I have wanted to make this post for a while and I suppose recent events on this board have made me post it.
I have read a lot of threads about people being nervous about seeking help and being scared of being admitted or having medication or therapy so I wanted to share my own recent experiences of mental health services. Obviously this is just me and it is different for everyone. I live in a city but not a big one known for its health care system!
I re-entered into services in December via my GP. I went and sobbed about stress at work, he listened and offered me choices and support about my care. I was signed off for two weeks, I was referred to the primary care talking therapies service (IAPT) and prescribed medication. He listened and did not minimise or ignore my distress.
Within 3 weeks I had access to talking therapies.
During my time with IAPT (which was low-intensity and for a short time) I was listened to, appointments were convenient for me and my therapist went well out of his way to support me. It became apparent by February that I was too unwell to manage with this service because of my mental state and self harm.
I was referred for an assessment, someone came to my house the next day and listened to me, she started me on the crisis home treatment service which is an intensive support service where people visit you at home a lot.
Home treatment was not always easy but they worked with me to find me a great key-worker and a care plan that worked for me, I was given different medication and time to cry and talk about my issues. I was never judged or told off for self harm. And when I became too unwell to manage at home my admission was done very gently and I stayed as an informal patient for 3 months.
Being in hospital was difficult, sometimes the staff did not understand and sometimes I felt judged and not supported. BUT they worked very very hard to improve their care and people went well out of their way to provide appropriate care for me. They had meetings with the community team to find the best way forward and I was advocated for and by the end of my admission really listened to and supported. They started my community therapy in hospital which was very helpful because it meant I started it in a very supportive environment. In hospital by and large my privacy and dignity were maintained, the hospital was clean and fresh and I was allowed to find my own path through my admission (started off never leaving my room, ended up spending time in communal areas because I wanted to - big progress). Some other patients were a bit scary and it was noisy and busy sometimes. Sometimes I wanted to leave and wasn't allowed and that was very upsetting and difficult but it was done in my best interests.
On discharge I am continuing the therapy I have had in hospital and as my mental health has still not improved enough to where I am safe I have had home treatment again which again has been supportive and largely non-judgemental. I have been given a very experienced CPN which is a huge help.
Things have not been perfect, I have been told off and hung up on and not listened to and at times it has been very difficult. But overall services have reacted appropriately and worked and tried hard to meet my (very complex) mental health needs. Sometimes I get frustrated and upset and feel let down but after that people have tried to improve the care I get and they are only human and I accept that sometimes they will not get it right. It is upsetting when people are rude to me or patronising but I try hard to move on.
So please please don't be scared about getting help, because as hard as all of this is (and my God it is hard) it has been made easier with the vast amounts of support I have had.
Sorry this is long, I just wanted to share a positive experience.