To think adult mental health services are shit?

[elementofsurprise]

So... we've had a thread about CAMHS. What about adult services? I'm talking about secondary care - CMHTs and so on. I've come across so many people struggling to get any help at all, being discharged when still unwell, offered inadequate therapy in primary care and unable to access secondary services, waiting lists of years, staff obfuscation, misdirection, inconsistencies and even lies, a general lack of empathy or communication, etc.

I'm half wondering if posters here will be less likely to have had these experiences, as I suspect being a parent means they prioritise you so perhaps posters here have not had issues accessing help. This is in no way a criticism btw, just a suspicion of one way they decide how to allocate limited resources.

However, it's clearly not all about resources as just treating someone like a human being doesn't cost anything...

A relative had terrible treatment from a psychiatrist who was a locum who had flown in from abroad. I complained to a nurse who was taken aback at what he had said. But my relative was nowhere near well enough to make a formal complaint.

I got diagnosed with EUPD 18 months ago but nobody told me until 4 months ago and that's only because I saw it on my Community mental health workers notes, he assumed I knew. I've been lucky to get access to mental health services but some of them have messed me around so much they end up causing so much stress.

I've recently been discharged from an inpatient unit. The majority of patients in the unit were child free. The biggest demographic were single men, as they are often a higher suicide risk or do not have the support networks that women seem to be more likely to have, so I don't think that parents are prioritised for inpatient care. Certainly they prefer to treat people at home.

I've seen the good the bad and the ugly of psychiatric care across primary and secondary services. IME you have too few staff trying to look after too many people with too few resources. Many staff are as despairing of how cuts to service affect care as the patients are. I wouldn't paint the whole service as bad though as people try their best with what they have in the short time they have to do it.

There's regularly no free beds in the whole of the UK. It's shameful that people with mental illnesses are still the poor relations of our health system and the funding allocated to it.

I've not had too much dealing with adult mental health as my last severe episode of depression was at just turned 18.

However, my sister has had wxperience of and works in services related to mental health.

She's found the people themselves mostly helpful and supportive but with not enough time for each person (far too stretched).

The chances are if I came off my anti-depressants id have another severe depressive episode and now I have young children the thought fills me with fear.

I have a friend who is a psychiatrist. He said the lack of beds in inpatient is down to the funding being transferred to the home treatment/crisis teams. The NHS believe that people recover better at home. Whilst I'm sure that's true for a lot of people (and I've had great home treatment before) it does mean that when someone really does need to be in hospital, there isn't always a bed free. In an ideal world, there would be enough funding for both but the cuts just aren't stopping

''David Cameron has created a mental health crisis that can't be solved with £1billion worth of funding
Earlier this year, austerity policies were described as “profoundly disturbing” to the nation’s mental health in a letter signed by hundreds of psychiatrists, psychotherapists and other experts in the field''

www.independent.co.uk/voices/david-cameron-has-created-a-mental-health-crisis-that-cant-be-solved-with-1-billion-worth-of-funding-a6807631.html

YANBU services are terrible and it's down to cuts and lack of actual practical help, therapies, beds, support everything really. And also lack of an holistic approach.

So for example: Person is all round unhappy with life, person attempts suicide, spends 6 weeks in hospital, leaves. The problems in that persons life don't change as a result yet there are no solutions for this.

Thanks for the replies and thoughts...
I have to say, I've found the actual staff better over the years (12 yrs) but the service equally if not more useless, presumably due to funding.

It seems ridiculous the amount the government has shelled out in emergency care, policing, benefits etc. on me over the years, when a course of therapy a decade ago would have been much cheaper! (and meant I avoided later repeated traumatic experiences and issues like longterm uemployment.)

Currently having a palava with my local MH service

Waited for referral and initial phone consultation, they phoned me 4 days earlier than scheduled. I couldn't do it was in the middle of ASDA, they said this was fine and apologised for calling early. 3 days later I got a letter saying I'd opted out if their service, and I'd need another referral if I required the service in future!

Really annoying as it'll be another 6 week wait now, when I should have started therapy already.

Not a great experience for me either, I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in December which was 6 months after my youngest was born.id been mentioning my symptoms to the HV who dismissed it as me adjusting to life with 2 small children but I knew it was more than that and I did try to explain. I also discussed it with a GP who said it wasn't PND because I didn't have problems bonding with my baby. So I believed them and struggled on until one day I just wanted to hurt myself out of pure desperation. I felt like I was going to burst.

I begged the receptionist for an appointment and luckily they found me one, I took both of my children with me and none of us were out of our pyjamas. I've never felt so desperate in my life and looking back its like it wasn't me. The GP gave me antidepressants, talked to me about coping strategies and said he'd put my name down for therapy. Then he sent us on our way.

Since then I've had to make an appointment with that particular GP every month so I can have more pills - he works 2 days a week and I work full time. There are pre bookable appointments but I miss them every time. There is no set time that they release them so it's very much a game of chance. I have to ring for an appointment on the morning and if there is one I can have it, but there are never appointments. This week he's working until 10.30am on the 2 days he works so there's even less chance.

The worry of running out of tablets and being unable to function is not helping my anxiety, and there has been no more information about the therapy. In the meantime I'm struggling, I've handed in my notice at work because it's too much and I'm relying on help from my mum with my children whilst I just wait this rough patch out. I've explained everything to my HV, she said I'll just have to wait it out.

I have had problems with depression and anxiety most of my adult life. I have avoided seeking help until 2 years ago. Even though it has left me housebound during ok times and afraid to leave my bedroom for months during the worst. I have only experienced talking to the gp about it and having antidepressants . Talking to the gp is awkward and the antidepressants have made things worse in terms of intrusive thoughts and desire to self harm (mostly resisted luckily!)

I haven't bothered going back because I don't think there is much they can do - I am not ill enough to need emergency care .

I'll come back to this thread when I'm not quite so exhausted from coping alone with my mentally disabled (severely bipolar) DH who was discharged from the CMHT earlier this year because -fundamentally - of lack of resources.

Page Bloody hell. That just shows what a postcode lottery it is. I've had accusations on other threads assuming I'm doing something wrong or refusing help, because people don't believe I cant get any - so clearly others are helped.