CBT anxiety therapist recommendation Bromley area

[CBTHelp]

DS, home from Uni, is suddenly having some severe anxiety symptoms - - hearing repeated music in his head

• head feels 'foggy'
• feels totally emotionless except for really scared
• he says he's felt he can't relax or switch off for a while

He is very teary and terrified.

He has spoken to a couple of mental health helplines who have suggested these are symptoms of anxiety and that CBT therapy would help.

There seem to be a number online but a recommendation would be fantastic. He said he'd rather see someone face-to-face.

Also, any ideas how we can help or anything else he can do please, I feel so desperate for him.

Thank you

I would go to the GP first of all.

Someone needs to assess if he needs referring to secondary care.

You say you feel desperate for him which suggests to me that he feels quite desperate. He certainly sounds very agitated and scared.

If he's hearing music it could be auditory hallucinations and you need to get someone to assess for psychosis.

Don't be alarmed as he can be helped but I really would see a gp at this point rather than seek cbt by yourselves, as he sounds quite in a crisis.

Plus a therapist might well not take on someone who is in a very unstable place.

Thank you for relying.
I agree GP would be best but he is absolutely adamant that he doesn't want it on his records anywhere.

I see that my language may have been misleading, he isn't desperate in that sense, he is scared but otherwise very clear and, although I'm not an expert, he doesn't seem in crisis or unstable.

CBT was suggested by both the mental health helplines he spoke to. - each said that his symptoms seem to be coping mechanisms for dealing with his anxiety.

This may not be the right path but as he is insistent he doesn't want to go through the GP, I can't think of what else we can do.

Replying

I hope someone comes along with a recommendation; in the meantime this is a really useful guide -

www.getselfhelp.co.ukdocs/SelfHelpCourse.pdf

If you do go direct I talked to this lady a while back about an issue with one of the dcs she was great: www.counsellinginbromley.co.uk/isis-davidson-olsson-clinpsy-bsc/

Thank you.
After lots of tears, he's agreed to talk to the GP and get a proper referral.
Hopefully they'll see him as he's actually registered at Uni now but he was with them since birth.
I'm struggling though, I hate to see him so upset and I'm so scared for him too.

@CBTHelp

Thank you. After lots of tears, he's agreed to talk to the GP and get a proper referral. Hopefully they'll see him as he's actually registered at Uni now but he was with them since birth. I'm struggling though, I hate to see him so upset and I'm so scared for him too.

That's good news.

Make sure he really does tell the gp everything and doesn't downplay it.