The Lost Souls Lounge - falling through the cracks of the MH system

[swisscheesetony]

Been "escorted" to hospital by the police chasing your ambulance?

Been told by the psych team you're fine and there's nothing they can do?

Pull up a pew and have a w(h)ine. No judgement.

My name's swiss and I'm borderline. 2 weeks ago I was taken to hospital with a police escort and discharged 12 hours later. A follow-up appointment with the clinical director of the mental health services ticked a box or two but they've no plans to see me again.

I'm off to see my new GP tomorrow to ask for help (attention seek bien sur).

Sending a big hug to you, Nana. I've seen you give such kind and wise advice to others over the years - you are so lovely
My news is I'm getting even more meds! Pregablin this time. Let's watch as it interacts with the four antidepressant types I take!

Thanks all. The support from people who get it helps. My trust is good with BPD-here we get DBT and psychotherapy if we need it. It makes me really scared to move though.
I SHd again. Feel so rubbish about it, I just can't stop myself. Meds gone up again. Now on max doses of Quetiapine and Sodium Val that they'll prescribe. Not sure what'll happen if these don't work.

Oh thank you so much Keepcalm - I really needed that, as I'm feeling so rubbish about myself just now. Why are you taking Pregablin - it's for nerve pain isn't it. Do the meds for depression have any effect?

Hello all, Can I join ? I have BPD, PTSD, fibromaylgia, depression and anxiety and have had psychotic episodes in the past. Currently medicated with anti psychotics and ant depressants. I had a psychotic episode about 18 months ago, three suicide attempts in the time since. CPN not much use at the minute as I can feel my depression returning- recent attempt was this week after a panic attack and just generally feeling out of control. Depression has returned since. I'm currently trying to plough my way through a masters degree, but I'm not sure I'll be able to complete it the way I feel at the minute. Very, very low and just trying to keep going. Have psychology on Tuesday, so they are helping me a little bit, but I'm not sure how useful it will be against clinical depression.

Sorry to see you are struggling nana you were very kind to me when I first came to the boards a long, long time ago and in the grip of some sort of BPD episode.

I dont know how to cope with what they did to me and the memories. They are flooding my head. Why am I not worth as much as others and not allowed support?

there is nowhere to turn

why have i always been condemned without trial

I had awful nightmares last night and I'm dreading tonight. I might have a medicated induced sleep.

Please can I join this thread? I have depression and anxiety and hit crisis point a few weeks ago. So far, ive been off work about 7 weeks and I've got at least another 2 or 3 weeks before I can think about going back. I've had a mixed experience of help. My GP is rubbish, the crisis team and the home treatment team have been amazing, my experience as 24 hours as an inpatient on our local psychiatric ward was horrific, I have seen a psychiatric consultant who I really liked and I see him again next week.
I feel like I'm playing a balancing act with my meds but I'm better than I was. I'm also scared though of being too 'stable' as that is when they've said psychological therapies should be accessed and I know the choices in our trust are very limited (usually only CBT on the NHS) I'm also scared of the support going away but I don't want to be too reliant on it either.
I've just taken 5mg of diazepam for the first time in about a week (I weaned myself off after about 5 weeks) but I couldn't stand the anxiety and it's too early for my night time meds so I'm feeling a bit of a failure.
Hope everyone is having a reasonable evening.

Nice to see you on the thread Ikeatears. It sounds like you're making progress in the right direction.

I'm extremely low right now. I've been researching most lethal methods, I'm very unstable and don't know what to do.

Would it be ok to ask for advice here for my 16 year old? And also for myself, how to help and support her?

Hi Heaven, I do feel like I'm getting there but it's two steps forward, three steps back!
Hugandroll - can you phone your crisis team?
OhIAcheAllOver - what advice did you need? Can't say I'll be any help but I'm sure someone on here will be

Big hugs to element and roll

Roll Do you have anybody that can come and be with you for tonight?

Heaven, my nightmares have settled down this week but last week they were awful and very realistic - always in my house too - they were terrifying and had a huge affect on my daytime anxiety. This week they seem much more 'normal' dreams - maybe I'm just getting used to the meds?

I feel like my daughter is a lost soul at the moment.

She has suffered with anxiety for the last 3 years and now I feel there's depression making an appearance. She just seems so unbearably sad.

She has a boyfriend but no friends. There are people she knows but nobody at all that she goes out with or spends time with except him. She is very dependent. She is desperate for friends but the anxiety gets in the way.

She hardly attended school last year but managed exams and somehow got 5 GCSE's and tried to go to college but couldn't cope with it - the social aspect or the environment. She's very intelligent and has goals which I'm pleased about.

I'm a single mum, no other children. I'm drained by dd. I feel so awful saying it but I'm really finding it hard to cope with. I have health issues myself which doesn't help I guess. She seeks reassurance from me constantly. Even in the middle of the night. First thing in the morning, she wakes me up and is crying before the day has even started.

I think I'm finding things frustrating because I can't help her - and I kind of feel like I'm failing her. I'm her mum, I should be able to do something, but I can't and I'm out of ideas.

She is due to see a psychiatrist this month. I'm hoping there is something they can do. She can't eat or sleep properly, she's constantly shaking, not a day goes by that she doesn't cry. The GP has done blood tests and all came back normal. They tried her on Sertraline but it made her worse.

I'm not sure what I'm expecting from this but I guess it's good to just put things out there sometimes, but if anyone has any advice at all, I'd be really grateful.

It's good that your daughter has you as support (although I realise it must be very hard for you) but it's also good that she has a psychiatrist appointment soon. Hopefully they will find a medication which suits her.
6 weeks ago, I couldn't leave the house and spent most days either shaking or crying or both but with support and medication, I very slowly getting my life back. I wouldn't have believed it at the time and I still have terrible days but they are less than they were. I'm more likely to have a terrible afternoon or evening than a whole day. You can get there together

I don't have a crisis team, they keep discharging me. I have a psych appointment in December, I can't see me lasting that long.

I have friends over, but I'm a massive drain on them. I need actual help, and will never get it.

I'm sure you aren't a drain on them but I can understand why you feel that way. My friends have literally been a lifeline these last few weeks.
The crisis team are there to help when you are in crisis, which you are. Please phone them, that's what they're there for.

I'll ring them tomorrow. I'm not sure if there's anything they will or can do, but I'll try.

Good, I'm glad you're going to call, tell them what you're telling us. If you need to come back and talk, we're here

Ikea This thread was started for people who can't get help from services. That's not to say others aren't welcome, of course. But it's horrible to be told to get professional help rather than have the understanding of how shitty the system is.

I am seriously not coping either. I can't call the crisis team because they will tell me I am not one of their patients and refuse to speak to me. I am trying not to harm myself. Clearly there's nowhere for people like me after all, not even this thread.

That sounds rude. It is not supposed to. Just unable to tiptoe round doing the pleasantries atm. It fucking hurts and they have condemned me forever. I cant live like this.

Element, I get your frustration, I really do. It has taken me weeks of badgering, phone calls, appointments, Dh ringing everywhere he could think of, us making complaints when we were unhappy with services to get to a place where I at least feel I am being listened to. That said, I know I'm going to have another fight on my hands to get the psychological help I need. I've only got this far because Dh and my friends have been able to advocate for me when I haven't been able to.
There are huge failings in the system and I agree, many people are left to cope alone. I have made it clear to the medical professionals that I truly believe that, had I not had a good support network of Dh and friends, I would be dead now because I was spiralling and had nowhere at all to turn. I didn't even know about crisis teams and home treatment and wouldn't, at that stage, have had the capacity or, quite frankly, the motivation to find out.
Element, I'm really not trying to minimise your situation or just tell people to 'get help' I know it's difficult. It's frustrating. It makes me really angry.
In the case of hugandroll, she has talked about researching methods. She's mentioned it on this thread and that is concerning. I don't know any more than you do whether the crisis team can help her but at least it will mean she will be able to speak to someone in real life rather than just us who are helpless from behind our screens.
Please don't think this thread is for you.
I don't know how to help you any more than I know how to help myself. Maybe someone will have some better ideas. I know that I have fought to be heard for 20 years and only now seem to be getting somewhere. I've met some amazing health professionals these last few months but I've also met some who should never work in a caring profession. On the ward, I felt treated like a criminal and one nurse in particular spoke to me like I was shit on her shoe.
I understand the hurt and I understand the feeling of being unable to live like this. I totally get the feeling of being condemned to it for all eternity, I really do. I wish I knew what to say to you but I don't, except don't leave the thread and know that a lot of us really do understand where you are coming from, even if we have no advice to offer.

Sorry - should proofread!
I meant "Please don't think this thread ISN'T for you"