should I seek urgent help for harmful intrusive thoughts?

[blacktail]

Because I'm not going to act on them.

But My mind keeps repeating the same statement over and over again "I want to kill myself"

Thing is, I don't want to kill myself and I honestly won't, but it won't stop. Is this what people mean by 'hearing voices?'

I'm in a deep depression and GP suspects bipolar. He has referred me to primary care liaison who I'm seeing in a fortnight.

What help might there be in the meantime if this keeps getting worse as rapidly as it is?

[NanaNina]

Can I ask if this is your first experience of mental health problems blacktail - I suffer from depression that can be severe but I don't have experiences of hearing voices, or intrusive thoughts. Well I do have intrusive thoughts of suicide (as in suicide ideation) thinking about it but knowing I'm not going to act on it, but I don't experience the thoughts as "hearing voices" - trouble is we are all different and our symptoms are likely to be different.

If your GP suspects bipolar I think he/she should be making an urgent referral to the CMHT or a consultant psychiatrist for a diagnosis and treatment. Primary care liaison sounds like mental health nurses at the GP practice - is that what it is? They will not be able to diagnose as this can only be done by a psychiatrist, but they can refer you to a psychiatrist.

Sorry can't help much. You could have a look at the MIND or RE-THINK websites.

[blacktail]

Thanks for replying NanaNina, and for the links.

I've been diagnosed with depression for 15 years but it was present from being an early teen. About eight years ago I had what I now believe to be a manic episode (although while it was happening I thought I was just having a jolly thrilling adventure ) with several subsequent depressive episodes for which I've been on fluoxetine. This latest episode is far more severe although I can still function. I have two small DC so have to!

I think MH services are so overloaded in my area that GP referrals for all but the most urgent cases are sent to this primary care liaison team to act as a kind of triage before referring to a psych.