another rant mental health services

[glyn_2008]

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.

[Bushra_2009]

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.

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.

[Londonbound]

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.

[Kara_2007]

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!

[Londonbound]

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.