7-9 month waiting list for therapy-what do I do?

[Tiredandstressedtoday]

So I recently spoke to our areas well-being outreach team to ask for support. I’ve struggled with MH for most of my teen/adult life due to some significant trauma and it’s got too much. Panic attacks, repetitive/restrictive behaviours, low moods, skin picking etc. it’s impacting me daily and it’s been going on for years now and I’m just exhausted from it. I spoke to my GP who told me to self refer to this scheme as they don’t think there is anything else they can do.

the person from this team got me to complete some tests over the phone (rate yourself 1-4 etc) and commented that I scored severe for both anxiety and OCD, which after doing my own research didn’t surprise me. I was told to wait a few days and they would come up with a plan of support.

I waited a couple of days and was told their solution is I’m level 3 in their needs ranking (which is the top) and now I need to wait 7-9 months for cbt. No support while I wait. Just a good luck, will talk to you soon and hope you don’t have a breakdown. I know it’s short in the long term, but feels like a huge wait when I’m already at breaking point. I know I’m mentally going to feel even worse over the next 9 months while I wait. I’m a qualified MH educator for teens so have tried most if not all of the usual CBT suggestions. I just feel at my wits end now. My mind is beyond exhausted and I’m burnt out by life.

Can anyone suggest anything else that I can do to get by until I have someone to talk to? I can’t afford to go private and my work doesn’t have a wellness scheme for staff either. My GP isn’t much hope as getting an appointment is impossible. I honestly feel that I’m becoming a shell of the person I should be.

Try reading the books
Dare Response
At last a life
This websites might help -
anxietynomore.co.uk/

Last but not the least please ask your gp if there are any meds that he/she can prescribe if you are willing to do so for the time being

You're being really strong OP, tackling it head on. Traditional CBT can be quite unhelpful for OCD since you end up giving the thoughts too much attention. It's about letting them be, rather than trying to tangle with them. The NHS will give you ERP when you get to the top of the list. I had it with them once, but then the second time I was already in recovery when I got to the top of the list. It can actually be really hard to find a qualified and experienced ERP practitioner in the UK at a reasonable price. I used NOCD as they had a special offer on but it was still £55 ish per session. At full price it's £170! Ouch!

Thank you everyone. Honesty thank you from the bottom of my heart. It might appear like I’m strong but this is over a decade in the making (nearly 2) and I just can’t feel like this any more.

Have got a phone appointment with my gp (he asked me to fill out even more forms about mood etc) and I’m going to tell him I need some meds - they asked me to do therapy before meds for some unknown reason.

Hopefully I will hear back from some of the emails I’ve sent too and I can source some therapy sooner. I’ve also ordered some books that are recommended from you guys too.

Thank you all again. ❤️

I have heard from doctors that taking meds first might help you to become stable and then once you are stable therapy works better.
Personally, i didn't do much of therapy.
Meds acted well on me.

It's because the meds take up to 3 months to fully kick in and have a high rate of people stopping them too early. It's better if you can to have therapy and treat the cause rather than just mask the symptoms if that makes sense?

Trauma responds very well to remedial hypnosis. Why? Because the subconscious reacts to horrendous events by trying to figure out what happened so that it can be avoided in the future. The problem comes when whatever it was was completely random and therefore unavoidable, or that the people involved are unable (or unwilling) to fill in the necessary gaps. In that case the part of the subconscious tasked with working it will carry on revisiting the trauma in dreams, flashbacks and intrusive thoughts like a hamster on a wheel.

Hypnosis - with or without trance - can allow you to connect with that part of your mind and simply tell it to stop doing it, because it's causing you to be unhappy. A client described it as though the trauma had been covered in oil and, when she tried to access the feelings surrounding it, it just slipped away harmlessly.

My friend does hypno, but I’m not too sure how comfortable I would be. I’ve tried it before for something else and it didn’t work too well.

Drs suggested meds, but I’ve not heard back re:prescription yet. I’ve been on them before (struggled with PND) so fingers crossed they help in the meanwhile.

thank you all for the kind messages.

Yeah, I can understand that. Happy to send you a list of Control System Practitioners - most offer a free initial consult to see if it's appropriate for you.

That would be brilliant. Thank you so much.