Why are mental health services in the UK so utterly shit?

@BeautyGoesToBenidorm and @Rinoachicken I'd be really interested in hearing more about EMDR if you're open to talking about it either here or in pm. I've been thinking about trying it but that has put me off. I know the ex military guy who had it basically became a recluse when he was at the start of it and sadly lost touch with a lot of people.

I think the answer to the original question is that there are no votes in mental health provision, just like a number of other issues such as prison reform, museums, public libraries, etc. They are not high enough in people's minds when they go to vote and most politicians are more interested in 'sexy' topics like immigration and the Westminster bubble.

Yes but 3 months of it might change people's lives more than 2 takeaways, a night in the pub and a new pair of jeans just for those 3 months. I know it's not always that easy (trust me I know) but it's about priorities. Short term pain for long term gain.

I second this. I'm currently going through EMDR and it's brutal, no understatement.

Okay £200 a month will get you ongoing counselling. It is a lot of money every month though. Everything is going up in price and most of us are already finding it tough.

Oh sorry I missed that you have BPD. I think DBT is the therapy recommended for it - it's also recommended for ADHD which is why I've heard of it.

I meant 200 quid a month for weekly sessions. Loads of counsellors work online now which opens up so many more options. Regional counsellors tend to be cheaper than those in South East of England because of lower cost of living. And a lot of people ultimately find their surface level stuff IS quite straightforward without any need to dive in too deep.

EMDR is INCREDIBLY intense and you will
not be eligible if you are not stable.

@Whichwhatnow Of course I understand.

But that doesn’t change the reality that things will not improve until you change your circumstances. And you will not be seen as a good candidate for DBT/MBT until you are in more stable circumstances unfortunately.

I know it’s hard to hear - I was living a chaotic life for well over 15yrs before I finally said ENOUGH and started the long road to recovery. A MH professional said to me what I am saying to you now. It was hard to hear but was the wake up call I needed.

YOU are the only person who can start your recovery from BPD. Services can do little to nothing until YOU make that choice for yourself. And when you start that recovery, it’s still down to YOU to implement the change and strategies you need to continue to manage the disorder for the rest of your life.

It’s hard fucking work, it’s exhausting, but it’s worth it. Some people decide it’s not worth it and so make different choices. Or are scared of how hard it is, or resent the fact they have to look themselves in the mirror and make changes themselves. But ‘them’s the choices’. Take it or leave it.

You can also do nothing, you keep repeating the same patterns again and again and wondering why you always get the shitty end of the stick. Why these things always happen to you.

If you want things to be different it’s down to YOU.

Everyone with BPD can recover, but tragically, not everybody will. The time it takes for someone to be ready for recovery caries from person to person. You may not feel ready yet, and that’s ok too. Recovery from BPD is not measured in months, but years and even decades.

That's expensive. You can find therapists on BACP website charging £40 an hour. Don't rule out zoom counselling either which opens up many more options. If you're not noticing a difference after a few sessions I would try someone else.

EMDR is recommended for trauma I know that much but not much more. The guy I know who had it was ex-military but I've seen people on here say they found it beneficial.

£200 will not buy you much therapy. Unless your issue is pretty straightforward this is unlikely to achieve anything.

It isn't being funded properly but I would also argue that people need to prioritise their mental health and take responsibility for it. That includes being willing to pay for it. I know people who happily spend 200 quid a month on 'treats' like clothes and cosmetics but would be appalled at the idea of spending that for 2 months of therapy. And yet that 400 quid would be life changing!

I work in mental health and we are severely short of staff - we have significant vacancies meaning the funding is there but the workforce is not. It seems we need to train more therapists. But it also seems like people do professional publicly-funded trainings and then choose to work in the private sector.
However this is besides the point and I hope you get the support you need right now OP. To be honest give you have been making attempts on your life you need a crisis intervention or admission to make you safe, not therapy. Maybe the refuge is a good step for now? I hope things improve for you - wishing you strength.

It is a direct result of policy decisions made by successive Tory governments.

My husband is awaiting transfer from a mental health rehabilitation ward to a residential home that will support his MH and other needs. My eldest son spent three years in residential provision for support related to his mental ill heath.
The residential placements cost £1,200 a week.

In both their cases, holistic support and provision, incorporating support for mental ill health, appropriate education provision, employment related support, support for informal networks including family and appropriate accommodation may have meant their needs might not have escalated to the point where they need such specialised provision.

It is not just mental health services that are underfunded, but the whole of health and social care . Underinvestment is, as my family have found out, such false economy.

ripplingwater

That is just appalling. I speak as the mother of a chronically ill young person who has been waiting years for his therapy and ASD diagnosis. It’s just dreadful. His life has been out on hold in an endless cycle of trauma and hyper anxiety thus costing the nhs more.

Not only do the Tories not give a shit they’re stupid.

Yep! I know of at least three of my peers who tried to get on clinical psychology training and competition was so ridiculous and spaces so limited that in the end they gave up and started working in other areas. They would have made amazing psychologists too.

@Whichwhatnow I hope this doesn't come across as patronising as it certainly isn't intended that way. But I am really admiring of you. To have all of those conditions and to be in a role that must be challenging to be commanding that pay is pretty impressive. That isn't to say that I don't believe people with these conditions can't achieve (of course they can). But I have just one of those conditions and know how much harder life is to cope with it. You must have so much grit.

Sending you a lot of compassion for what you are going through right now

@Cantonet teenagers that meet the criteria for CAMHS support often do not meet the adult criteria for support when becoming an adult.

It’s not adequately funded. The irony is that we churn out thousands of psychology graduates a year, many of whom would love to work as professional clinical or educational psychologists but there are so few places available on the professional training routes that the competition is brutal.

Being sectioned is not the answer here - you are still living with your abusive husband. Using an scute MH bed so you can have a break from your abusive husband is not what they are there for. You were offered a place in a refuge and you refused it. What is it you want sévices to actually do for you?

The emotions you are experiencing are trying to tell you that you are in a shit situation and need to do something about it. That’s literally what emotions are for. It’s up to you if you decide to listen to them and make a change or not. Until you are no longer in an abusive environment your MH is not going to change for the better. And there won’t be anything anyone else can do for you until you are willing to make that change.

Often the changes we wish to see in our lives have to come from within us. No one else can do it for you.

I say this as someone with BPD.