Nurse speaking to DS for 5 mins and declaring he isn't bi-polar??

[Ghib]

Family history, paternal father and grandfather both have bipolar.

DS was sent to an NHS crisis team appointment as he disclosed he had been in cycles of feeling shit for over 2 years following a traumatic event and has been suicidal for months.

This place has a Google rating of 1. All the reviews say how terrible it is.

Nurse came in spoke to DS for 5 mins said the 'GP can handle it' gave him a print out of talking therapy services.

I asked about Bipolar as it ties in with tmwhat he's experienced, family history etc...

She said he doesn't have it as he doesn't have mania.

I said well his dad is type 2 bipolar and doesn't have mania either, he has hypomania.

She loomed like she didn't know about type2 and basically said 'you do t have bipolar just because some symptoms on Google match up. Just put that out of your head, you don't have it.'

My husbands diagnosis came at the end of 6 MONTHS talking therapy with a psychologist.

How can she say in 5 mins it's not that??

She also said ' if you're feeling really desperate the last port of call is A&E but I can already tell you're not gonna do anything like that'

Saying he's not actually suicidal.

That it. Discharged.

Back to GP.

My son didn't do as well as he hoped in his college exams because he planned on taking his life l, sos didn't see the point.
He decided how and when he was going to do it.
How is that not serious?

Is he under the Crisis Team?
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/crisis-services/crisis-teams-crhts/

A nurse can't diagnose bi polar, you need a psychiatrist for a diagnosis.

There's a good mental health helpline Rethink. I would give them a call to discuss and decide next steps.
https://www.rethink.org/

The GP referred him to them and that was the outcome of the meeting. Sent back to the GP and discharged from them.

I absolutely k ow she cannot diagnose bipolar, that's my point
If she can't diagnose it then she can't tell him he doesn't have it either!

Sorry that you had that experience. You are right and should complain. I’m an experienced MH nurse, I would be sacked if I behaved like that.

Contact PALS as your next step. I'm so sorry

We went back to GP who has put him on fluoxetine and booked him in for a follow up next week.

I have another child who is seriously self harming.

I'm not a bad parent, how did I fuck up so bad. I'm living in a nightmare

As well as Rethink, you could also contact Young Minds. They have a helpline for parents of children with mental health issues.

I’m sorry this is so hard OP. I second contacting Young Minds for support, and see what GP says next week. Good NHS MH Services are a total postcode lottery now it seems.

One of my best friends tried to commit suicide nearly 2 years ago and was taken to hospital by ambulance, was discharged not even 24 hrs later with a leaflet listing ways to be happy “get a pet, go for a walk, have a cup of tea” and was referred for therapy. Only got her first appointment 14 months later. It is a total joke.

Make an appointment with a psychiatrist.

Do whatever it takes to pay the fee.

You're not a bad parent.

You haven't fucked up.

There is a genetic component to many MH conditions, just as there's a genetic component to heart health, metabolic disorders, and much more.

But please get your child to a psychiatrist.

Have you fucked up?

Or are mental health services in this country so appalling bad that far too many people are falling through the cracks due to inadequate standards of care.

Don't beat yourself up for a system that isn't fit for purpose and staff who are unprofessional.

Make that complaint. You aren't listening to Dr Google. You are actually know wtf you are talking about and are being badly let down.

I got declared bipolar as a teen because I stated that while I was depressed, I was still happy sometimes 🤣 Shitty healthcare professionals exist, follow your gut and get a second opinion.

It took me a long time for me to get a diagnosis of bipolar.
During my first manic episode my psychiatrist didn't believe I could work and have the symptoms I was having so put that I only had symptoms after 5pm even though my symptoms were getting me into trouble at work.
Because of this I was put on antidepressants 2 years later for a depression and went manic again. This triggered a referral to the early intervention team and they monitored my moods and how they changed with time for 3 years before diagnosing me with bipolar. To get the diagnosis they wanted to understand the high moods and what triggered them.
5 minutes with a nurse is not long enough to say one way or the other. Crisis support can be hard to get. During one episode I had a referral made because I had detailed suicide plans but because I wasn't intending on acting on them that afternoon I was discharged back to the GP.
The best person to assess your son is a psychiatrist and it might take some time to work out the nature of your son's moods. I was your son during my a levels. I basically failed my second year - my lowest mark was 10% in one exam because I had been completely unable to stay in those lessons. I did better in my AS levels and got on my course even though I didn't quite make the grades I needed. It was hard but I having to take some responsibility for myself did help as well as a supportive friendship group. I had my manic episode during my year in industry. I went on to do a PhD which was when I got my bipolar diagnosis. I had a significant improvement in my moods once I got on a mood stabiliser and abandoned antidepressants. I now have quite classical presentation in my moods. Low from August to February. Higher from April to July. For a while this always resulted in episodes but now quite often the ups and downs of my moods stay within normal parameters. I am completely unrecognisable from the person I was at 18 when my mental health ruled my life. Life at 18 was detrimental for my mental health and it made me so unstable. My mood was so reactive to life that there probably was more going on than the bipolar and I was presenting closer to bpd. This was part of the reason it took 3 years for the EIT to diagnose me with bipolar because they wanted to rule this out based on my history. I get pure O symptoms with my depression too and crippling anxiety. So they wanted to see when these symptoms occur and whether they were in addition to my bipolar or part of the bipolar. In the end they are part of how my bipolar depression manifests. The self destructive behaviours are also only with bipolar depression and mixed episodes.

Unless a physician sees a manic or hypomanic episode and how it was triggered a bipolar diagnosis can take time. Mood diaries can help with diagnosis so they can see the ups and downs with information on what led up to the ups and downs. Keep an eye on shifts in moods with the antidepressants. They can send me high in hours!

Maybe he hasn't got bipolar? Having suicidal thoughts isn't uncommon unfortunately amongst his age group. Encourage him to do the things he enjoys in life, go yo the gym get outside.

Engaging with MH services in this country really is like a Kafka play at the moment. I'm sorry this has happened. Of course the nurse can't say whether he has or hasn't got any psychiatric condition in 5 minutes. I would make an official complaint in the knowledge (sorry) that nothing much will happen.

Fluoxetine might well tide him over until you can get him seen by somebody better. Keep going. He is lucky to have you in his corner.

Nurse is an arsehole. She can’t know.

Sell stuff to see a psychiatrist.