she was oky. I dont know what to do. Can anyone please suggest.

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Yes Glyn that’s exactly my issue, unpaid carer, i am getting affected by the lack of help for mental health carees, i have been told to contact social services for support but all they do is provide home carers, IF you qualify for home care.

Depression anxiety does not qualify for home care.

I an unpaid carer has suffered mental health issues for years, my one friend died last year, i went to the doctors suicidal, no help was provided, you are just left looking for support on your own.

Contact Social Services, they say go to see the doctor have done, he has told me to contact social services.

I have tried ringing around but apart from getting sent around in circles, telling me i need this or that or the other, most services you need a referral from the GP.
Guess what the GP says no or just doesn’t understand the system, that i look like a bright young man i can look on the internet for help.
Yes i can but majority need a referral from the GP.

Bushra all i can suggest is keep a diary of incidents and post to the GP/mental health services.

33 incidents for one of my carees in under a month, been to the GP, contacted the crisis line, that’s all that seems to be available, letting people lurch from one crisis to another.

Just can’t access long term therapy which is what many people need, just doesn’t seem to exist.

Write to the GP, write to the commissioning services, write to the Manager of community mental health services, write to the director of Mental health services, contact the MP, contact the Papers.
Contact Healthwatch in your area.
Its the people that shout the loudest that get the help, we shouldn’t have to but we do.

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I can sympathise wholeheartedly, it seems the whole system is a vague sort of lip service provision at the moment.

We have been through mental health teams via a&e when my daughter self harms after being stitched up, we’ve seen the early onset psychosis team twice (discharged as apparently the voices are not psychotic in nature), we have been rejected from secondary MH services twice (not severe enough) had an almost diagnosis from the primary care liaison service but a side swipe (we think it is emotional intensity which we no longer have provision for as the new contract provider of IAPT do not offer DBT which is what she needs, so lodge a complaint with the hospital please) plus a referral to the Autistic team (still waiting a year later). Daughter referred for CBT with the IAPT service but from the first session the CBT practitioner didn’t reflect or summarise properly and assumed her problems rather than listening to what she was told. I’m guessing not a full therapist. So my daughter stopped that after the second session (she already knows what the amgdalya does as she’s got a psychology A level!)
As for the crisis team here, if they answer the phone they’ve never done more than say take her to a&e.

Luckily I have a good GP who has taken over the care coordinator role. I also work for a good recovery process mental health charity who provide one to one and group support services that focus on recovery, acceptance, wellbeing and hope while learning to manage your MH issues. (I run one of the sessions). My daughter is going to start with us this week (not in my sessions obv) and she has been put on an SSRI by the doc too.

There is a change happening in MH services, working in line with the government’s ‘5 year plan for MH services’. I just hope they start investing in the right organisations rather than the cheapest as at the moment there’s holes in the support for too many people!

I really hope you find a way to get the support you both need!

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My caree has been refused by the GP into the mental health system, the locum GP has never met the patient but has refused, after searching the internet discovered anyone can self refer into the mental health system, IAPT.

So my caree did that and was passed on to the community mental health team which is what my caree needed in the first place.

An assessment was done by the CMHT , a meeting was held back at headquarters and yes it was felt that my caree was not ill enough to go into secondary mental health services.

So there seems to be a no mans land, too ill for one service, not ill enough for another service.

I have rang around a number of charitys and as soon as i start mentioning personality disorder and PTSD, there is a very quick no we can’t help.

The GP hasn’t been much help, just doesn’t seem to understand the urgency and severity of PTSD, that it affects you on a day by day basis, antidepressants do not resolve PTSD.

Going to a day centre does not resolve PTSD, specialist psychotherapy is needed but not available or is available computer says no.

My caree goes to a big practise. there’s about 20 doctors , you never see the same GP so there is no continuity of care, having to explain time and time again the same issues.

Tried Advocacy but Advocacy deals with Social care, not mental health, there just seems to be no way of getting the good mental health treatment, help and support needed.

If someone could explain but its no you can’t have the right treatment, help and support and that’s it.

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Hello, Londoners!

I’m sorry to hear this; it seems like it’s been a stressful situation for you and your mother, as well as sad for her daughter. Persons who care for people with mental health difficulties can find assistance on Mind’s support sections. There is some crisis information in there that you could find useful.
Jane, best wishes

Edited by moderator to remove advertising link.

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old thread, locked.